Hey guys,
I know this topic has been discussed before, but I did not see my specific gremlin addressed in any of the other threads so I figured let’s start yet another.
The background:
Dome light has worked for as long as I’ve owned my FJ62 (7 months). I had always kept it in the “door” position. About 2 weeks ago, it began acting flaky, only lighting up sometimes when opening a door. Didn’t matter which door.
Then, last week, it stopped lighting up altogether. I popped off the plastic lens and fiddled with the bulb, and often that got it to light up immediately. Now, fast forward to today, that method no longer works either. I checked the festoon bulb itself and the filament is good and intact.
Next, I removed the dome light screws and unplugged the assembly from the wire harness so I could inspect it better. Sure enough, the switch contacts had a lot of green patina on them and needed cleaned. I figured this had to be it so I sandpapered all four of the contacts:
Before sanding:
After sanding:
Unfortunately, after plugging it back in and testing it with the bulb, it did not fix anything. Still no light. Thought for sure I had it!
I checked the other threads for ideas and they suggested consulting the FSM electrical diagrams at the back of the manual so I reviewed them. I thought checking the dome circuit would be a good idea. The cargo light is on that circuit but that light works in the 62, so I kinda figured it wasn’t the dome fuse in the fuse box. Checked it anyway, it’s good.
Then, I got out the multimeter and checked voltage at the wire harness terminal. 12.44V. Looks good.
Wire harness terminal:
Multimeter reading at the wiring harness terminal:
Moving along the circuit, I checked the voltage across the festoon bulb contacts with the switch in the “door” position, and got 12V again. Moved switch to “on” position and again got 12V. Last I moved it to “off” position and got a variable 1.5 - 6V, but not 12V.
Voltage test across the bulb contacts (red arrows) in "door", "on", and "off" switch positions:
So I have voltage at "door" and "on", and a weird voltage at "off" which seemed odd but not sure what it means as I’m not electrically inclined. Anyone understand this voltage? Anyway, I’m not sure what else to try, apart from buying a new dome light assembly and giving it a whirl. Really scratching my head and wanting to just blame myself for “letting the smoke out” lol.
Advice is welcome, thanks ‘MUD!
I know this topic has been discussed before, but I did not see my specific gremlin addressed in any of the other threads so I figured let’s start yet another.
The background:
Dome light has worked for as long as I’ve owned my FJ62 (7 months). I had always kept it in the “door” position. About 2 weeks ago, it began acting flaky, only lighting up sometimes when opening a door. Didn’t matter which door.
Then, last week, it stopped lighting up altogether. I popped off the plastic lens and fiddled with the bulb, and often that got it to light up immediately. Now, fast forward to today, that method no longer works either. I checked the festoon bulb itself and the filament is good and intact.
Next, I removed the dome light screws and unplugged the assembly from the wire harness so I could inspect it better. Sure enough, the switch contacts had a lot of green patina on them and needed cleaned. I figured this had to be it so I sandpapered all four of the contacts:
Before sanding:
After sanding:
Unfortunately, after plugging it back in and testing it with the bulb, it did not fix anything. Still no light. Thought for sure I had it!
I checked the other threads for ideas and they suggested consulting the FSM electrical diagrams at the back of the manual so I reviewed them. I thought checking the dome circuit would be a good idea. The cargo light is on that circuit but that light works in the 62, so I kinda figured it wasn’t the dome fuse in the fuse box. Checked it anyway, it’s good.
Then, I got out the multimeter and checked voltage at the wire harness terminal. 12.44V. Looks good.
Wire harness terminal:
Multimeter reading at the wiring harness terminal:
Moving along the circuit, I checked the voltage across the festoon bulb contacts with the switch in the “door” position, and got 12V again. Moved switch to “on” position and again got 12V. Last I moved it to “off” position and got a variable 1.5 - 6V, but not 12V.
Voltage test across the bulb contacts (red arrows) in "door", "on", and "off" switch positions:
So I have voltage at "door" and "on", and a weird voltage at "off" which seemed odd but not sure what it means as I’m not electrically inclined. Anyone understand this voltage? Anyway, I’m not sure what else to try, apart from buying a new dome light assembly and giving it a whirl. Really scratching my head and wanting to just blame myself for “letting the smoke out” lol.
Advice is welcome, thanks ‘MUD!
Last edited:
. I did take a look at both rear door switches, which are behind the little rubber covers, but did not see where the front door switches are located. Are they inside the latch or something?
