I have the "map light" option on my 74 swinger. But I don't think it's functioning the way it's supposed to. If the switch is in the "Off" position, which is straight down, whenever you open either of the two doors, the overhead light goes on, and so does the map light, as a kind of courtesy light. When the doors are closed, and you're seated in the car, and bring the knob of the map light switch from straight down, towards you (which I think should be the "On" position), nothing happens. In fact, I can't get the "map light" to go on at all, when the doors are shut.

Has someone rigged the lighting circuitry in my car? Is this fairly easy to do? And fix?

I have a couple of switches in the parts that came with some of my cars that are marked map light but I have no idea where the switch or light goes.
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AUTOZAM SCRUM
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Toyota sa specifications

My map light turns on via its switch or the door switches for the dome light. I don't have a good schematic in front of me, but for most models that switches ground for ON.

If that's true, you switch is SPDT; in off, it connects the low side of the light to the door switches, in on it connects the light to ground.
See if it stays off when the doors are opened w/ the switch in the on position.

If that's the case, I strongly suspect that your map switch just isn't grounding well when you switch it on - a little corrosion builds up over the years and prevents a good ground. This is very, very common for cars of your vintage. Often just unscrewing it and screwing it back in makes a good connection again. If it's still flaky, I like to put some WD40 into the switch and run it a few times, then drain it - that usually cleans out any junk and gets it working again.

that's exactly what happens - the switch is switched to "on" and even with the doors opened, the light stays out. I will go ahead and polish it up. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

Thanks!

I've had the same question about my son's '74 Dart Sport map light. In the "ON" position, the only way to get the light to burn is open a door (not necessarily convenient while cruising down the highway), or twist the headlight switch to the dome light position (again, not what I would expect if working properly).

Let me know what you eventually find out,
Jerry

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.