1989 C1500 Standard cab dome light wont turn off

[tppower]

Hi everyone, i have seen this problem on the forum in different ways for the last few years but none of the solutions work, and i also have a unqiue situation.

I have had my first car, a 1989 c1500 standard cab Silverado step side me and my dad fixed to working condition, and I've had it for over 10 years now. The entire time we have owned it, the dome light and courtesy lights has never turned off. The previous owner who didn't speak English cut the drivers side dome light switch wiring.

The wires dangling near the drivers side socket are orange and a very light grey.

I have been trying to fix this for 3 years now, and the last few years i have connected two female ends from junkyards, but every truck i find from 1988-1995 has different color wires.

-One female end I have from a 1994 Silverado has the wires in order right to left of orange, white, and black. the other one from a 1988 Cheyenne is simply white and black. Neither in any combination seems to work.

-I replaced the passenger side door jam switch with a new part, and when testing the driver side i also used a new part. The headlight switch as well as the instrument cluster dimming switch that controls the dome light at full click are both new and work properly.

-The dome light is properly grounded to the cab, and the wiring to the dome light harness isnt corroded. The map lights work and have LEDs in the. I have tried the dome light and courtesy lights under the dash with a OEM bulb as well as an LED and both never turn off.

-The last clue i can give is that the previous owner cut into the cab and put a cargo light from what seems to be a square body. We removed it and welded the roof. From what i can see when i pulled the trim, the wiring that runs to the dome light isnt cut, and is simply slight bent from the angle of the domelight housing. The switch on the dash for the cargo light is wired, and every condition that i have switched the door wiring around with, i have clicked the cargo light switch on and off just in case, and nothing has worked. The dome light and courtesy lights always stay on. I do not see any disconnected wires under the dash besides the two i mentioned previously. The courtesy lamp fuse is 20 as it should be and isn't burnt out. The cigarette lighter and glovebox light work as they should.

 

[H2814D]

We just went through this with another person, and from what you are saying, the problem may be the dome light being grounded to the cab. Disconnect that ground and see what happens.

I believe that dome light has a circuit from the fuse panel (orange is +) and the other wire you are describing returns to a ground at the fuse box. If the orange is always positive, and your dome light is grounded, it is always getting power, and thus the light will always be on.

Let us know what happens.

 

[tppower]

We just went through this with another person, and from what you are saying, the problem may be the dome light being grounded to the cab. Disconnect that ground and see what happens.

I believe that dome light has a circuit from the fuse panel (orange is +) and then other wire you are describing returns to a ground at the fuse box. If the orange is always positive, and your dome light is grounded, it is always getting power, and this the light will always be on.

Let us know what happens.

Ok I’ll try it after work tomorrow , any tip on what female wire to try using? That’s my other mystery

 

[H2814D]

Ok I’ll try it after work tomorrow , any tip on what female wire to try using? That’s my other mystery

"Female wire?" Not sure what you are talking about.

In many of our trucks, the dome light is operated through a couple different methods. A door opening, and the brightness knob on the dash panel. Since the orange wire is always hot, there has to be a way to disrupt the circuit path to that bulb. This happens with the door plunger and/or a switch on the dash panel. If yours has it, there is a switch on the dash panel that allows the interior lights to turn off/on or prevents them from coming on, even when the door is open. So the circuit has to travel several places in order for it to work properly. That is why the two wires that go to the dome light both return to the fuse panel.

Of course, yours may be different, but it shouldn't be.

 

[tppower]

We just went through this with another person, and from what you are saying, the problem may be the dome light being grounded to the cab. Disconnect that ground and see what happens.

I believe that dome light has a circuit from the fuse panel (orange is +) and then other wire you are describing returns to a ground at the fuse box. If the orange is always positive, and your dome light is grounded, it is always getting power, and thus the light will always be on.

Let us know what happens.

Also the dome light itself has the orange wire and also has its own white wire that screws to the cab of the truck through the dome light

 

[tppower]

"Female wire?" Not sure what you are talking about.

In many of our trucks, the dome light is operated through a couple different methods. A door opening, and the brightness knob on the dash panel. Since the orange wire is always hot, there has to be a way to disrupt the circuit path to that bulb. This happens with the door plunger and/or a switch on the dash panel. If yours has it, there is a switch on the dash panel that turns the interior lights off/on or prevents them from coming on, even when the door is open. So the circuit has to travel several places in order for it to work properly. That is why the two wires that go to the dome light both return to the fuse panel.

Of course, yours may be different, but it shouldn't be.

The two wires I’m speaking of are the ones dangling for the drivers side door jam switch . The wire was cut at the female end so there’s just bare wires . I had to get the female end and wiring from a junkyard but none of the trucks are consistent

 

[H2814D]

We need to find your vehicle's wiring diagram for your dome and courtesy lights. That way you can confirm the proper wire routing. I'm looking for it now, but another guru here was able to put it up on the other thread I am talking about that I just can't find right now. I'm still looking.

This is one year newer, but they should be very close.

 

[H2814D]

If you look at that wiring diagram, you will see that the dome light is not grounded. There is a positive (orange) wire to it, and then the white wire returns to the convenience center. The left hand door switch appears to have three wires to it. That should give you an idea as to where they are attached.

 

[Eveready]

EDIT - This is a poor attempt at humor and no part of it including any implied electrical comment should be taken seriously. This is a valid topic and I don't want my joke to confuse the issue!


The male wire has to be positive and most certainly the female wire is negative! I am now ducking and running before @HotWheelsBurban sees this!

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

The male wire has to be positive and most certainly the female wire is negative! I am now ducking and running before @HotWheelsBurban sees this!

I'm guessing maybe the OP is referring to plugs on the wires as being "gendered"??? That's usually what is referred to, like a wall socket in a building is "female" because the plug on a power cord goes into it so that plug is "male"..... I'm not electrician but that's basically how it was explained to me years ago.