Doors Off, Interior Light Stays On: 2005 TJ

[HawkSmith]

Hello Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum,

I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ. When I remove the doors the interior light that is in the above roll bar stays on. I spoke to Jeep about this, and they said the light should go off in 15 minutes. However, mine does not. It stays on and has even caused the battery to run down to the put where I need a jump.

Are there any buttons, or some kind of trick to get the light to go off or not come on at all, when I take the doors off...???
Thanks

 

[P man]

Hello Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum,

I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ. When I remove the doors the interior light that is in the above roll bar stays on. I spoke to Jeep about this, and they said the light should go off in 15 minutes. However, mine does not. It stays on and has even caused the battery to run down to the put where I need a jump.

Are there any buttons, or some kind of trick to get the light to go off or not come on at all, when I take the doors off...???
Thanks

Pull the #4 fuse

 

[dvngdg]

I use these! It keeps the plunger in.

 

[Moglocker]

I use these! It keeps the plunger in.

View attachment 486161

Or get the switch from quadratec

 

[AndyG]

I wonder if a switchable fuse that small is available-

 

[JMT]

Hello Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum,

I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ. When I remove the doors the interior light that is in the above roll bar stays on. I spoke to Jeep about this, and they said the light should go off in 15 minutes. However, mine does not. It stays on and has even caused the battery to run down to the put where I need a jump.

Are there any buttons, or some kind of trick to get the light to go off or not come on at all, when I take the doors off...???
Thanks

Pull fuse #4 which is in the fuse panel behind the glovebox.

 

[Moglocker]

Pull fuse #4 which is in the fuse panel behind the glovebox.

I found the switch kit from quadratic also handy for when the doors are on and you have the doors open for a while you can just flip the switch.

 

[MikekiM]

I rigged an interrupt switch into the #4 fuse and mounted it up under the passenger side footwell so I could flip the switch as the doors came off. Basically duplicated the Q-tec switch. Later changed to the Mercedes switch that can pulled out to lock.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Just pull the #4 fuse, it's too easy to worry about replacing it with a switch or installing springs around the door buttons. That's what the #4 was designed for, to be removed when the doors are off so the interior lights stay off which also also still allows the interior lights to be turned on with the dashlight dimmer control as is normal.

As in if you're capable of removing the doors you're certainly capable of taking ten seconds to pull a little fuse as described in the Owner's Manual for when removing the doors.

The factory even describes that fuse as the Door Switch Defeat.

 

[WVJeep304]

I Installed these in place of the factory door switches.

Genuine 2018202110 Interior Light Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PVB9B4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

One of the best things I've done to my TJ. Super fast/easy to disable the interior lights when taking doors off, equally as easy to kick them back on quickly at night when I'm stopped and need some additional light.

Required me to have a retainer ring 3d printed and removing the factory plug to wire into the switch. There's a couple of good how-to vids on YouTube.

 

[HawkSmith]

Thank you everyone for the speedy and detailed responses!
Great stuff! Fuse # 4 is out the door!
Happy New Year everyone!

 

[MikekiM]

I Installed these in place of the factory door switches.

Genuine 2018202110 Interior Light Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PVB9B4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

One of the best things I've done to my TJ. Super fast/easy to disable the interior lights when taking doors off, equally as easy to kick them back on quickly at night when I'm stopped and need some additional light.

Required me to have a retainer ring 3d printed and removing the factory plug to wire into the switch. There's a couple of good how-to vids on YouTube.

That's what I explained above. That door pin is from an early Mercedes. Two versions available. one black and one grey. Be sure to use the black one as the grey does't have the pull to lock feature.

It's a great mod. I don't know that it is my favorite mod, but it's a good one!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Super fast/easy to disable the interior lights when taking doors off, equally as easy to kick them back on quickly at night when I'm stopped and need some additional light.

You can always turn the interior lights on with the dashlight dimmer control as is normal no matter if the door switches are disabled or or not or if the #4 fuse is pulled.

 

[WVJeep304]

That's what I explained above. That door pin is from an early Mercedes. Two versions available. one black and one grey. Be sure to use the black one as the grey does't have the pull to lock feature.

It's a great mod. I don't know that it is my favorite mod, but it's a good one!

Do you have that backwards? Because the one I have IS the gray one. After installing mine, my buddy ordered the same ones I got and his are grey, too. Did the colors change somewhere along the way?

 

[WVJeep304]

You can always turn the interior lights on with the dashlight dimmer control as is normal no matter if the door switches are disabled or or not or if the #4 fuse is pulled.

Very true. And while that wasn't my motivation for doing this mod, I just find it much more convenient than pulling the fuse. A friend of mine loses his fuse at least 3 or 4 times a year, and the people I know that run the clips inevitably forget to remove them before installing their doors and break them. This just made more sense to me for my situation.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

How anyone could really lose the same fuse 3-4 times a year is more than beyond me.

 

[WVJeep304]

How anyone could really lose the same fuse 3-4 times a year is more than beyond me.

It only makes sense to me because I know how he is . Laying it in the glove box or sticking it in a spare slot or anywhere safe makes too much sense. I'd like to think I'm smart enough to not have that same problem, but now I don't have to find out.

And for the record, it's not the same fuse, because he never manages to find it, so he's always buying more or coming over and raiding my stash.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Tell him to lay it inside the glove box in front of the fuse panel. Easy-peasy.

 

[Moglocker]

Very true. And while that wasn't my motivation for doing this mod, I just find it much more convenient than pulling the fuse. A friend of mine loses his fuse at least 3 or 4 times a year, and the people I know that run the clips inevitably forget to remove them before installing their doors and break them. This just made more sense to me for my situation.

Still not as easy as leaning over and flipping a rocker switch

 

[WVJeep304]

Still not as easy as leaning over and flipping a rocker switch

Ehh... Once they're installed, it's about the same. Instead of one switch, you have one you activate at each door when you remove them. That being said, if my door switches looked pristine and I had it to do over, I might have gone the rocker switch route instead.