Front Dome Light not suppose to turn on with open doors?

[wes_517]

Ok, pretty new vibe owner, I bought a used 2003 (25,000 miles) Moons and tunes package base model.recently brought it in for repairs becuase when i bought it, the front dome light didn't work (was burnt out, i replaced it for about $1.30 right away) cd player didnt' take CDs, and the front driver side window squeeked when it went down.so took it in, the had to order the radio (which is understandable), also had to order the missing clips for the squeeky window, and they got the back 2 lights to come on when the driver side door was opened (driver side door didn't useto turn lights on)then the guy tells me that the front dome light isn't suppose to come on when the front doors are open, and that it's strictly a manual light. this doesn't sound quite right since in the dark that's the most useful light in the car... was this guy right or is he just talking to talk since he doesn't know much about the car?

[GMJAP]

Both dome lights should turn on/off with the opening/closing of any door.They can also be turned on manually with the dimmer switch.

[jeffgtx]

GMJAP is, as usual, right.the only difference that we have discovered with 03 vs 05 is that the 05s gradually dim off, whereas yours should be a hard on/off with the door.if you want to prove it to him, its pin1 in teh dimmer switch on the left bezzel. thats where the signal to turn them on/off with the doors is.

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by wes_517 » and they got the back 2 lights to come on when the driver side door was opened (driver side door didn't useto turn lights on)Okay, what are you considering 'dome lights' here? Also, do you have Moon & Tunes? Basically, do you have a moonroof? I believe there are only two 'dome lights', the one by the rear hatch, and the one dead-center in the ceiling. If you have the moonroof, then there's a third 'light' in front of the moonroof, which I believe is only manually turned on. In my GT, there's only maplights on the rearview mirror, which are also only manually turned on.

[JustinVGT]

I have a 2003 Vibe with moon and tunes. The two main dome lights (cargo area and right behind sunroof) come on when you open the door or even just unlock the doors with the keyless entry. The lights dim to off when you start the engine or after waiting a couple minutes. Check your dimmer dial and make sure it is on the bold dash mark. If it still doesn't work, I would think there is something faulty.

[joatmon]

In a vibe with Moon&Tunes, there are two dome lights, center and rear. There is also a light that is part of the moonroof controls, that is not a "dome light" That one is a "map light" It will not come on when the doors are opened.I find it useless as a map light, driving with that thing on is like having a flashlight shining in your eyes. On vibes without Moon&tunes, there are two map lights built into the rear view mirror, and they shine directed down and not at all in you yes. I got one of those mirrors and wired it in, it is much more useful.It would be possible to rewire the moonroof control map light to work as a dome light, but someone would have to invent the way to do that.So in summary, the dealer was right, and your car's dome lights are working as designed. No comment on the design.

[wes_517]

thanks, it's not quite the answer i wanted, but thanks. The way the dealer was talking he wasn't very sure of what he was saying...I do have moons and tunes, and 3 lights that i figured were all dome lights...terrible design that the front one doesn't turn on when the car is opened... that is the most useful one in the dark... so i guess that makes 2 issues with the design... the dome light that isn't really a dome light and the fact that you have to strap everything down in the cargo area...oh well.. the day i get any piece of equipment that i have absolutely no complaints about is the day the world will end...

[joatmon]

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[joatmon]

It looks like a realtively cheap mod to make the courtesy light in the moonroof controls behave like a dome light.NOTE I have not done/verified this, but it is pretty straightforward, and should work.THe first part is to modify the coutesy light wiring. It is set up to have ground always applied to the bulb, and the switch connects/disconnects 12V from the other terminal of the bulb. THis is backwards fromt he dome lights. The dome lights always have 12V, and they get turned on by applying ground. Here is a pic of the moonroof control unit from the back. In this picture, the green wire that coes fromt he connector to the switch is 12V, the gray wire with red bands is ground, and the black wire that goes from the switch to the bulb provides 12V to the bulb when the switch is closed. TO modify this so that it switches ground instead of switching 12V, swap the gray and green wires, - cross connect them. So far this will have no effect on the behavior of the courtesy light. Now to get the light to behave like a dome light. THe dome light ground can be picked up in the wire harness that runs up the drivers side A pillar, it is a red wire with a yellow stripe.If you strip back some insulation from that red/yellow wire, connect up anpother wire and connect the other end to the black wire in the moonroof control (the one that runs between the light switch and the light bulb, then when ever the dome lights come on, the courtesy light in the moonroof controls will also come on. Also, if you turn on the moonroof control courtesy light with the switch, the dome lights will also come on. I would probably use a diode, insert it in the wire from the moonroof control black wire to the dome light red/yellow wire, so that it only allowed current flow from from the courtesy light to the red/yellow wire. This would let the courtesy light come on with the rest of the dome lights, but if you hit the switch on the moonroof controls, only the courtesy light would come on. *the dome lights would still come on when the door was opened, or when turned on with the dimmer switch in the dash)

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[mcgusto82]

what the original question was. if the front roof mounted light should go on with opening the doors? the answer is no. only the second row, and rear cargo area lights come on what the doors are opened. the light sitting next to the sunroof switches is a hard on or off.