How to turn off lights?

[Burt]

Perhaps a dumb question, but I am completely baffled on how to turn off my interior lights with the doors and rear hatch open.
This is a 1998 XLT, with something like 13 lamps draining the battery for no reason. I would like to leave the doors/hatch open for hours with no worry of battery drain. Thanks.

 

[Shaggy]

Two things.

I think that on the newer cars rolling the dimmer switch all the way down pas the click will turn off the lights.

the lights will turn off automatically after 30 or 40 minutes. read it in the manual. It gives the exact time.

 

[monsta]

Your 98 MAY not have the override switch. (rolling dimmer switch all the way down)

My 00 Excursion didn't. I had to add one. Best thing I ever did to that truck...

 

[Burt]

Well gosh.... Anybody can figure it out by reading the manual.

Anyway, my dimmer switch can only force ON the lights, but not off.

Monsta, Did you just go to Ford and buy over counter?
Easy to install ?

 

[monsta]

No Burt,

I actually had to wire it myself using a seperate switch. I spliced into the power wire in the wiring block. My knuckles were not happy.

Reading another post of yours, I see that you are far away from a dealer or junk yard so I would suggest creating a post to see if subsequent years had the override function. (Pre-03)

If so, you can just do a swap.

If not, then maybe you can locate or someone here can locate a wiring diagram. I can then give you step by step instructions for installing a switch.

 

[rwinch]

Burt,

I have a '98 EB, and found out while on the beach that leaving the tailgate open can definitely drain the battery (luckily, I have one of those portable battery jumpers to run stuff, which saved my a#@!!!).

I also wanted to install a switch near the tailgate to "simulate" the Window/TailGate closed signals, but I found that if I just pulled fuse #14 (I will confirm this) solved it all. For as many times that I need to do this (we go 2 weeks a year to the beach where I leave the tailgate open) just pulling the fuse was enough.

 

[1999xlt]

In the rear drivers side pillar, cut the white wire w/purple stripe (about a 22AWG wire) and install a switch.