Hopefully there is a electrical guru that help out here...
Have the dash apart on our 63 Starfire convertible,been going thru each system. Radio, heater, glovebox, wipers, headlights and courtesy lights.

The problem is that we cannot get the courtesy lights to work in the console. It seems according to the wiring diagram in the 63 manual that the orange wire is the power and white is a ground that runs thru the system to each bulb to provide grounding.

There are two door jamb switches that as the door is open causes a ground so the lights work.

So far, I have power to the orange wires in the console and the fuse is good.

For some reason I also have power to the grounds also coming from the door jamb switches with a test light grounded to the body.
Should I have power to the door jamb switches when these are supposed to be the grounding circuit and if so why?

It is a very simple circuit but I am confused.

Hopefully some one has ran into this problem before.
Here is the opportunity.

I thought I would trace the entire grounding circuit back and see if there is a cross in the orange and white wires or it is not properly grounded

The only other items that run off of this fused circuit is the rear cigar lighters. Maybe they are grounded causing wierd abnormal things to happen.

Any suggestions are very helpful...

 

Try unplugging the lighters- not just remove the element- unplug the wire from the well in the armrest.

I had a 76 Custom Cruiser years ago that one of those rear lighter wells grounded and the courtesy lamps stayed on, not to mention the stupid lighter wanted to heat up all the time.

 

You know- that was the next step on my list to do. I am thinking what might be happening is the lighters may be powering the ground and therefore causing no lights to work- I will advise after I do this, but it does make sense. Thank you for the insight

 

Un plugged all three lighters and was able to get the ground from having power. Then replaced the door jam switches and -Houston we have lights-

Thanks for the insight- could have been either/ or of the above, but when the doors open all four courtesy lights work...

 

It's a hazard of having a car that lights up like Christmas or Las Vegas when you open the doors. Glad it's fixed. Now to get all those lighter wells cleaned so they don't create a ground path.

 

I know this is an old post but where did you get the door jamb switches? Did the drivers side have only one female terminal? My plunger is sticking so I unpluged the wires by feel without looking and took the switch out,now don't know how to plug two wires into the switch that has only one female terminal? I need a new switch too as the plunger continues to stick.
Thanks.
Higgins