Quick help with wiring

[TexasExcursion]

We're getting ready to take a 2500 mile trip and I'm trying to hook up a dome override light similar to what's found in GM products, the kind where you can open up the doors and the dome lights will not come on. We've got little kids that always get woken up at night when I open the doors.

Anyhow, does anyone know what wire I can tap into that, when my newly installed switch is off, will prevent the lights from coming on, but when my switch is on, the lights will work as normal? Will the wire coming from the interior light dim switch (next to headlight switch) do the trick?

 

[JLDickmon]

just pull the bulb

 

[big_rooster]

Have someone break into yer truck and break the key thingy and they wont come on.

 

[iracemine]

pull the bulb and use the map lights if need be. dont make a mountin out of a mole hill. if you need somthing to break...keep looking.

 

[TexasExcursion]

If I wanted to pull the bulb I would've just done that, but that's not what I'm looking to do. Just curious if anybody is familiar with the wiring.

 

[JLDickmon]

well, w/o looking at a wiring diagram, I'm thinking the wire you're looking for comes off the GEM module, not the switch.

which is why we're saying just pull the bulb. The courtesy lamps in the doors and under the kick panels will still work, you just don't have to worry about giving the kids the "third degree"

Anytime you get finargeling around with the GEM wiring, you're asking for more trouble down the road.

 

[Teggleston]

Option two is to trace the wiring that goes up the side post and to the 3 lights in the overhead on the excursion. This is were you can cut and wire back to a switch. This wire runs through the thresold on the drivers side on up the pillar between the front and rear drivers door on my Excursion. Hope this helps

 

[Fire1]

I did not know this till recently but on my wifes 2000 Explorer you can turn the dome lights off. You just turn the dimmer all the way one direction. Would be nice if they all did that.

 

[TexasExcursion]

well, w/o looking at a wiring diagram, I'm thinking the wire you're looking for comes off the GEM module, not the switch.

which is why we're saying just pull the bulb. The courtesy lamps in the doors and under the kick panels will still work, you just don't have to worry about giving the kids the "third degree"

Anytime you get finargeling around with the GEM wiring, you're asking for more trouble down the road.

Now this makes sense. Pulling the bulb didn't make a whole lot of sense to me because the X's have three bulbs that I'd have to monkey with.

Option two is to trace the wiring that goes up the side post and to the 3 lights in the overhead on the excursion. This is were you can cut and wire back to a switch. This wire runs through the thresold on the drivers side on up the pillar between the front and rear drivers door on my Excursion. Hope this helps

I'll take a look and see what I find. Do you happen to remember what color wire it was?

I did not know this till recently but on my wifes 2000 Explorer you can turn the dome lights off. You just turn the dimmer all the way one direction. Would be nice if they all did that.

I'll give that a shot, too.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I was hoping this would be a quick little project but it appears that its much bigger than I anticipated. May go back onto the "not gonna happen" list.

 

[JLDickmon]

May go back onto the "not gonna happen" list.

around here we call it the "I'll get right on that" file.