97 Taurus interior light won't shut off

[riproaringca]

Ok. So here's the news on my '99 SHO:

It turns out that the anti-theft transceiver within the steering column had gone kaput, or at least was operating intermittently. That's what was causing the anti-theft dash light to flash even during the couple of times the car would start.

The interior lights stopped acting up when the transceiver was replaced as well.

With the new battery and repair to the anti-theft system my SHO fires-up beautifully now.

I've said it before in other threads: Take your car to a CAA/AAA Approved shop. These shops don't get certified just for having clean floors.
Mine took the time to trace the problem rather than replacing every part related to ignition. (I was ready to blame the no-crank on the starter or solenoid.)

Cost of the anti-theft transceiver (here in Canada) - $65.00
Cost of labour to trace, remove & replace - $240.00

Hope this helps someone else avoid frustration and expense.

[dan in grand rapid]

Hello Everyone,

I have been following this post for about two years and the WD40 has worked well until about a month ago. My interior door lights on my 1996 Taurus stay on now after the door is closed. It does not matter which door you open. The lights typically go off after about 1-2 hours after I leave the car. They are on the entire time I am driving which is quite annoying especially at night. I have turned off the dome light, but the map and door lights are still on. Here is the weird part. The door ajar lights have never come on. The dash does not indicate anything wrong with the doors, but the lights stay on. Does anyone have any suggestions before my battery goes dead?

Thanks,

Dan

[shorod]

Have you checked to make sure the instrumentation dimmer switch is not turned to the position for the interior lights?

-Rod

[dan in grand rapid]

Originally Posted by shorod

Have you checked to make sure the instrumentation dimmer switch is not turned to the position for the interior lights?

-Rod

Yep, I have checked the dimmer switch. It happened a while ago and spraying the door latches fixed the problem. Now spraying does nothing. The door ajar light on the dash also is not lit. The light goes on when I unlock the door (before opening it) and then does not go off until 1-2 hours after I leave the car. I am thinking it is something with the GEM or something in the wiring, but hoping for someone to have had a similar problem with a similar fix.

[shorod]

Before when you had this problem, did the door ajar light also come on? If so, the problem is not what you experienced before.

The reason I still suspect something with the dimmer switch/interior light circuit is because when you unlock the door, you wake up the Battery Saver Relay. And after you exit your car, a timer begins for the Battery Saver Relay and will turn off things like the radio and interior lamp about 40 minutes after you remove the keys, open, and close the door.

If the car is a wagon, you should make sure you also cleaned the switch for the liftgate. I recommend electrical contact cleaner, NOT WD-40 since WD-40 is not intended for electrical contacts and may attract more dust and crud.

I suppose to rule out door switches you could leave your car unlocked if safe to do so for the hour or so, then open a door. If the interior lights go on when the door is opened, the door switch is not the issue. You'll need to do this over about 4 hours (5 if it's a wagon) to make sure each of the door switches work. Or, if you have access to a scan tool that can access the GEM module, it will be able to tell you if any of the door switches are showing open.

-Rod