What is the standard behavior of interior illumination? I've noticed that both pulling the door handle (inside or out) and just using the power locks causes the interior lights to come up for something like 30 seconds. I've got a problem with this as I don't remember it happening in the past. Worse, half the time when the lights go out, if I lock the doors/use my alarm using my remote, the lights will come back on my my alarm won't arm the door triggers. I have to wait another minute and try again.
As far as I know, the "door ajar" wires are wired up to the illuminated entry in some weird way in these vehicles as just pulling up on the door handle when the alarm is armed will cause it to go off, thinking the door is open (not that this is a bad thing - I've had a lot of "false alarms" during the night when visiting a certain relative and I'm thinking people are attempting to open the door by the handle). Any details on the way this works and why I have been having weird issues lately with the lights coming on when they shouldn't? I've had the alarm installed for 5 years (viper 791xv) and it still works the same to this day, other than the interior illumination acting different than it used to.
I remember on both of the 20th's I had, when you pull on the door handle (without opening the door) the interior lights would come on. I just thought it was a feature.
It's an optional feature that sounds like it was not working before...
illuminated entry seems to be working correctly from what you describe. my door handle does that very thing. not sure wht exactly the problem is other than an all of a sudden 'it started working"
seek, do you have the optional light package?
Ummm...no? I assume this ties in rear seat lights which I don't have, nor do I have external cornering lamps, auto high beam dimmer, etc.
The door handle always seemed to turn the lights on but the locks do it now also. I find it very strange that the lights can go off and often when I arm the alarm right after this, the lights come back on and the alarm tells me the door is ajar. I have to wait a couple minutes to get it to arm without the lights coming back on.
got an evtm?
Nope - I just probe wires until I find what I need :p
I'm probably not naming it correctly, but maybe it was called the '(interior) light group"? For sure it was an option that was independent of the c-pillar lights. Not sure if the operation was tied to the c-pillar lights.
By 'alarm', do you mean aftermarket alarm system?
now you have one
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f162/jcassity_bucket/
Isn't there a plug near the drivers side seat that you can unplug to make it stop all the seemingly random locking of the doors?
The lights coming on when the handles are pulled is normal. The lights coming on when the lock button is pressed is not normal. Mine does not do that. Just wondering but does your car have autolock? It would be a connector under the driver's seat.
That's true with the correct *optional* equipment. "Base" model '85 vintage TCs didn't have that feature, cannot speak about the other trim levels.