Interior light , winter related ?

[huy397]

During really cold days I notice that the interior light is a little slow to react.ie. the lights won't come on after the door was opened for a couple of seconds.Normally, the lights will come up as soon as I pull the door handle.It may or may not have anything to do with cold weather but it just seems to happened more often when it's cold.anyone got this too ?thanks

[joatmon]

I can't say if I have the problem or not because I never noticed when the light comes on, or if it does at all.If it is cold related, I'd guess it was teh sswitch on the door is reacting slow. I have noticed that the volume knob on my stock radio is a lot firmer when cold, but loosens up quickly, the radio warms up fast. The next time you see it react slow, get in, shut the door, and use the dimmer switch to turn the interior light on. Probably come on right away, which would point at the switch on the door jamb. You can push in the switch when the door is open to see if it is slow to release.

[cdFxer]

Hmm, time for a little shot of silicone (not WD-40) spray lube?

[huy397]

Quote, originally posted by cdFxer »Hmm, time for a little shot of silicone (not WD-40) spray lube? For where ? thanks for the suggestions joatmon

[cdFxer]

Sorry, on the door switch if it was sticking. I kind of meant that to dovetail into what Joatmon said. End of a looong day when I posted that...

[Vibe]

You have an electric relay which works by heating up by current---when it is colder it takes longer to heat up and operate. This is normal. James (Vibe)

[joatmon]

Most relays work by passing an electric current through a winding which generates a magnetic field that closes or opens a switch. heat doesn't normally play a part, but I guess it could if the relay was oil filled or the moving parts had some lubricant that stiffened up when it got cold, but I doubt if thats a factor in the dome light relay.Then again, in these cars, it seems like a lot of things act a bit odd when it gets really cold, so who knows?the door jamb switch looks like it has a rubber boot over it, not sure where you'd lubricate the switch,

[Vibe]

The relay contacts are spring loaded so when its cold the springs are contracted and stiff ,it takes more time for it to respond (the heat from the current helps)until contact is made. Therefore in colder weather it takes longer. My Vibe does the same thing and it is on its second winter. Summer is faster!! James

[ragingfish]

When I first got my sunfire, I had a problem with the front passneger door switch sticking...similar problem...took it to the dealer, they just replaced it...But if you wanna give WD-40 a shot, the door switch is on the B-pillar, right near the bottom, under the latch plate. The rubber cover should just pop off, and the switch is held on by one screw.

[joatmon]

I still do not think that there is a heating effect going on in the relays. I guess it could, but relays do not operate on heat. (Some circuit breakers do,) Relays are electromagnetic, like having a solenoid pull a switch. When the dome light is slow, are your door locks slow also? (could be tough to rule out the wimpy battery in that test though) I guess if someone with the slow dome light could compare the time it takes the light to come on when the door is opened with when the dimmer switch is used, if the time is the same then it could be some freakish cold effect on the relay, but if the dimmer turns it on right away, then it's not the relay.There is so much in these cars controlled by relays that I sure hope they are not affected this way by cold.

[cdFxer]

Uh oh. WD-40=Dust magnet.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »I still do not think that there is a heating effect going on in the relays. I guess it could, but relays do not operate on heat. (Some circuit breakers do,) Relays are electromagnetic, like having a solenoid pull a switch. When the dome light is slow, are your door locks slow also? (could be tough to rule out the wimpy battery in that test though) I have to agree here, I've never seen a lighting relay in a car that was impacted by colder weather. My Vibe's lights come on instantly when I open the door. Not even a second delay. Same as summer.huy: Is it the same with all doors, or is only one particular door giving you this problem?

[huy397]

As far as I know, both driver's door and the rear hatch have this problem. I don't know about the other 3 doors as I barely even touch those doors.It does not happen consistently though, for instance the past week was quite cold but there was never any delay in the morning.thanks guys

[ragingfish]

Very odd...if two doors do it, far less likely to be a switching issue...perhaps it IS a relay issue...

[huy397]

Update.I am starting to think it's a sensor related problem, not completely which sensor though.When I opened up my door today, the lighgt did not come on again and here's the weird part... the "door ajar" warning light did NOT light up!Matter of fact, I was able to lock my car with the engine running and door open because the computer thought the door was closed.That was around 8am this morning... by around 6pm today, everything is ok.

[ragingfish]

My suspicion is somewhere there is a switch, or relay, which may be cracked, moisture got in, and is freezing at night..thus keeping the door ajar warnings and interior lights from coming on.Take it to the dealer.

[joatmon]

Did you ever look at the switch on the door jamb? It has a rubber boot over it, maybe it's just too stiff. Another possible cause is that at absolute zero (0°K) all molecular activty ceases. From my perspective, you're hitting temperatures close to that.