I understand that things get furnkey when cars sit....but why does my dome light stay on no matter what I do? The passenger side switch is stiuck closed.....the headlight switch doan do nuthing....

I spose eventually the bulb will burn out......

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Door switch is either maladjusted or plain worn out. Try adjusting first: Grab plunger with pliers. Pull smartly outward, enough to extend stem without yanking switch apart. Close door firmly. Light should turn off.

This switch is still available new.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks Dan....Its not maladjusted....because nobody ever adjusted it since 65....worn out is likely. I like the plier method.

Id prefer not to come home from a 3 day road trip and find a dead battery.

If I yank the switch apart will the light go off?

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

The plier method is official — give it a try. The switch could just have finally wiggled out of adjustment enough to leave the light on all the time. If you yank the switch apart you'll have an instant dead short to ground and resultant blown fuse. Instead, remove the switch retainer nut, pull the wire off the switch, and tape it off until you can get a replacement.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Not only is the plier method official.....but it actually works!

Thankyou Dan.

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

...once again the forces of goodness and (dome) light triumph over the forces of rottenness and evil...

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

mine is the same, so i took the bulb out... ha

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'72 Valiant DD for over a decade-225-Disc brakes, big T-bars, big Sway bars f/r, carter bbd/super six, GM HEI, 2- 12" subs in trunk, 1000w amp...
'77 cherokee cheif widetrack-360-33x12.5 tires-no lift. keeps driveway dry-project/backup DD/mudder

SS Dan,
mebbe your Nth America cars are different,but our A body vals have the door switches as an earth only. the dome light is hot all the time and is switched on by earthing at the door switches.if you bust a switch,would'nt the worst to happen be the light would come on and stay on?
is there something I am missing here that would create a dead short and blow the fuse? I am con"fused"

regards,Rod

Every US Mopar I've ever worked on turns the dome light on by grounding it; any short or broken/stuck door or headlight switch can keep it on - try rotating the dimmer switch back & forth a few times. The wire that turns on the dome light by grounding is usually pink, if I remember correctly.

If you remove the kickpanels, you can unplug the door switches, and usually you can unplug the headlight switch w/o too much trouble. Also, don't overlook the possibility that the socket in the dome itself is broken - the dome light assembly is usually pretty easy to remove.

Once, on a TMC giveaway Coronet, I traced a frustrating short that blew fuses to the wrong bulb in the dome light; that bulb shorted across the contacts and blew the fuse every time the door was opened.

this makes me wanna play. what bulb number goes there again? also... is this switch the same for the door buzzer. the key buzzer just started workin the other day... scared the crap outta me. i didnt know what the hell it was or where it was commin from...
"why! stop! why are you doing this to me" ha

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'72 Valiant DD for over a decade-225-Disc brakes, big T-bars, big Sway bars f/r, carter bbd/super six, GM HEI, 2- 12" subs in trunk, 1000w amp...
'77 cherokee cheif widetrack-360-33x12.5 tires-no lift. keeps driveway dry-project/backup DD/mudder

i encountered that too. what is the correct bulb?

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

The correct bulb is a #1004. It has two contacts on the base. There are many other bulbs that will fit physically into the socket, but have only one contact on the base. If you use a single-contact bulb (such as a #1003) in the dome light, it will cause that short circuit problem.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Let's be glad our dome lights are controlled by simple switches. My wife's Cavalier has a computer involved ... $$$

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO