550 Courtesy Light Operation

madmap · Sep 11, 2021

Hi all, been some time since I asked the experts on any issues with my 550 but I have had this problem with the courtesy lights for years. They do not operate as they should and just wondering what could be causing the issue. Is there a micro switch that controls this when the door is open? I figured one of these days I should find out and get it fixed and as the weather will start to cool down here in AZ soon, would love to tackle this one. Thanks.

Qavion · Sep 12, 2021

madmap said: ↑

I have had this problem with the courtesy lights for years. They do not operate as they should and just wondering what could be causing the issue. Is there a micro switch that controls this when the door is open?
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Do you mean the interior light or the lights on the doors? Or both? Are you getting any door open indications on your instrument panel?

Erik summarised the 550/456M interior light operation here:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147006260/

F456M said: ↑

I had a 1999 456M, and now I have a 550. When you unlock the car with the remote, the interior lights goes on. It dim on, not just on or off. When you open the door, they also goes on. When you shut the doors (both) the light is still on for about 5-10 seconds. If you lock the doors with the remote, the light dim out immediately. Both cars were like that. The switches are at the latch in the door jamb. At the same latch that the door mechanism attach to the door jamn aft of the door itself. There is a small black tappet that is basically the switch. Try pressing it in when the door is open, and the window should go a bit up and down subsequently as the switch goes in and out.

When you grab the handle, either inside or outside to open the door, the windows go down just a little. When you further pull it, you detach the mechanism so that the door actually opens. These are two micro switches inside the door that pre-open the windows a little for this purpouse. They do not turn on the interior lights. It is the bigger switch in the latch that actually turn the lights on when the door(s) are actually open. And both the red marker light and the white light pointing down goes on at both sides at the same time even if only one door is opened! Quite interesting, but I have noticed that on my own car.

I had a problem where the wire had snapped off the switch, and that wire on the 550 is accessible through a square hole in the frame of the car when you take the side cover for the parcel shelf out and look inside with a small light. If I remember right, the window went down a bit every time I used the remote to unlock the car even If I didn’t open the door! That is not right. Should be about the same for the 456 too (most probably).
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Note, however, I have had problems matching his description to the wiring diagrams available for the 456M and 550.

Are your interior lights responding to your key fob?

madmap · Sep 12, 2021

Qavion said: ↑

Do you mean the interior light or the lights on the doors? Or both? Are you getting any door open indications on your instrument panel?

Erik summarised the 550/456M interior light operation here:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147006260/

Note, however, I have had problems matching his description to the wiring diagrams available for the 456M and 550.

Are your interior lights responding to your key fob?
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thanks for the info. It’s the interior light that doesn’t work but I plan on double checking as the car is offsite at my storage facility. I think the door lights work but the courtesy lamp has never come on when opening the door during my ownership.

Qavion · Sep 12, 2021

Unfortunately, I don't have any diagrams for the 550 interior lights. Does the owner's manual describe the operation in detail? Unlike a traditional interior light switch, it only has two positions. Just wondering how the automatics work with the switch in the off and on positions.

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madmap · Sep 13, 2021

Qavion said: ↑

Unfortunately, I don't have any diagrams for the 550 interior lights. Does the owner's manual describe the operation in detail? Unlike a traditional interior light switch, it only has two positions. Just wondering how the automatics work with the switch in the off and on positions.

View attachment 3203153
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, that’s about as far as I got! The owners manual describes the function so just trying to figure out the right path to get it working again.

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550 Courtesy Light Operation

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