Courtesy Light Timer

[Bills money pit]

I went for a drive this Christmas day and stopped at a store. Upon returning, I started the car and the courtesy lights would not go out. When starting the car, or opening the doors, the courtesy lights get bright and after about 30 seconds they go dim but will not go out. I am wondering if the light delay timer has gone bad. If so, where is it located and where can I get a replacement? Also, there seems to be a very faint smell I associate with something hot???? Thanks in advance for your help!;help
Bill

 

[Yoda]

Bill,

Take a look at this Thread you'll find all the information about where it is, how to access it, and replacements

In the mean time, if you are smelling hot wires or what you preceive as the interior light circuit getting hot, you might want to pull the appropriate fuse

Do a search for "Fuse Panel" in the advanced search feature and look in the 1981Forums.. if you can't find it post back let us know and I'll find the picture of the fuse panel and post in this thread

Merry Christmas

Bud

 

[Nobody Cares]

The delay timer is located behind the right side of the glove box. Replacements are running around $60.00 . Discountinued item . Hard to find . I took mine out and ran a jumper wire at the timer harness. White to white at the plug . No delay anymore but courtesy are working properly. PS. you will need to take the glove box liner out and the timer in my 80 was a small orange box with the wire harness conected to it . Dave

 

[Bills money pit]

Bud:
Thanks for the help. I now know where to start to fix the problem. I will do the search tomorrow and get back with you if I need further assistance. One other question, the buzzer that sounds when a door is opened and the key is in the switch does not work. Is this a bear to fix?
Again thanks for the help!
Bill

 

[Bills money pit]

Nobody cares:
Thanks for the help. Apparently you do care!
Merry Christmas
Bill

 

[Bills money pit]

Bud:
Could not find the post you mentioned. Also, would like to brain storm the delay timer issue. What is strange to me is the lights go on as they should and after 30 seconds or so, they dim but do not go completely off. It seems as if the delay timer is working but the lamps are getting power for another source. Is this possible?
Thanks for the help
Bill

 

[Peer81]

I've seen a couple of delay timer boxes that were melded so take it out of the car it could start a fire in your vette.

Groeten Peter

 

[Yoda]

Bill

Here is a photo copy of the Fuse Pane

Pull the fuse and see if the lights still work, then Peter suggestion of pulling the delay timer box would be my next step in the process, (pull the box and replace the fuse and see if the lights work) ..

Bud

 

[Bills money pit]

Thanks for the advise. I was smelling a faint odor I associated with something hot! Also, Bud I will use the suggested test procedures. I understand GM no longer makes the timer. If the timer is bad, could I use a jumper wire to by pass the timer and put a toggle switch on the jumper wire so while working on the interior of the car, I could turn out the courtesy lights. It seems I read a quote saying to jump the white wire. Is that correct?
Thanks for the help!
Bill

 

[rjm65]

I would check the headlight switch, make sure the courtesy lights aren't turned on. I know, kind of obvious but I've done silly stuff like leave my headlights on in the past too.

Also, I believe the courtesy lights function normally (on/off with door opening and through headlight switch) if the delay timer is unplugged. That light coming on after engine shutoff used to put a damper on things back in the day, way back in the day, when going out to park at the local makeout point with girlfriends. My recollection is that I had unplugged the timer to fix that, I remember the courtesy lights would still work but it could have been only through the headlight switch and not the doors jamb switches.

 

[spikebot 81]

With the help of Nobody Cares and others I found the inside lights worked with the twist of the headlight switch but did not come on when the doors where opened. Unpluged the delay timer in glove box and jumpered white to white right into the harness. Lights work great with door opening and or headlight switch.

 

[wishuwerehere82]

Inside the orange box is a P.C. board with a few components on it.
Capacitors to store the charge and discharge slowly for the delay.
Resistors to control the discharge rate.
And a transistor to switch the lights on and off.
It sounds like a capacitor is not discharging fully to turn off the transistor, or the transistor is staying on. Many of the components that are marked can be found at Radio Shack and replaced on the board.
I found that the board edge contacts were burned on mine, and not making contact to the connector. A little solder fixed them up.

 

[Nobody Cares]

Bill , just sent you a PM. Dave

 

[Nobody Cares]

Seat belt/ Key warning buzzer that you had asked about. VIEW A shows it is plugged in at the fuse panel. Hope this helps .. Dave