I have a '99 Ram Van 1500 with the StarCraft conversion package in it. Not sure that it matters, but it also has the 318/ 5.2L engine.

I recently added an LED strip light to the passenger compartment so that when the doors (barn doors rear or side, or either of the front doors) is opened the light would come on.
On the floor below the front passenger seat was an old light fixture (194 bulb type). One of the wires was hot all the time, the other was hot when the door plunger switch was in (open position).

Using a normally closed relay, I tied into this, so that when the door was open, the relay would not be energized, thus turning the light on, yet when the door was closed, the relay was energized, keeping the light turned off.
This seemed like an ideal solution to the issue I was having trying to tap into the dome light circuit; at least until the dome lights stopped working.

I suspect the relay blew the fuse for the dome light circuit, but I can't find the damn fuse. I checked every fuse in the fuse block that is on the left side of the dash behind the pop-out panel; they all test good using a meter.
This is where I have been chasing my tail. Where is the fuse that controls the dome light circuit? None of the fuses was blown, and none of those in the fuse block under the hood (called power distribution center by my Hane's manual) seems to be dome light related.
I found what appears to be 4 circuit breakers as part of the conversion package, but none of those were tripped either.

Does anyone have any ideas? How about where I can source a wiring diagram that is specific to the dome light circuit?

As an extra addage that is causing me to scratch my head, the trip odometer does not retain its memory. When the van is turned off, the memory of the trip odo is lost, it resets to zero every time the van is started. It was also working previously.

Thanks,

Exco

 

The problem with that setup is the relay is continuously energized and draining the battery while the engine is off. You already had a door circuit that did what you needed it to, so why didn't you just tap into the existing light circuit? As to the fuses, conversions usually have their own additional fuse box behind a hidden panel for you to find.

 

This van has the most screwed up electrical set up that I have ever seen. Normally I am pretty handy electrically, but I am baffled with this vehicle.
All of the dome lights have three wires connected, two of the wires (orange and red) have 12 volts constantly, regardless of if the light is turned on or off, and it doesn't matter if the door is opened either.
The third wire is the ground (has continuity to ground). If I tap into either of the colored wires and the ground wire, the new light will stay on constantly. This makes NO sense to me, and the only thing that I can figure is that the switch is internal to the lighting fixture.
My Hane's manual states that the door switch breaks the ground, yet it has no effect at the light.



I am learning this, the question is which panel that it's behind. I have checked underneath and behind the glove box. I have checked in the cabin near the extra radio (4 circuit breakers are there, none tripped), and I have checked in the cubby hole where the jack is. Not of the panels on the wall have an access door, and they're also secured to the metal work of the van with industrial strength glue.


I'm going to head out and see what I can figure out this afternoon, the rain has stopped and it's warmer than it has been.


Exco