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1990 Caravan wiring

I have a 1990 Dodge Caravan that has a strange problem....The dome lights all work, but the ones in the rear lift gate. I have probed witha VOM and found that I have 10.33v when the door is open and no light bulb is in the socket. If I place the bulb in the socket, I get 0.00v

The question is what is the problem??

I have checked the bulbs in other dome light fixtures and they work, but anytime I place a bulb in the rear sockets the voltage drops to 0, if I take them out then I get 10+

I am assuming the bulbs are fine as they work in other sockets, and that the fuse is also fine as if it was burned I would have no power at all anytime. What else could it be.

BTW To get the 10+v I have to have both bulbs out of thei sockets. If either of them is installed then it drops to 0 on both sockets. This seems like a short somewhere to me, but why only when the bulb is inserted? Why don't the other dome lights have strange problems? Are the rear lights controlled by any switches in the rear door? or just the same switch in the front door?

It is a confusing baffling problem!!

Thanks Jeff

Reply to
Keyed4U
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snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Keyed4U) wrote

Not a short. You have a broken wire. Test the voltage from the socket to the battery ground(car frame). If you get 12v then the ground lead is broken. If you get 0v the dome light power feed to the hatch is broken. Leave the bulbs in for this test.

IIRC on this car this circuit uses ground side switching. If this is the case here, you will get 12v to frame with dome lights on or off.

Look for corroded connectors, possible. In hatch. Body side wiring usualy runs under interior moulding and down rear piller, so you can check there too.

Or break internal to the cable harness between the hatch and body. Very likely.

If wireing goes under headliner(unlikely). Note that headliners break **very** easily.

Reply to
StevJensen

Ok.... I have searched everywhere for a plunger type switch to no avail. Is it possible that it uses a mercury switch? I am assuming that the under the hood light is one and thought that possibly the rear might also have one. If not can I simply drill a hole, install a plunger type and ct one of the two wires to the lights? I haven't torn the rear inside cover off yet either to see if there is someting going on behind it.

Reply to
Keyed4U

Reply to
damnnickname

How can I find out if it had the recall done as well as have it done and not cost me anything?

I bought the van used a couple of weeks ago as a project. It has been a tinker toy, but nothing major so far!!

Reply to
Keyed4U

Have local dealer look up VIN.

Recalls are usually non-expiring, but I may be wrong.

Keyed4U wrote:

Reply to
Mike Behnke

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