Interior lighting electrical problem
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Interior lighting electrical problem
Hello there. My car that's having this issue is a 2000 Audi A6 4.2.
A couple weeks ago I started noticing that after I turn my headlights off after driving, some of the red interior lights would stay on and others would go out. Then the rest would go out in a minute or two. Now they don't go out at all.
I'm only talking about the red backlights. The lights that stay on are all the ones on my radio, all my door handles, all four seat heater switches, the red light along with all interior light switches on ceiling. Oddly, the rear window heater and defroster button aren't on. None of the climate control lights are on either.
I've tried playing with the **** that controls the headlights and the key in the ignition. I notice when I turn the key to the ON position, the rear window heater, defroster, and the climate control buttons light up but nothing else. I suspect the ignition switch is the culprit but I'm not interested in replacing things that aren't broken. I downloaded everything for my car including wiring diagrams from Erwin. I haven't found the wiring diagrams for the backlights yet. Any suggestions?
-Josh
A couple weeks ago I started noticing that after I turn my headlights off after driving, some of the red interior lights would stay on and others would go out. Then the rest would go out in a minute or two. Now they don't go out at all.
I'm only talking about the red backlights. The lights that stay on are all the ones on my radio, all my door handles, all four seat heater switches, the red light along with all interior light switches on ceiling. Oddly, the rear window heater and defroster button aren't on. None of the climate control lights are on either.
I've tried playing with the **** that controls the headlights and the key in the ignition. I notice when I turn the key to the ON position, the rear window heater, defroster, and the climate control buttons light up but nothing else. I suspect the ignition switch is the culprit but I'm not interested in replacing things that aren't broken. I downloaded everything for my car including wiring diagrams from Erwin. I haven't found the wiring diagrams for the backlights yet. Any suggestions?
-Josh
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I have a RossTech and all doors and trunk read open and closed properly. The bright interior lights that turn on when the doors open work properly. It's just the little red lights that are stuck on!
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I noticed that the light dimmer adjuster only changes the brightness on the instrument cluster and gear shifter lights. It used to change everything. I also noticed that when I turn my running lights or headlights on my glove box light comes on even when it's closed. It hasn't done that before. Very bizarre behavior.
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From: Sierra Vista, AZ
Thanks for the clarification. Some of the posters on here are from outside the US and use different terminology. I am still leaning toward bad light switch, dimmer control or possibly even a relay. Difficult to diagnose without actually being there.
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I pulled out and disconnected the wiring harness to the light switch and dimmer control. That did nothing. I thought the wires behind the radio might be jammed causing a short. So I pulled the radio and unplugged everything and nothing happened. I found the wiring diagram for the lighting system but I don't know how to read it well enough. Are there relays that control this lighting? I'm at a loss on how to proceed with diagnosing this myself.
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From: In the Cloud
My guess is that you have a chafed wire getting voltage from another wire that has battery voltage at all times.
I would start with the positive side of one of the lights that stays lit, and diagnose it backwards until you find the culprit.
Unfortunately, no short cuts on this kind of diagnosis. Just good old fashioned detective work, using a VOM and the wiring diagrams.
I would start with the positive side of one of the lights that stays lit, and diagnose it backwards until you find the culprit.
Unfortunately, no short cuts on this kind of diagnosis. Just good old fashioned detective work, using a VOM and the wiring diagrams.