Courtesy light on headliner rail inop, Any ideas?

[can-do]

Greetings All,

This post is for a '86 300E with a four position courtesy light in the headliner front rail. All the positions of lighting work except to have the light on when you open the door. The door to ground lights work but the overhead doesn't. Any ideas if it can be fixed or what I should be looking for? I keep thinking the time delay is fried and won't let power through. Am I guessing right or not?


Charles

[jbaj007]

I have the same problem (AGAIN) and a replacement light assembly has fixed it in the past. Bumping this in the hope that someone has resoldered the circuit board (like on the CC and the PCU for Climate control) and had it work. Darn German cold solder joints. 300SD 126

[can-do]

Greetings,

Just wondering if you just have a courtesy light or if it's similar to mine. I have a four position switch as follows door contact, on always, map light, and off. I understand that there is a time delay on the door contact part of the switch, which has me wondering if that's not the problem. I can't see a way to get inside the unit itself to resolder all the connections, so if you have done this please provide the secret. I really don't feel like spending $76.00 for a new one because of this problem, and just assume fix this one or if the light is not the problem but is located elsewhere, to fix that instead.

Thanks,

Charles

[jbaj007]

I believe the time delay circuit is the PCB that is in the four position LIGHT, not the door switch. Whether someone has repaired that PCB(printed circuit board) using the resolder technique popular for climate control, that is the question.

[can-do]

Greetings,

I figured the time delay was on the pcb and what I meant to say was the position of the overhead switch was set that allowed the door contact switch to operate the light when opening. What I don't know is whether it would affect the light coming on at all. Shouldn't the time delay start doing it's work after the door contact switch has been pushed in like closing the door, otherwise the timer would count out it's time and shut off the light regardless whether you shut the door or not. I wish a tech would chime in and shed some light onto this seemly easly problem.

Charles