HELP: Interior Dome Light Not Working

jmBoino · 04-09-2021, 07:01 PM

Hey everyone, please help. It bothers me when something that is so seemingly simple to fix is not working properly.

Today I changed out the interior dome lights, trunk, and license plate bulbs. All but one are are working - the right side dome light. I have tried using the old bulb, and trying various new ones in the box. I even checked the corresponding fuse in the footwell. It was the proper fuse for sure, but it was intact.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you in advance everyone.

djburke87 · 04-10-2021, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmBoino

Hey everyone, please help. It bothers me when something that is so seemingly simple to fix is not working properly.

Today I changed out the interior dome lights, trunk, and license plate bulbs. All but one are are working - the right side dome light. I have tried using the old bulb, and trying various new ones in the box. I even checked the corresponding fuse in the footwell. It was the proper fuse for sure, but it was intact.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you in advance everyone.

So, I have been having trouble with my lights in the past week because I unknowingly messed up my Body Control Module (BCM). I touched the wires going to the ambient light with a multimeter to test the voltage drop and it ruined my BCM. That said, DO NOT touch the wires going to the map light with a multimeter unless you have removed the assembly completely from your car. You do not want to have to pay Nissan to put in a new BCM and program it $$$$!!!!

What I would do is remove the map light assembly and check the push button switch that turns the light on and off. Or you could try poking it a few times to see if it is just stuck or something. Sometimes the bulb is just stuck in there weird, and you have to wiggle it to get it to light, but since you have tried several bulbs I doubt that is the problem.

The reason I think it is the push button switch (not the on/door/off switch) is because the same controls control both lights according to the Factory Service Manual (FSM). If it is not the push button switch, it might be the bulb socket.

One more thing it could be, and this is a simple thing: the wires on your new bulb might be oriented incorrectly. I bought some bulbs from SuperBrightLEDs, and the wires on the bulbs were opposite from the OEM bulbs. I know you tried the OEM bulb again, but check the wire orientation and compare it to the new bulb. I don't know if it really makes a difference, but it did on mine for some reason. Seems like it would work either way to me.

Good luck, and DON'T SCREW UP YOUR BCM!!!

jmBoino · 04-10-2021, 08:58 AM

Thank you so much for the reply. The bulbs definitely are ruled out because they are working on the left dome light. Only the right is out. What are the chances that the BCM is out? That sounds like a hassle, I didn't poke around there at all with anything. Just pulled the bulb out and slid another in. I tried paying around with the switch already several times but nothing.

SouthArk370Z · 04-10-2021, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmBoino

... What are the chances that the BCM is out? ...

Sounds more like a wiring/switch problem since only one lamp is not coming on. If it were a cluster of lamps not lighting, the BCM would be a suspect.

djburke87 · 04-10-2021, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmBoino

What are the chances that the BCM is out?.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Sounds more like a wiring/switch problem since only one lamp is not coming on. If it were a cluster of lamps not lighting, the BCM would be a suspect.

I agree with SouthArk. There is another component (the switch) between the BCM and light. Since it isn't both lights, there is pretty much no chance it is the BCM. I was just letting you know that you need to be extra cautious because you really do not want to have to deal with that.

jmBoino · 04-10-2021, 09:02 PM

What more can I do? Do I have to take out the headliner and the whole dome light assembly to fiddle with the toggle button? I never knew something so small like this could drive me so nuts.

Dreadnaught · 04-11-2021, 01:32 AM

Take out the dome light housing and wiggle the wires leading to the bulb that isn't illuminating where the wires go into the connector for that bulb. If the light illuminates/flickers when you do that, that would tell me there's an issue where the wires plug into the dome light assembly. That's where I'd start next. You could also wiggle further down the wires as much as you can when you pull the dome light housing down and if the bulb illuminates/flickers you have an issue with the wires where it does so. You would need to strip the wires for further investigation.

SouthArk370Z · 04-11-2021, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmBoino

What more can I do? Do I have to take out the headliner and the whole dome light assembly to fiddle with the toggle button? I never knew something so small like this could drive me so nuts.

Grab a copy of the FSM - it has wiring diagrams, R&R procedures, etc. Link in my sig.

