Interior lights won’t turn off

[Matias]

I have a 1997 chevy silverado, After detailing it, i noticed my dome lights, door panel lights, and courtesy lights wouldn’t turn off. And the dome override doesn’t do anything. Any help would be great.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I would look at the pin switches on the doors. These control the interior lights. If one is stuck in the "door open" position, the lights will be on, and they HAVE to be off for dome override function to work. That's how my Burb is set up, so I'm figuring all the 95 up trucks work.
These switches are plastic, and after 20+ years, they do wear out. Even the metal ones GM used in the 60s and 70s do eventually. Other than that, I'd look at the headlight switch, and if those are all OK, then you have a pinched wire,or something hooked up wrong.
But since the problem just happened, I'd look at the door pin switches first. One might have dirt or grime in it, making it stick.

 

[someotherguy]

Or, one of them broke during the detailing and has fallen inside the dash.

Richard

 

[AK49BWL]

No, the door switches don't have to be off to use the override.. The override button is IN-LINE with the door switches, so by using it, it cuts the signal from the door switch to the lighting control module. You have to wait about 30 seconds after hitting the override, and I pretty much guarantee you the lights will turn off.

But yeah chances are one of the door pin switches is busted.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

No, the door switches don't have to be off to use the override.. The override button is IN-LINE with the door switches, so by using it, it cuts the signal from the door switch to the lighting control module. You have to wait about 30 seconds after hitting the override, and I pretty much guarantee you the lights will turn off.

But yeah chances are one of the door pin switches is busted.

Well the only way I can tell for sure it works on the Burb is to wait until the interior lights go off(after all doors are shut, and on a Burb there's 6 LOL) and then push the override button. Then the next time a door is open, it'll be off. Or on, if we turned the override feature off. Everything is original, so maybe it isn't supposed to work exactly like that, but that's what works on my Burb. YMMV.....

 

[thinger2]

Agree, door jamb switches are the first thing to check.
In general no matter the vehicle or its security system or its lighting circuits.
The jamb switch has to work correctly.
They are often a source of intermittant problems and on some systems will trigger a disable even after you have opened the door.
Because by opening the door, you changed the crusty contact and its position.
Some vehicles like Volkswagens and Audi and Mercedes are notorious for this.
But Chevs and Fords do it to.
Start with the door switches.
They are cheap.
The basic diagnosis is to make sure that your overhead light is set to turn on at door open.
Then, open the doors.
If you dont get a dope light when you should or its weak but gets better when you wiggle it?
Door switch.
On a car, 3 doors trigger the dope light but the fourth door doesnt?
Door switch.
Make sure all of that is good then take a look at at the wiring harness at thd drivers side A pillar where it goes into the door

 

[mr_josh]

Maybe I’m way off base but... did you rotate the cluster dimmer knob all the way up? Doesn’t that switch on the dome lights?

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Maybe I’m way off base but... did you rotate the cluster dimmer knob all the way up? Doesn’t that switch on the dome lights?

Yes if you get it past the detent. Going back the other direction shuts them off.

 

[someotherguy]

Agree, door jamb switches are the first thing to check.
In general no matter the vehicle or its security system or its lighting circuits.
The jamb switch has to work correctly.
They are often a source of intermittant problems and on some systems will trigger a disable even after you have opened the door.
Because by opening the door, you changed the crusty contact and its position.
Some vehicles like Volkswagens and Audi and Mercedes are notorious for this.
But Chevs and Fords do it to.
Start with the door switches.
They are cheap.
The basic diagnosis is to make sure that your overhead light is set to turn on at door open.
Then, open the doors.
If you dont get a dope light when you should or its weak but gets better when you wiggle it?
Door switch.
On a car, 3 doors trigger the dope light but the fourth door doesnt?
Door switch.
Make sure all of that is good then take a look at at the wiring harness at thd drivers side A pillar where it goes into the door

Pretty much on-target but don't forget on GMT400's the switches are in the edges of the dashboard, at least for the front doors.

Richard

 

[imkwuzn]

I have a 1997 chevy silverado, After detailing it, i noticed my dome lights, door panel lights, and courtesy lights wouldn’t turn off. And the dome override doesn’t do anything. Any help would be great.

My suspicion is you inadvertently rolled the cluster dimmer all the way up past the normal setting which turns on all interior lights whether the doors are open or not.