Duster dome light. One last try.

Bought a 73 Duster and for the life of me can't get the dome light to work. I do not have power at the socket. Both doors open, both closed closed, dimmer on/off. No fuses are popped. The car is an 80k untouched car. So I have a nice untouched harness. I've looked at a diagram but still doesn't really help me.

The dome light should always have power on the pink wire. It comes straight from the fuse box through a some connectors. All the switches (dome light part of the head light switch and door switches) do is connect ground.

go behind the DR kick panel and the pink wire should be hot all the time. I'm sure you have checked the dome light fuse & it goes out from the fuse box to the kick panel. You can also ohm the downstream yellow/pink wires there (which go to the dome light) & there should/must be continuity

I pulled the dome socket out today. It's got two black wires that run to the dome. They look to be factory and untouched.

Also, somebody has disconnected what I believe to be the key in buzzer. They suggested that might be part of the dome power. Is this correct? I'd like to hook it back up. However I'm not positive that it's the buzzer. It's the yellow "box".

There is a lights on buzzer shown at the bottom of the diagram.

Just an update. I hooked up the stray wire and the key in buzzer was sounding off. The door switch would shut it off. So that gives me faith that the door switch is ok at least. Man that thing is annoying.

Have you pulled the driver's side kick panel, as someone mentioned? Cause there is a connection there and like that is what got pulled loose.

Yes. I don't see anything disconnected. I will run a continuity check tomorrow to see if I can verify the wires to the dome light are not broken somewhere. Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate the replies.

keep in mind that the dome bulb has dual contacts & that the bulb metal perimeter housing does not ground the bulb like a 1157 brake/taillight bulb does. one wire from one of the bulb base contacts (supposed to be the yellow one/not sure why yours are black) goes down & T's (twice) so that either door or the HL switch can (potentially) ground it out to complete that circuit

I will pull it back apart tomorrow. I'm positive those wires are black. Which is strange indeed. I've never owned or worked on a Duster, just my darts. However, there a larger circle imprinted in the headliner. It's a perfect circle, but it's about 6-8" diameter. It looks more molded than like an aftermarket dome was mounted. But I found it strange that there is a circle in the headliner around the factory dome aluminum base. Is that just a design feature or am I looking at something way way deeper??

The one I owned was decades ago & I cant remember back that far. It is classed as a Valiant. yeah dig in when you can/grab your VOM & holler back when you can

I'm not convinced the original owner didn't mess with the fixture and wiring now. Two black wires, not pink and yellow... Ring around the fixture as evidence that there was a different style some light installed at one point.... I'm at an investigating stopping point.

The wires that go directly to the dome light are black or black & brown, they connect to a plug on the drives side either roof pillar area in 1/4 or behind the rear seat on the frame work. The wire is pink to that connector. If you pull ether kick panel out, you can see the connector that plug into the door switch and as stated before it should be hot all the time.

They all have that ring in the cardboard headliner. it is stamped in. I think yours is still untouched.

It was quite a few years ago when I messed with my duster. From memory my 73 was like JSR said. My connector was in the drivers side rear roof pillar quarter panel area. The evidence you see could have been someone trying a different dome lamp out in a attempt to fix it. The original housing is round. I believe the color wires you have are correct.

I pulled the kick panel this morning. The plug has the pink wire hot on both sides of the plug. It's hot all the way back to the back of the door. I chased it as far as I could before pulling the rear interior apart. No matter what I did to the door switch or dimmer switch, it was always hot. I wonder what all I need to pull to continue to chase it ? Thanks.

OK we have fire to the kick panel for the dome (the pink wire). we need continuity from there to the bulb and continuity back from the bulb back to the door sw's/HL switch. Dont know if that helps

Take a test light and see if you have power @ the dome light in the center , test your ground on your test light and make sure you have a good ground first. A trim screw on a interior molding usually works good.

Just a FYI- I have had china made bulbs not work and go pull an old american made bulb and install and it works.

Roger that. I got a good ground. I have confirmed no power at the actual wire behind the dome socket. That rules out a bad socket too. I've got power back to the back of the door. I popped the door sill off and pulled the channel back. I was able to get down there and stick the pink wire. I hate poking tiny pricks in wiring but that was the only way I could check it. So we are live back to just behind the drivers door down in the channel. I just learned that there is possibly a plug that is the pink wire to the black wires for the plug in the LR wheel house area. When I get a chance I'll go verify that. I'm just trying to chase it as close to the dome as possible. Thanks all.

I think a poke into the insulation would slide past the strands (& make contact) rather than breaking one of em & when done a dab of superglue would seal up the pinprick. I have a can of some liquid plastic? stuff in a can with a brush I bought from Classic industries iirc that would do the same thing just way slower to cure/harden.