[Bing12]

I recently purchased a 2002 Mustang which had the dome light bulb removed already and the owner said that the bulb would have to be replaced, so I bought some LED SMDs and tried to install them and had no luck, both map lights still work which makes me think that its not the fuse because I'd assume they would be attached to the same fuse, though I may be wrong. I'm not too sure what the problem would be, and I'm not too great with this sort of stuff so anything is possible.

What I Know:

- The LEDs I purchased do work.
- Neither the door switch or the interior switch work to turn on the light.
- The lights I purchased are appropriate for a 2002 mustang.
- I flipped the light each time I inserted it, so it's not a pos/neg issue.

Thanks in advance to anyone who provides a suggestion!

 

[Americansilver]

My girlfriend is having the same problem with the light in her Mercury Sable. (It has the same dome light) I found a bulb that I tested with an ohm meter and the bulb was good but no light when installed. I have been way to lazy to try and fix her problem but I will be looking into it more. I believe there are separate power wires going to each of the bulbs in the dome. They have to be hooked in parallel so when one like goes out the other two do not go out as well. There could be a break in the wire that powers the central dome light. Or for some reason they arn't getting power. If I look into it more and fix my girlfriends dome light I'll let you know the cause of her problem and maybe I can lead you in the right direction.

 

[Bing12]

My girlfriend is having the same problem with the light in her Mercury Sable. (It has the same dome light) I found a bulb that I tested with an ohm meter and the bulb was good but no light when installed. I have been way to lazy to try and fix her problem but I will be looking into it more. I believe there are separate power wires going to each of the bulbs in the dome. They have to be hooked in parallel so when one like goes out the other two do not go out as well. There could be a break in the wire that powers the central dome light. Or for some reason they arn't getting power. If I look into it more and fix my girlfriends dome light I'll let you know the cause of her problem and maybe I can lead you in the right direction.

Thanks a lot, I hope you find a fix, for the benefit of both of us.

 

[blitz_folf]

i'd suggest checking the wiring that runs up to the headliner, it should go up the passenger side underneath the plastic trim cover for the pillar by the windshield. figure out which wire is for the center portion of the dome light, and check for 12v with a multimeter at the connector under the dash when the light /should/ be on. if its there but not at the light, there is a break in the wire somewhere in between.

out of curiosity, do you have the factory keyless entry system installed in your car? i know on mine (95, but still quite similar) the dome light is all run through the control box in the trunk, so if you have the keyless entry installed you should be able to hear a relay clicking when the light is activated.

 

[Bing12]

i'd suggest checking the wiring that runs up to the headliner, it should go up the passenger side underneath the plastic trim cover for the pillar by the windshield. figure out which wire is for the center portion of the dome light, and check for 12v with a multimeter at the connector under the dash when the light /should/ be on. if its there but not at the light, there is a break in the wire somewhere in between.

out of curiosity, do you have the factory keyless entry system installed in your car? i know on mine (95, but still quite similar) the dome light is all run through the control box in the trunk, so if you have the keyless entry installed you should be able to hear a relay clicking when the light is activated.

Thanks for the suggestion!

At this point, I'm pretty sure the wire is the only possibility. I've been doing some research on the fuse panel (under-dash) and found that fuse #7 (I think) is labeled "Interior Lighting" causing me to believe that this would signify all interior lights, so because my map lights work it's probably not a fuse issue. Because not a single method of turning the lights on has worked, ie. doors or headlight knob, it's probably not connections or switches. So, as I see it, sadly, that only leaves wiring as an option...

I do have keyless entry (via my key fob) but I'm not sure what your trying to say about that... I'm also fairly certain the previous owner had the alarm and entry system updated, replaced, or newly installed, because it definitely doesn't sound like a stock unlock-tune or a stock alarm.

 

[blitz_folf]

Thanks for the suggestion!

At this point, I'm pretty sure the wire is the only possibility. I've been doing some research on the fuse panel (under-dash) and found that fuse #7 (I think) is labeled "Interior Lighting" causing me to believe that this would signify all interior lights, so because my map lights work it's probably not a fuse issue. Because not a single method of turning the lights on has worked, ie. doors or headlight knob, it's probably not connections or switches. So, as I see it, sadly, that only leaves wiring as an option...

I do have keyless entry (via my key fob) but I'm not sure what your trying to say about that... I'm also fairly certain the previous owner had the alarm and entry system updated, replaced, or newly installed, because it definitely doesn't sound like a stock unlock-tune or a stock alarm.

when i was talking about the keyless entry, i was meaning the system from the factory contains relays, which you can hear if you are listening for them. i'm not sure if my system is the same as yours (mine is factory, but from 1995), but if it is, then the dome light is controlled by the control box in the trunk. in that case, you should be able to hear a relay click when you manually turn on the dome light. no click=a possible reason for the problem.

but i'd check the wiring first, since that should be the same between our two cars. if you have a Haynes manual or the sort, they contain the wiring diagrams, which would be helpful in a situation such as this.

 

[Bing12]

when i was talking about the keyless entry, i was meaning the system from the factory contains relays, which you can hear if you are listening for them. i'm not sure if my system is the same as yours (mine is factory, but from 1995), but if it is, then the dome light is controlled by the control box in the trunk. in that case, you should be able to hear a relay click when you manually turn on the dome light. no click=a possible reason for the problem.

but i'd check the wiring first, since that should be the same between our two cars. if you have a Haynes manual or the sort, they contain the wiring diagrams, which would be helpful in a situation such as this.

Sadly I don't have a manual, but I am ripping out the headliner pretty soon anyways, so I'll probably just follow the trail and see what's up...