[Candyman]

OK, my trunk light hasn't worked for as long as I can remember, so I finally took out the bulb, which looked completely fime. I replaced it anyway for safe measure and still, no light. Next thought, blown fuse? Nope, as the fuse controls all the other interior lights which operate just fine, plus the fuse was clean. So, now I can't figure out what I should look at to fix it. I am not sure where the wiring goes as it hides with the spearkers under the rear deck shelf. Any ideas?

 

[Candyman]

*bump!*

 

[ron1]

look on the latch of the trunk there is a metal thingy ta makes cotact with latch move it up and down with trunk open and see if light comes on some times it loses its tension so ya might have to bend it

 

[jedgxe]

Just a bit of wiring info from an '03 FSM (most likely the same asyour '98). Power is supplied to the lamp through a 20ga Pink wire and should be live at all times. The switch is integrated into the release solenoid. lamp to solenoid wire is Tan with black tracer. The ground wire is black from the solenoid to ground, this single wire grounds both the solenoid and the lamp , so if your release solenoid is working then this ground wire is not the problem. I can only guess that you have a broken wire. The Tan/Back* wire runs through the wire harness that is on the underside the trunk lid, this is the wire that could be broken as it does a lot of flexing when you open and close the lid. Does your release solenoid work?

 

[stroise]

deleted post

 

[berggyb]

there is probably a break in the wires that are arround the trunk hinges, so pull back the plastic and tape and start looking or get a meter. My intrepid had this as well as others on here

 

[JLWX5]

wow i thought it was a mercury switch that controlled the light. go inside the trunk with a flashlight and see as u bring the trunk down the switch fluid should move and then it makes contact to turn the light off or on. i dont think its a metal switch because if u close the trunk a little the light goes out. the latch doesnt have to touch the metal piece to close the circuit. i could be wrong but i know on my corde if u close the trunk more then half way the light goes out. Which means the trunk didnt even make contact yet with the metal latch to completely close the trunk. So that means it should be mercury inside a bulb that has to move to close the circuit. Sorta like a thermistat to turn your heat on inside your home. when the bulb slides over it makes contact to turn your heat on. Sometimes on the cars it could aslo be a little ball bearing instead of liquid. once the ball moves to the other side of the bulb it turns the light off or on.

I have also noticed that sometimes when i start to close my trunk or have it a little more than half-way closed the light will turn off. Just wanted to corroborate his story lol.

Josiah

 

[Ronbo]

It's probably not mercury that controls the light switching on and off but something similar. That control is in the Decklid release solenoid/Ajar switch assembly in the decklid. The trunk light will go on and off at the same time your instrument cluster warning light goes on and off. The bulb is just a standard bulb. And as mentioned above..the trunk won't have to be anywhere near closed to have the bulb or cluster warning light go off.

 

[linuxglobal]

mercury switch??? i thought it was just some ghetto contact switch in the trunk release module.

Mercedes has a visible spring sticking out of the body LOL... it looks homemade, but its never failed, guess thats what makes it so good.

I would check the latch in the back, maybe something got stuck in there.

Good luck

 

[stroise]

deleted post. i like jedgxe post better. down to the point.