Interior Light Troubles.

[iangsi]

I fitted one of the lights which has the off delay timer & map reading lights to replace the single lamp type all worked fine for a few years. I tried replacing the main lamp & that's where it all went wrong it stopped working.
The fault is it refuses to work if the door is opened or the light switch is pulled, if I turn on one of the map lights with the ignition off it comes on then turn the other map light on all 3 lights come on but dimly. I tried another unit with the same fault. I then tried a vec-B bugeye unit which seems to work except the off delay. I checked the wiring, earths & door switches all seems OK.

Question is are the 3 units buggered & are they repairable ?

[Robsey]

Have you got it wired up correctly?

Sounds like something is wired up wrong.
Multiple lights on at once indicates a poor earth.

The connectors are all different sizes, so it shouldn't be possible to get anything wrong.

Red - battery live - 30 contact
Black - ignition live - 15 contact.
Brown - earth - 31 contact.
Grey - ground via door pins - T (for Tur) or 31b contact.

Did you forget to wire the brown wire via one of the mounting screws?
Although this should not affect the door pin / light switch pull operation.

How about your fuses?
Fuse 8 for ignition live (bug eyes / map lights) and interior lighting.

Fuse 29 for battery live feed to interior lighting.
(Although my car doesn't have fuse 29, but the lights all work fine).

Does the window switch light up and go off as it should.?
These would hint at a corroded floor loom wire.

[vexorg]

Did you modify the wiring for the original fitting?
Usually there's no ground on the light, just a feed, and the ground if through the door switches.

[Robsey]

For some reason the Vectra-B bug-eye is working correctly.

The delay on the "B" is via the central locking module.
My megamos remote locking unit controls the light functions from the door, including delay.

So there must be an issue with the other two light units.

I also have the bug-eye unit fitted and wired as described above.

[iangsi]

I added the extra wiring years ago & all worked OK until I changed the main lamp then I started getting the problems.
So you think t he B bug-eye unit is working it still has the same 4 connections as the other ones.

[Robsey]

Yes, the bug-eye unit sounds like it is okay.
It should not have any delay circuit board in it.

Or at least mine doesn't.

The main light should go on and off with the door pins, and the lighting pull switch.

The bug eyes should only come on with ignition live, and have their own switches.

On fancy-pants units with delay...
the delay circuit is cut off as soon as the ignition is turned on.

[Robsey]

I have just found an early bug eye unit.
It does have the electronic delay circuit board on that one.

From an 80s Carlton / Senator.