'98 DE coupe. Symptoms. Interior light (and the "door open" lamp in the dash) only comes on when the passenger door is open. Also, headlamps on - keys in the igniton warning only works when both doors are open. Both doors open, everything works. Close thepassenger door, warning alarm quits even with keys in the ignition. What I've checked. The dome light / switch checks out fine. Both door switches are fine (open circuit when pushed in - closed when out). The wiring diagram I downloaded seems to be wrong because it shows a single BLU/ORG wire to both switches.My driver's side switch has an additional green wire to it. All three wires (GRN and BLU/ORG on the driver's side and BLU/ORG on the passenger's side) show 12 volts to ground. I obviously have a short somewhere, but where? Does anyone know where the green wire comes from?

 

you know, i never paid much attention to this.
but mine also does it, but when it caught my attention is when it started working again with no warning.
lol.

i'm rewiring the car soon, so i'll let you know what i find if you haven't solved the problem by then.
:]

 

it almost sounds like your drivers side switch doesnt work

 

It doesn't seem to be either of the door switches. My wiring diagram shows 12V power coming from the #2 fuse to a junction block. From there it splits with power going to the "door open " icon in the dash and to the dome light. With the dome light switchset to the center position, it grounds when the door switch closes (by opening the door). Close the door = break the circuit and light goes off.

It seems like the BLU/ORG wire relates only to the dome light and dash light since it is on both sides. The green wire (not in my wiring diagram) must relate to the keys-in-ignition and lights-on warning alarm as it only comes from the driver's side switch. Somehow, when the keys are in (or headlamps on) and the driver's door is open, the circuit completes and the alarmsounds when the passenger door is opened. The alarm does not sound when only the passenger door is open. I am definitely missing something.

 

i have the same problem with my car, the drivers side trigger doesn't always work. i just set the shock sensor on my alarm stupid high until i have a free weekend to figure out what's up. i'd say it's most likely an issue with the trigger itself.

 

Problem solved. Thanks for your help everyone. First, Kaede.Noir you were right. The problem was the driver's switch.Second, something Lil Evo said got me thinking.When I bypassed the switch and grounded each wire everything worked. I made a wrong assumption as to how the switch works. I assumed that the switch provided continuity to the BLU/ORG and the GRN wires. WRONG. The BLU/ORG wire is to the dash light (door open) / dome light circuit. The GRN wire is to the keys-in / lights-on circuit. The switch only provides ground to both. That is why it seemed to check out when I bench tested it. If you really want to test the switch, check for continuity between either pole and the metal grounding/mounting plate with the switch open and closed. (I needed a better wiring diagram).

Now the fix. The problem is corrosion. If the boot is torn, don't bother with this. Just get a new one from the dealer. I don't know how much they cost.
[ol][*]Remove the switch.[*]Clean any corrosion from the screw and mounting plate.[*]Disassemble the switch. Pry back the two tangs with a razor knife. Slowly pull apart and notice the positioning of the copper piece with the 4 contacts. You will want to reassemble with this in the 180 degree turned position.[*]Clean all the contacts. There is one in the body of the switch (the main culprit), the four copper contacts, and two contacts on the wire side of the switch.[*]The contact to ground involves two dissimilar metals. Use a very small dab of dielectric on this contact.[*]Reassemble making sure to turn the copper piece 180 degrees. This will make a fresh contact.[/ol]
I don't know how long this will last, but the nearest dealer to me is about 5 hours away.