Courtesy light issue in 86X

Stupid question I know, did you check to be sure the console button isn’t depressed?

Our is the console button the offending part of the circuit and not the timer?
 
is the console button the offending part
Good thought, especially with many X switches being problematic. The arrangement of this system is a bit odd in my opinion. I don't fully understand their logic with the way the switch works compared to other vehicles.
 
Stupid question I know, did you check to be sure the console button isn’t depressed?

Our is the console button the offending part of the circuit and not the timer?
I tested the console switch in post #11, it seems to work. Of course, as dr Jeff mentioned, this is an odd circuit with multiple switches and a timer.
 
A quick update: Rodger had a spare timer thingy for the fuse panel and sent it to me. Unfortunately, there was no miraculous cure. I guess I will be digging deeper on this. I know during his ownership, @tim5055 had the doors apart a few times to work on the power windows, so it is possible a wire is pinched in there somewhere. Or it could be a switch. I hate electrical gremlins. 👾

I took a drive the other day and noticed the lights go out with the doors closed when I start the engine. When I got home, after I turned off the engine AND unhooked my seat belt, the lights came on before I opened the door. That behavior seemed normal-ish to me.
 
OK, more info. I mentioned the driver's seat belt above. If I turn off the car and take off the seat belt the light goes on. It stays on when I close the door, but blinks off at about the interval of the usual timer shut off, then immediately comes back on and will stay on 4evah. However, if I lean in over the door and fasten the driver's seat belt the light clicks off pretty quickly (~10 seconds). If I then open the door the lights come on. If I close the door with the belt still fastened, the lights go out in about 10 seconds and stay out. Hopefully this means I don't need to leave the door open 24/7 any longer. Just fasten my seat belt. :)

Maybe I should start at the driver's seat belt and check what that wire looks like.
 
Is your seatbelt still hooked up to the reminder alarm thingy? If so, what happens if you disconnect that system?
 
Is your seatbelt still hooked up to the reminder alarm thingy? If so, what happens if you disconnect that system?

I have never heard a dinger in this car, so I think it has been removed. While looking in the fuse tray today, I noticed there are two relays in the spot where I think the dinger should be. I will have to ask @tim5055 what the various relays are for. He installed just about every electrical relay mod possible, which is wonderful. I just don't know what each relay is running.
 
There are two wire traces that control the door lights at the bulb. Violet/white is the unswitched power from fuse 13. It should have 12v at all times. Black/violet is the ground which switches from closed to open when the door lights come on and go off respectably. I'd start by tracing that ground back to the timer socket and also to the manual override switch while the key is off and the courtesy lights are on more than five minutes. That wire should not be grounded under those conditions. I love a mystery.
 
I forgot about this thread till I saw a similar issue posted by KBabcock today. I thought I should come back over here and post what "may" have been the issue. I can't say for sure, but I think the courtesy light switch may be sensitive to battery condition. Weird things start happening in modern cars when the battery is undercharged, maybe the late model Xs are just on the cusp of those types of issues.

I brought the 86 back home in the fall of 2019. It was rarely driven and I didn't think I had second trickle a charger for it. I just started it occasionally and let it idle. On a hunt for another part, I found an old trickle charger at the back of a storage shelf and decided to put it on the 86. The issue with the odd courtesy light behavior disappeared after the charger was installed and the battery was kept topped off.

The charger was installed about 1.5 years ago and the problem has never reappeared. Coincidence? Or did a full charge on the battery make the electronics happy?
 
I forgot about this thread till I saw a similar issue posted by KBabcock today. I thought I should come back over here and post what "may" have been the issue. I can't say for sure, but I think the courtesy light switch may be sensitive to battery condition. Weird things start happening in modern cars when the battery is undercharged, maybe the late model Xs are just on the cusp of those types of issues.

I brought the 86 back home in the fall of 2019. It was rarely driven and I didn't think I had second trickle a charger for it. I just started it occasionally and let it idle. On a hunt for another part, I found an old trickle charger at the back of a storage shelf and decided to put it on the 86. The issue with the odd courtesy light behavior disappeared after the charger was installed and the battery was kept topped off.

The charger was installed about 1.5 years ago and the problem has never reappeared. Coincidence? Or did a full charge on the battery make the electronics happy?
Over the weekend I had my 85’s battery loosely attached to the cables meaning just pushed down onto the posts.

My timer relay started buzzing and the one functioning light started misbehaving similar to your experience. I tightened the clamps to make better contact and the problem went away.

Anyway, I suspect you are correct, a poor connection or low voltage condition appears to cause the lighting timer to function incorrectly.
 
Over the weekend I had my 85’s battery loosely attached to the cables meaning just pushed down onto the posts.

My timer relay started buzzing and the one functioning light started misbehaving similar to your experience. I tightened the clamps to make better contact and the problem went away.

Anyway, I suspect you are correct, a poor connection or low voltage condition appears to cause the lighting timer to function incorrectly.
And if you accidentally bump the switch on your trickle charger from 12v to 6v, you end up with a very low battery in a fairlyshort time. :oops:
 
And if you accidentally bump the switch on your trickle charger from 12v to 6v, you end up with a very low battery in a fairlyshort time. :oops:
I wonder why they have a 6V function on chargers anymore? Even the most recent 6V motorcycle application that I can think of was at least 20 years ago. Possibly some scooters? What else still uses 6 volts?

This reminds me. Almost 15 years ago there was a lot of hype in the automotive industry that all cars would have 24V systems within a couple of years. It was considered the answer to the increasing electrical system demand on modern cars. Guess that wasn't the case. And look now at the voltage on electric vehicles. So 6V????
 
I wonder why they have a 6V function on chargers anymore? Even the most recent 6V motorcycle application that I can think of was at least 20 years ago. Possibly some scooters? What else still uses 6 volts?

This reminds me. Almost 15 years ago there was a lot of hype in the automotive industry that all cars would have 24V systems within a couple of years. It was considered the answer to the increasing electrical system demand on modern cars. Guess that wasn't the case. And look now at the voltage on electric vehicles. So 6V????
It is an old Schumacher Motorcycle charger that is probably at least 30 years old. It doesn't look like it ever got used. I "think" I bought it for my lawn tractor, but the tractor always started in the spring without it.
20220707_150948.jpg
 
It is an old Schumacher Motorcycle charger that is probably at least 30 years old. It doesn't look like it ever got used. I "think" I bought it for my lawn tractor, but the tractor always started in the spring without it.
View attachment 63544
Yes, I guess lawnmowers may still use 6V. My older chargers all had both 6 and 12V. But it surprises me that many new ones still do!
 
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