Success!!!

[wader2k]

My first venture into repairing some minor problems on my 2002 SLE was a raging success.

Got in a replacement left rear window regulator($60 with shipping on ebay.)
Installed it today and the window now works great!

While contemplating this minor victory I decided to tear out the rear seat and look for the fusebox. My interior lights haven't worked since I got the car and after some reading on here it kinda pointed me towards the sunvisor. The flap on the driver side visor that opens to turn on the vanity lights is missing/broke off and some threads here indicated this can cause an intermittent short and blow the fuse. The trunk light and glove box also didn't work.

Found the fuse (#27 I think) - 10 amp - and it was definitely blown so I popped in another and all my interior lights came on.
But they wouldn't go off! Hmmm. The Dim button was not turned fully clockwise, so that takes out the simple stuff. The red lights in the door don't come on, but I think this is because it's daylight.

While I was under the back seat I felt around under the carpet and it is dry as a bone. If there has ever been water under here I can see no sign of it. Trunk is also dry and shows no signs of water damage. This gave me much happiness<grin>.

So after a bit I decided to come in and read a bit. When I went back out in 20 minutes the lights had gone out. I tried turning them on and off and now they work perfectly. I could not get them to turn off at all no matter what I did when I first came in and I tried starting the car several times and opening/ shutting all the doors. I figured the lights must have timed out (10minute battery saver function?) at first, but they all seem to work perfectly.

They do not turn on when I open the car doors and the red door lights aren't coming on yet, but it's still daylight so I will check after dark.

All in all a successful day!! I sure am curious why they stuck on at first tho...I don't want them to drain my battery unawares.
I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on them for now.

Next up: Middle Lights in the radio are burned out...gotta figure out how to remove the radio from the dash. And if I get adventurous the driver side heated seat needs to be fixed.

[nos4blood70]

Congratulations on all the fixes! Feels good doesn't it? Also, for what it's worth, the red lights in the doors never light up, they are merely reflectors.

[Archon]

The red "lights" on the door panel or just reflectors. The 2000s were the only ones that had lights on the door panel.

[wader2k]

Yup...thanks for confirming the red reflectors don't light up. Almost makes me want to mod them to light up<grin>.

Checked after dark and all interior lights come on when unlocking the doors and then fade out after starting the car.

I love it...surprising just how much the little things matter.

ps. I read some on replacing the radio lights, but I don't remember if the info was there for removing the dash panel to get the radio out. Replacing the lights will be a piece of cake once I get it out of the dash I love this place!

[wader2k]

Well, I half expected it, but after 2 days the interior lights blew the fuse again.

This weekend I will probably drop the headliner and disconnect the driver side sunvisor. Not sure I have much hope for this as I don't see how the missing vanity light panel could cause a short in the unit. The vanity light actually still worked when I pressed the little switch by hand.

Ah well....could be a long road to figure this out. The car fax showed the owner had the dealer perform some sort of electrical diagnostic 6 months before they sold it.....I'm guessing it was because of the interior lights.

[dkc]

I had the same problem on my 02 se interior lights kept blowing the fuse i broke the door off my driver side visor just messing
around with it but i found part of a broken steel clip or contact in that visor it just fell out no blown fuse for over a month now