Trunk lamp light doesnt work -Solved-

[SiCkSTi04]

i replaced the light bulb in the sedan trunk thinking it was blown but that wasn't the case. it still doesn't turn on when the trunk is opened. Checked the latch assembly thinking it was that little plastic piece is pressed when closed, nothing there. double check the connectors. what i did find weird is that i don't get the trunk open light on my dashboard at all, my wagon shows me other wise, did not know if it was only wagons that did this.

any help would be great.

[Legacy777]

Sedans don't have a trunk open light.

I'd check to see if you have 12v at the rear light. If you do, then it may be an issue with the ground.

[SiCkSTi04]

i own a multimeter but don't know how to use it lol too afraid of burning something out =X

Josh what triggers the trunk light to turn on once the trunk is opened? is it always on?

[Legacy777]

There's a little push button type switch in the lock/latch mechanism of the trunk.

[SiCkSTi04]

i'll check the voltage out in a couple hours. would a faulty push button switch keep the light from turning on?

[Legacy777]

Yes it could.

I just looked at the diagram, and if you pull the connector at the light, you should get 12v on one of those pins. You can use a test light or multimeter to check to make sure you have 12v there. If you don't, check fuse 25.

I'd start with that first. It's going to be easier to look at that, then the switch. You just need to work on becoming familar with the multimeter. Put the selector in volts, and just put one of the leads on a chassis ground, and the other end probe the connector coming to the trunk light.

If you have a picture of the meter or know the make/model, I can try and find a picture/manual on the web.

[SiCkSTi04]

Its a very cheap 7 dollar unit from freight harbor. what i know so far is that one lead like you said has to be grounded and the other touching whatever is being measured, oh and the voltage set to higher then what is being measured. i just dont know if its DCV or ACV that needs to be used. and if anything would happen if i put the red part into the wrong pin, would any damage happen?

Measuring the ohms too, am i not touching any pins that have voltage passing through them? so if i were to check the TPS or injector, i touch the ends that lead to the TPS/injectors and not the pins that goes to the ECU?

[BSOD2600]

Cars (and anything based around a batter) use DC (direct current) while a house uses AC (alternating current). No damage will occur if you reverse the black and red wires when probing -- you'll just get a negative reading on the meter instead of positive. Now if you touch the red and black together while probing, then you just created a short and will likely blow the car and/or meter fuse.

The FSM has testing instructions on the various ohm and voltage readings for circuits. Most often, you'll want to disconnect from the ECU before doing an ohm reading on that harness (read the fsm though!).

[SiCkSTi04]

thanks for the help BSOD2600, Got back from checking the voltage. i was able to get a voltage of 12.5 from the light plug in the trunk and also 12.5 from the push button switch latch mechanism plug (one pin). are there any steps i should take now? is there a way to check the ground on the light plug?

[Legacy777]

Looks like you have power. The other wire lead coming from the plug goes to the switch and then to ground. You mention you got 12v on the push button switch latch? Was this with the light plug connected? Not sure I follow you there?

The way the switch should work is that when the trunk is open the switch should ground itself "close" the circuit and make the light turn on. With the trunk down, the switch is "open" and the light will not go on.

You can check the ground by moving the selector on the multimeter to continuity. Put one end of the probes on a chassis ground, and then the other end in the ground pin on the light plug. It should read 0.0 ohms or close to it.

[SiCkSTi04]

-Solved- the wire that meets the latch switch spring that goes up and down has a little movement in it. moving it a little triggers the light to work so its either dirty or loose. i'll take a further look tomorrow as its too dark outside.

thanks for the help guys! just 1 issue of XX to go lol

[Legacy777]

Good job

[crashnburn]

i had the same problem with my car. I have a sedan with the truck light and the trigger became stuck. the plastic shifts and gets stuck in position. just take the lever off and shave down the plastic trigger. very easy, took about 15-25 mins.