How to disable "Courtesy Lights?"

[jage]

So can't you just find the hot wire that powers the lights themselves and override that with a switch? Low tech but further down the line than messing with door switches. Alternately interrupt the fuse that powers them, and you might get interior lights eliminated in the process. I'm starting to wish I had these lights so I could tear them out myself!

[daveb]

Jeesh, I was thinking the same. Glad I don't have to deal with something like that. Maybe magnets to solve the problem but I'd find a way to defeat the system even if it meant no interior lights.

[rvmick1]

Originally Posted by baybeegg

A friend of mine just got back from the dealer with the same issue. Answer was the feature of lighting up at night when opening the door, could not or would not be changed or disconnected at that dealership. They said no, sorry. So, no dark and quiet slipping in and out of the van....

I had the same issue with my 2010 Ford E-350 RB-50. After reading through all the posts, I came up with this low tech solution to disable the side door trigger. The procedure is:

1. Locate the pressure button above the hinge of the front double door.
2. With the door open, weather stripping pulled back, and the button extended, CAREFULLY use a Dremmel tool and 1/16" bit to drill a small hole through the brass casing on one side only.
3. Remove the drill bit and fully depress the button.
4. While holding the button in, reinsert the drill bit into the hole in the brass case and drill through the button and continue through the other side.
5. Remove the drill bit and insert a 1/16th inch brass rod until it extends one inch beyond the other side.
6. Bend both ends of the wire down and around the brass casing. Cut off excess lengths, so the two ends join beneath the brass case. It is now locked in place.

If performed properly, the door can open with out triggering the switch.
(Note: I hooked my multimeter up to the brass rod after this to make sure no electrical current was flowing through it. This was to make sure I didn't puncture an electrical wire inside the plunger. It was OK.)

This was a simple operation that seems to work. I'll let you know if any problems develop.

[YelapaPapa]

Originally Posted by YelapaPapa

Every time I open a door on my 2012 Ford SMB, the running lights (or "Courtesy Lights") come on momentarily. Can someone please tell me how to disable this feature? Thx!

Thanks everybody for all the suggestions, unfortunately nothing here solved the problem of my running ("Courtesy") lights coming on whenever I opened or closed my barn doors. (Actually all of the doors trigger this, but t was when in camping mode and using the barn doors that this feature bugged me the most.) But as it turned out, I was recently in Colorado having a Wilson Cell Phone Signal Booster installed, (love it) and the installer said she could do it no problem. (And didn't even charge me!) I wasn't able to be there when she did it, but she disabled this function on just the barn door by adjusting (what she referred to as a) Slider Switch. *Side note: I recently realized that this modification has also cut my alarm system for that door out of the loop. But I am still happy as pie that I am no longer "all lit up" every time I open my barn door.

[BrianW]

They probably just disconnected the wires from the pin switch on the door. These also serve as the trigger for the alarm, so it makes sense that that doesn't work now, either.

[martinli]

Hey folks,

after reading a lot about the automatic illumination every time I open the door I found the solution for my new to me 2014 E350 .

Using forscan I was able to set the "Dark car" mode in the GEM module.
This disabled the dome lights coming on. But exterior parking lights and dash board illumination has still been triggered with every door open/close.

I noticed there is another value to be disabled "Welcome Light" using forscan, and thats it. No more stupid illumination anymore.

Hope that helps someone ;-)

ciao,
Martin

[Jack K]

There's also another thread on disabling automatic illumination: http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...out-17931.html.

Looks like your solution was the same, resetting the van's programming. Fortunately you could do it yourself with what I take to be a tuner device (forscan).

Let there be darkness!

[martinli]

Yes, I saw the other thread.
In fact the disturbing features can be disabled inside of the Body Control Module.

I used forscan which is a Software that uses some special OBD2 ELM interfaces.

[cthayn]

It was interesting to see all the options to disable the courtesy lights.

I just disconnected the push switch on the barn doors and stuffed the wire into the door. The lights does not come in now.

Am I missing something? That seems too easy, as I read of all the complicated options in this thread.




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[eddyturn]

I wanted the courtesy lights out for all door openings. Thus the update to the van's electronics.