Turning on interior lights using Dimmer roller switch not working

[Christopher M]

Hey Guys-I have an '01 Sierra SLT. In attempting to turn on the interior lights at night and "clicking" the dimmer rolled switch all the way up, it does not do anything. The dimmer function of the gauges and dash lights works fine, however nothing when clicked up. I have messed with Dome Override button and checked all fuses and no dice. Can the entire switch be bad or am I missing something else?

Chris

[dtnel78]

Do they work properly with all door switches in the vehicle?

If the interior lights work when all doors are opened and closed properly then you need to get a wiring diagram and ensure you have proper power going into the switch and also coming out of the switch when on dim, activation, etc.


You can get access to all the troubleshooting information for your specific vehicle if you google search Mitchell DIY. They offer by the month, single year and multi year plans. I use to use the 5yr option until I went with shopkey pro but that's $150+ per month but used for several vehicles a month and is what most shops use.

Remember verify the part is bad before you replace it which in this case I'm leaning towards the switch but also keep in mind electrical parts aren't returnable to parts warehouses so hence why I said always verify the problem and check the repair afterwards as you'll know what normal looks like.


If you have a self serve you pull your own part salvage yard around you may be able to get a switch on the cheap if you know if you won't be keeping the vehicle for long or you just want a cheap part.

I'll probably get a hard time for this but on those oem switches like that I just get a dorman as it's got a lifetime warranty as parts houses I deal with upon inspection will warranty the dorman part for lifetime.


Good things is they make a drop in replaceable switch that takes less than 10 min to replace if you do it on your own.

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[davester]

alldatadiy.com is another site with a subscription to the full-service manual.

 

and you checked all the fuses, not just the fuses that seem related to the dome light?

[Christopher M]

Yea-checked all fuses related. The dome lights work, map lights work, etc. Just don't turn on with the switch as I know they should. For me half of it is just the concept that the switch doesn't work, and the other half would like to have it work when its dark. 

[davester]

So they turn on with the door?  If so, then I would suggest taking out the switch and testing it directly.  It's straightforward to take it out of the truck, and to even disassemble the box to test circuit board inside (I did this on mine to switch out the internal light to an LED).

[Christopher M]

7 minutes ago, davester said:

So they turn on with the door?  If so, then I would suggest taking out the switch and testing it directly.  It's straightforward to take it out of the truck, and to even disassemble the box to test circuit board inside (I did this on mine to switch out the internal light to an LED).

Yes they do turn on with door. I had the switch out, but wasn't sure how to test that functionality. Thoughts? Appreciate ya!

[davester]

if you don't have the FSM to know which pins are what, I would suggest cracking the box open (it just has clips that hold it together, at least that's what mine used), then seeing which contacts are for the switch function, and test the pins connected to it to check if it's opening/closing properly.