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Door Switch For Dome Light: Wires From The Top?


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Hi folks.  Where does the wire come from that attaches to the door switch?

 

I recently got my dome light working again recently (via a replacement dome light), and I noticed my passenger door switch worked fine (lighting dome light when door is open, yay), but my driver side didn't.

 

So I ordered a new door switch and went to install it this evening, and unscrewed it and pulled the old one out, and saw there weren't any wires on the end of the switch (even the spade was missing).  So now I'm hunting for the wire, or wires (I searched and saw on late models, there might be 2 wires attached there, one for dome light and one for 'Fasten Seat Belt').

 

So anyone know where the wire(s) enter that hidden inner front fender area?  Do they come in from the top, somewhere in the middle, or perhaps unlikely but even the bottom?

 

Thanks - knowing the general direction should hopefully aid my wire 'fishing expedition'.   :rolleyes:

 

Tom

Edited by visionaut

Where we goin’? … I’ll drive…
There are some who call me... Tom too         v i s i o n a u t i k s.com   

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There is a red power wire that come up the drivers side A pillar and powers the dome light. There is a striped wire (brown and black on 6-fuse models, and brown and purple (I think) on 12 fuse models) that goes down the A pillar and to the door switch on the drivers side. From there,  the same color goes to the passenger side. The door switch works by grounding the striped wire when the door opens and completing the circuit. If it works on the passenger side, then the complete circuit is there and you need to fish out the wire on the drivers side behind the kick panel and reconnect it to the drivers door switch.

Rob S
'69 2002; '04 330i ZHP; 2018 X1; 2014 535i; 2017 340i

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Located the wires and got it working...

 

Here's a follow-up, for completeness.  Maybe it might help someone else in the future.

 

My '76 had a different driver's door switch -- plastic body, wider diameter, with 2 spades, and 3 wires attached.  [As mentioned previously, it likely served double-duty as part of the 'Fasten Seat Belt' nanny.]  The plastic body on my original switch had broke/split in half, and the 2 spades were still attached to the wires.  I located the wires under the dash, over by the upper left kickpanel.  I was able to pull them back in through the fender panel hole behind my carpet. I then ran a coat hanger in from the switch hole back into that panel hole, attached the wires to the hanger, and threaded them back through up to and out the switch hole in the door.  I rewired it up to a standard 2002 1-spade door switch, which I had to fab a rubber bushing for (from a piece of hose) to fit around the smaller diameter switch body to fill the larger door hole.

Where we goin’? … I’ll drive…
There are some who call me... Tom too         v i s i o n a u t i k s.com   

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On the later 02s, that third wire on the driver's side dome light switch is the "key in ign" buzzer, that will buzz whenever you leave the key in the ignition (with it off or in the accessory position) and open the door.  The buzzer itself is inside the steering column surround between the steering wheel and the dash.  If you disconnect it at the dome light switch, tape the wire up so it doesn't ground on anything, or the damn buzzer will buzz all the time!

 

cheers

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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Mike - you're just a fountain of 02 knowledge...  cool stuff.

 

I've disconnected all my 02s 'nanny buzzers' long ago, so I didn't get any audio feedback -- the seat belt one (I use a seat belt religiously, but abhor being notified), and the key in ignition one (that lasted only til I located the dang buzzer).  The 'door is ajar' buzzer on my other vehicles gets the quick kill too ;-) 

 

The normal 02 door switch has only a single hot wire, and just grounds to the chassis, but when I tried that the pass door switch then wouldn't work. So I realized this additional inclusion of the 'key in ignition' into the circuit on the 76s must have been wired so the pass side wiring was 'in the loop' on the drivers side switch.  So I located which of the other two wires also needed to be connected to re-enable the pass door to also work.  Conclusion -- for a 76 to convert to the normal single spade 2002 door switch, you need to hook up two wires.

 

I did end up 'taping up/terminating' that third wire that was exclusively for the key-in buzzer (not using it).

 

Regards,

Tom

Edited by visionaut

Where we goin’? … I’ll drive…
There are some who call me... Tom too         v i s i o n a u t i k s.com   

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  • 1 year later...

I thought this thread would solve my problem, but I'm still not clear on the door switch wiring for the dome light.  My car is a '72 sunroof.  As shown in the picture below, the driver's door has 3 wires going to 2 spades (the original switch was mashed so I don't know how it worked).  The passenger door has 1 wire to 1 spade.  So far I've installed a new 1-spade switch on the passenger door and it works (light goes off when button is pressed).

 

I don't know what to do with the 3 wires and 2 spades on the driver's door - my new switch only has one spade.  Do I need a different switch (part number??) or can my 1-spade switch be used by ignoring some of the 3 wires?

 

ALSO, each door has a hole in the door jam opposite the switch (see picture of driver's door below).  When the door closes the button goes into the hole and it is not depressed. For example, my passenger door works when I press the button manually, but doesn't work when I close the door.  Are these holes in the door jams supposed to have some sort of plug so that they will depress the door switch when the door closes?

 

Any help in clearing this up would be much appreciated.

post-41971-0-34316600-1434737771.jpg

Edited by JWadle

'72 2002tii Inka

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JW - yes, there's a 1/2" tall plastic nub part that fits into those holes in the doors that makes contact with the door switches.

http://www.rogerstii.com/bmw-2002-e9-dome-light-dimmer-switch-door-button/

In my solution for the drivers side wiring on my '76, I ended up with 1 wire unconnected, and the other two tied together into the replacement 1-spade switch.

Edited by visionaut

Where we goin’? … I’ll drive…
There are some who call me... Tom too         v i s i o n a u t i k s.com   

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  • 2 weeks later...

Question regarding this fellas, my 2 spade switch is broken, I have a spare single spade passenger side switch. Since the drivers side has 3 wires (2 attached, 1 by itself) to fit a 2 spade switch, which wires do I need to cut and which 2 wires do I need to connect together to install onto the single spade switch? Thanks for the help.

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I think you need a two spade switch.

 

This might be the one, but double check.  

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?partnumber=61311370805&utm_source=google&utm_medium=nonpaid&utm_campaign=frooglePN&utm_term=W0133-1635100&crossref=W0133-1635100&gclid=CLqYtoiFtcYCFY9gfgodUOIA2Q

 

You could also place an ad in the Parts Wanted section.  (Cheap part to ship).

     DISCLAIMER 

I now disagree with some of the timing advice I have given in the past.  I misinterpreted the distributor curves in the Blue Book. 

I've switched from using ported-vacuum to manifold, with better results. 

I apologize for spreading misinformation.  

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Thanks for the reply. I have a want ad already, just waiting on someone willing to find it and ship it over. Also, would other model bmw's work? I see a few e30s, e12s, and L6s for sale all have 2 spades. Thanks.

Edited by SevenONE02
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Real OEM can be a good site for cross referencing parts applications.

 

Oh, I see above that Visionaut made it work with a single spade switch.

Perhaps send him a PM and ask which to cut??

     DISCLAIMER 

I now disagree with some of the timing advice I have given in the past.  I misinterpreted the distributor curves in the Blue Book. 

I've switched from using ported-vacuum to manifold, with better results. 

I apologize for spreading misinformation.  

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