You can buy meter probes that are insulated except for the very tip. Or put some heat-shrink on the exposed parts of the probes you have now.

jmBoino · 04-11-2021, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreadnaught

Take out the dome light housing and wiggle the wires leading to the bulb that isn't illuminating where the wires go into the connector for that bulb. If the light illuminates/flickers when you do that, that would tell me there's an issue where the wires plug into the dome light assembly. That's where I'd start next. You could also wiggle further down the wires as much as you can when you pull the dome light housing down and if the bulb illuminates/flickers you have an issue with the wires where it does so. You would need to strip the wires for further investigation.

@Dreadnaught You are the man. To all reading this I got it to finally work. I took some gloves, took a pen and butterknife (which I don't recommend, it's all I had handy) and played with the connecting point wiring after removing the bulb. It made a spark and it started working again on both sides. Thanks for your help!

Dreadnaught · 04-14-2021, 03:55 PM

No problem.

Zthirty4NISMO · 08-26-2021, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djburke87

What I would do is remove the map light assembly and check the push button switch that turns the light on and off. Or you could try poking it a few times to see if it is just stuck or something. Sometimes the bulb is just stuck in there weird, and you have to wiggle it to get it to light, but since you have tried several bulbs I doubt that is the problem.

The reason I think it is the push button switch (not the on/door/off switch) is because the same controls control both lights according to the Factory Service Manual (FSM). If it is not the push button switch, it might be the bulb socket.

Does anyone know if these push button switches are serviceable? I believe mine are working correctly because they no longer 'click' when pushed. All I can find is the entire dome housing.

Zthirty4NISMO · 09-02-2021, 09:51 PM

Here was my issue. I ended up finding some replacement switches.

MAP lights don’t work

04-11-2021, 01:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Dreadnaught Track Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Farmington, Utah Posts: 582 Drives: 14 SR 370z 6MT Rep Power: 10139	Take out the dome light housing and wiggle the wires leading to the bulb that isn't illuminating where the wires go into the connector for that bulb. If the light illuminates/flickers when you do that, that would tell me there's an issue where the wires plug into the dome light assembly. That's where I'd start next. You could also wiggle further down the wires as much as you can when you pull the dome light housing down and if the bulb illuminates/flickers you have an issue with the wires where it does so. You would need to strip the wires for further investigation. jmBoino and djburke87 like this. __________________ Ford Diesel and Heavy Line Technician at your service. Last edited by Dreadnaught; 04-11-2021 at 01:34 AM.

04-14-2021, 03:55 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dreadnaught Track Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Farmington, Utah Posts: 582 Drives: 14 SR 370z 6MT Rep Power: 10139	No problem. __________________ Ford Diesel and Heavy Line Technician at your service.

09-02-2021, 09:51 PM	#12 (permalink)
Zthirty4NISMO Base Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: South Dakota Posts: 220 Drives: DRKNITE Rep Power: 11	Here was my issue. I ended up finding some replacement switches. MAP lights don’t work __________________ 2014 370Z NISMO #0543 - Magnetic Black on Black on Black Always Dry \|\| AROSPEED \|\| Covercraft \|\| CoverKing \|\| EVO-R \|\| Fast Intentions \|\| FilterMag \|\| NISMO \|\| ONEighty \|\| Prismatic Powders \|\| RJM Performance \|\| The370Z.com \|\| Trackspec \|\| ZSPEC Design \|\| ZSPEED Performance \|\| Z1 Motorsports \|\| Panaflex Carbon Ceramic Tint

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04-10-2021, 08:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
jmBoino Base Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: New York Posts: 22 Drives: 2015 370Z Sport MT Rep Power: 7	Thank you so much for the reply. The bulbs definitely are ruled out because they are working on the left dome light. Only the right is out. What are the chances that the BCM is out? That sounds like a hassle, I didn't poke around there at all with anything. Just pulled the bulb out and slid another in. I tried paying around with the switch already several times but nothing.

04-10-2021, 09:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
jmBoino Base Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: New York Posts: 22 Drives: 2015 370Z Sport MT Rep Power: 7	What more can I do? Do I have to take out the headliner and the whole dome light assembly to fiddle with the toggle button? I never knew something so small like this could drive me so nuts.