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Electrical 1987 Map Light

  • Thread starter Thread starter Riley Barth
  • Start date Start date May 30, 2026
R

Riley Barth

New Member
Sep 16, 2013
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May 30, 2026
#1
  • May 30, 2026
  • #1
I have a 87 notch and the map light isn’t working. The dome light works perfectly fine, but not the map. I bought changed the bulb and bought another unit, but no dice. Only thing I can think of is the plastic part that the screw goes in is cracked.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know if anyone has run into this!
 

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AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes
Founding Member
Oct 28, 2001
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May 31, 2026
#2
  • May 31, 2026
  • #2
Have you checked for 12V?
 
R

Riley Barth

New Member
Sep 16, 2013
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May 31, 2026
#3
  • May 31, 2026
  • #3
So I hooked up the red end of my multimeter to that hole where the screw goes into the plastic pieces and ground the black end of the multimeter to the roof it was reading 10.94 and I did the same to the dome light and it was reading that as well.
 

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes
Founding Member
Oct 28, 2001
5,776
3,912
183
Claremore, OK
May 31, 2026
#4
  • May 31, 2026
  • #4
You can rig up some wiring to the dome light and connect them to the battery and check to see if the malign actually works. It’s not uncommon for them to just quit working.
 
R

Riley Barth

New Member
Sep 16, 2013
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May 31, 2026
#5
  • May 31, 2026
  • #5
But if I’m getting power from the green wire which is the map light, why isn’t it working? Cleaned all the corrosion off the screws as well as the unit. Do you think that crack could be the issue? Is that just a y connector underneath the plastic?
 

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes
Founding Member
Oct 28, 2001
5,776
3,912
183
Claremore, OK
May 31, 2026
#6
  • May 31, 2026
  • #6
I’m thinking it’s internal to the light itself.
 

2000xp8

SN Certified Technician
Aug 8, 2003
8,015
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NJ
Jun 1, 2026
#7
  • Jun 1, 2026
  • #7
We are talking about the flexible head map light in the center near the windshield, correct?
When you say bought another unit, new or used?

I fixed my map light by opening it up and adjusting the contacts and then using a soldering iron to re-melt the tabs back on.
The little button is a problem on most foxes, that's why i asked if the new unit was new or used.
 
Last edited: Tuesday at 3:03 PM

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,160
17,854
224
Massachusetts
Tuesday at 2:47 PM
#8
  • Tuesday at 2:47 PM
  • #8
These things are prone to corroding internally. You need to split them apart by melting the plastic tabs so it will release the little pivot. Sand the contact down inside, then reassemble, remelt the plastic tabs and it should work
 
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