Re: Spider Interior Lights and Door Chime Help

[Hal Taylor <taylor@domain.elided>]

Ken,

The courtesy lights, when in the center position, depend on the door jamb
switches.  It's either in the left or right position (don't remember which)
that they should be constantly on, regardless of door jamb switches or running
lights.

If they DON'T work in one of these positions, then

1: the switches on the back of the lights themselves are broken or dirty
and/or
2: the bulbs are bad    and/or
3: they are not getting current (bad fuse or bad wiring)    and/or
4: they are not getting ground (bad wiring or bad ground connection).

Do you have a multitester or at least a test lamp?  If you do not have at least
a test lamp, go, post haste, to your local car parts place and pick one up for
less than $10.  Then, start testing things like crazy.  If you need to know
exactly what to test for the courtesy lights, ask.

Hal



Ken Ross wrote:

> Hal:
>
> Thanks for the info.  I tried rocking the foot well switches left, right and
> center, but nothing worked.  I also tried this procedure with the running
> lights and headlights on.  Still no luck.  I will try cleaning the door jam
> switches, but should the foot well lights work in the center position even
> if the door jam switches are not working?  Will this also affect the glove
> box light? As to the coupler in the glove box, it is for the map light in
> the Quad.  Someone already emailed me regarding this.   Thanks again for
> your help.
>
> Ken
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hal Taylor [mailto:taylor@domain.elided]
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 10:23 PM
> To: Ken Ross; alfa digest
> Subject: Re: Spider Interior Lights and Door Chime Help
>
> Ken,
>
> The courtesy lights in the foot wells are operated by switches in the door
> jambs.  Look around the door hinges and you should see some little posts
> sticking out, which will readily press in if you push them with your finger.
> The back of these little posts are a simple switch that grounds the a
> circuit
> and turns on the courtesy lights.  THese switches routinely get dirty and
> corroded.  Try some electrical contact cleaner or WD 40  to clean them up,
> and
> it'll likely solve your problem.  Same goes for the door chime (which is
> more
> like a "door buzz" on my '86; don't know how yours should sound).
>
> Note also that the courtesy lights are switches themselves.  They should
> rock
> left to right.  THe center position is automatic, on a timed relay triggered
> by
> the door switches.  If I remember correctly, left is always on, and right is
> always off (but it might be vice versa).
>
> The coupler in your glove box was most likely for a map light option.  I
> don't
> remember if the courtesy light in there works unless the running lights are
> on.
>
> Hal
>
> Ken Ross wrote:
>
> > My "new" 1990 Spider doesn't seem to have any working interior courtesy
> > lights and the door chime doesn't work (manual says the car has a door
> > chime).  The three courtesy lights that don't work are the two lights
> under
> > the dash for the driver and passenger, and the light in the glove box.  I
> > checked the fuses and the bulbs and everything seems ok.  Does anyone have
> > any ideas as to what could be wrong?  I checked one ground in the engine
> > compartment, but I really do not know what to look for and where the other
> > grounds are located.  In case it matters, the courtesy light in the engine
> > compartment and trunk do work.  My rear fog lights also stopped working
> > yesterday, so perhaps this problem is somehow related.
> >
> > Another interesting thing I found was an electrical coupler in the glove
> box
> > which wasn't plugged into anything (it runs behind the glove box but was
> > sticking in the glove box compartment and the two wires that ran out of
> the
> > coupler were red and black). Perhaps this is for a power antenna option?
> If
> > not, any suggestions would be appreciated since I have no idea where to
> > start.  TIA.
> >
> > Ken Ross

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