Courtesy/Interior light relay location on 96 XJ?

I am trying to locate the courtesy/interior light relay on my 96 Sport. It is not in the relay block under the steering column, nor in the power dist center over the right front wheel. I looked behind both front interior kick panels and nothing there (relays were there in AMC days). Can't here a click when operating door button switches. Real mystery. This model has no body control box like later Grand Cheros.

Searched all over the usual forums and found nothing that helped.

Stumped. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

There are no relays for interior lights in the '96 XJ. There were a couple of relays behind the kick panels in AMC days but AFAIK they were not for interior lights (beside the point in any event).

What are you trying to accomplish?

Yea, the door switches are wired directly into the interior lights. The lights get their ground from the door switches.

Also, the relays behind the passenger kick panel were the keyless entry lock/unlock relays. (Again, unrelated)..

OK, thanks for the info. The schematics in the book I have do not show anything for interior lighting. It does seem odd that each switch is tasked with grounding the whole load of lighting.

I am trying to get the cargo dome switch to operate the interior lighting with the side doors closed. Issue must be something else.

Interior lights go on and off fine with side door and headlamp switch rotation. But the cargo dome switch seems to do nothing.

Still Stumpt.

Does the rear switch control the dome lights when the hatch is open? If so, that's normal operation. If not, I'd test that switch, or the one inside the hatch. I would think you could bypass the switch inside the hatch to have the rear dome switch control the interior lighting, even with the hatch closed, if that's what your goal is.

There is a thread around here (started by ehall maybe?) that details how the interior lights are wired that might help you.

The switch is SUPPOSED to control the dome lights when the hatch is open, but currently it does nothing. Switch tested OK. It is not a grounding switch. There are three wires to it. Pink, Yellow, Purple.

From other threads I could not come up with a solution to my situation. Another intersecting point is the light timer (the small can with three wires below the steering column above the brake pedal) is always warm keeping the circuit closed. It never goes into shut-off mode. But the lights shut off anyway without the timer. I suspect the two problems are linked and the link is not working right.

But, now knowing that all lights function by any one of a number of grounding switches, I will try and convert the dome light to a grounding switch and see what happens.

I am going to the junk yard today to pick up a set of hood louvers, so I may as well harvest another switch as well.

Thanks for the help. It gives me at least a work-around solution.

OK, I am noodling your point more thoroughly. Maybe there is a position switch in the HATCH that is not operating when the hatch is lifted. Where is that switch in the hatch? Up at the cable entry, or below the rear window with all the other stuff?

The actual grounding switch may be the position switch in the hatch. The dome switch may be just in line with the hatch switch, and not the grounding switch itself.

Hmmmm.

I believe the switch inside the hatch is on the latch mechanism, but I can't tell you where exactly. Works like a jamb switch, according to some other posts.

Might look like this?

Thanks. Will check this out first thing after work.

hubs97xj said:

I believe the switch inside the hatch is on the latch mechanism, but I can't tell you where exactly. Works like a jamb switch, according to some other posts.

Might look like this?

Click to expand...

It's the silver portion (on the bottom left in the picture) on that latch mechanism. It should have two electrical disconnects.

Problem solved this weekend.

That's exactly the part. The switch mechanism was bent and jambed in open circuit position. This prevented the cargo dome light switch, which is in series and upstream of the liftgate switch, from functioning. You are right, the interior lighting system is designed with hot bulb sockets and grounding switches at each door. But the Liftgate switch has the cargo dome switch in series with it. They both have to be in closed circuit mode to operate the interior lights from the dome switch.

Thanks for the pic and advice.