Dome lights say on?

Tiny
PAULSENJAKE
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 MITSUBISHI GALANT
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 140,000 MILES
The dome light doesn't turn off like the switch doesn't work and is definitely draining the battery what needs to be replaced to fix the issue.
Thursday, August 29th, 2024 AT 6:58 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,872 POSTS
Hi,

On the dome light, there is a three-way switch, On, Off, and door-controlled operation. If you place the switch in the off position, does it turn off? If not, we have a short to power at some point. In the off position, the light shouldn't turn on even with the door open.

Also, do all interior lights stay on or is it limited to one? Note: The front, rear, and trunk lights have a common power supply, so I'm trying to narrow things down.

Let me know.

Joe
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Thursday, August 29th, 2024 AT 7:41 PM
Tiny
PAULSENJAKE
  • MEMBER
  • 21 POSTS
No it doesn't turn off.
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Friday, August 30th, 2024 AT 2:28 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,872 POSTS
Hi,

Are any of the other interior lights staying on?

If they aren't, it sounds like the dome light switch itself is the problem. Let me know if that is the case. If it is, chances are you will need to get a different light assembly from a salvage yard due to the model year. Until that happens, you may want to remove the light bulb to prevent a drain on the battery.

Let me know.

Joe
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Friday, August 30th, 2024 AT 8:28 PM
Tiny
PAULSENJAKE
  • MEMBER
  • 21 POSTS
I think it's drawing too much power it has 13v going to it and I heard that the radio is on the same one and it's had issues it struggles to turn up or down the volume.
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Saturday, August 31st, 2024 AT 10:39 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,872 POSTS
Hi,

The light should receive battery voltage, so the voltage you indicated sounds normal. Is it only one light staying or is it more than one? (Also, the radio gets battery voltage as well)

Let me know.

Joe
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Saturday, August 31st, 2024 AT 6:39 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 48,356 POSTS
There are four dome light switches, one at each door, any of these can be bad and grounding the circuit causing the dome light to stay on. I would unplug them one at a time to see if the problem goes away. Also, the dome lights are controlled by an ETACS module that might be bad as well, but I think we should start with the door switched, here is a wiring diagram for the dome light so you can see how the system works. The switches are in the door jam. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.
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Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 AT 11:24 AM

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