07 EVIC Map Light Problem

[sandys07kj]

I finally installed an 06 EVIC in my wife's 07 Liberty. Everything went fine the unit seems to be working correctly. I displays everything, Compass, Temp, MPG, Door open ECT.

Here is my problem, the map lights are acting weird. They will turn off when a door is OPENED. When I close the door the lights come on but are dim, the rear dome light is the same way. When I press the lights to try to turn them off they get full bright and will not turn off at all. WTF????? All I did was plug the existing dome light plug into the light plug on the EVIC.

 

[tulsa]

I had a similar problem when I put an '04 EVIC in my '05. The problem is a change in the way the lights are switched in the EVIC vs. the map light. The change I made was to roll the three wires going into the EVIC. It will be best if you can take the electrical connectors loose from the plug and shift over one space. I don,t remember which direction. Just remember that the switching is done on the ground side which always confuses me. Also make sure the overhead lights in the rear are switched off until you are finished with the map lights.
Lewis

 

[sandys07kj]

How do you get the wires out of the connector without destroying it? What about just cutting the wires and re-splicing in the new locations?

 

[tulsa]

How do you get the wires out of the connector without destroying it? What about just cutting the wires and re-splicing in the new locations?

You can definitely cut and splice. If you do, use wire nuts first so you can test, then use crimp connectors. Remember to find the ground first and look at the switch setup on the EVIC.

Most of the electrical plugs have a method of releasing the individual electrical connectors from the plug via a skinny probe inserted from the front or rear.
Lewis

 

[sandys07kj]

Thanks Tulsa,
Got it working correctly. For future reference there are 3 wires from the harness to the lights. One is Hot, the other 2 are ground. On the EVIC, the hot wire needs to be on the pin that supplies power to the lamps. The way you tell is, the wires go directly from the plug-in connector, to each of the two lamps.

 

[Jomac]

evic maplight problem

Tulsa, i'm also having this problem but can't seem to figure out what the solution was. could you please elaborate with a diagram or more information. thanks

 

[kb0nly]

Sounds like the wires were swapped around to the plug that feeds the lights. Either have to rewire or reuse the light harness from your old dome light. The switches and bulbs pop out of the dome light assembly, then move the whole harness with switches and bulbs to the EVIC housing in place of the one it came with.

Otherwise compare the wiring of your old dome light to the EVIC. In the case of the OP his ground and positive wire were swapped around. The positive wire needs to go directly to the bulbs, the ground goes to the switch.

 

[tulsa]

Sounds like the wires were swapped around to the plug that feeds the lights. Either have to rewire or reuse the light harness from your old dome light. The switches and bulbs pop out of the dome light assembly, then move the whole harness with switches and bulbs to the EVIC housing in place of the one it came with.

Otherwise compare the wiring of your old dome light to the EVIC. In the case of the OP his ground and positive wire were swapped around. The positive wire needs to go directly to the bulbs, the ground goes to the switch.

The '05 and later Sports use a different map light than '04 and before. The wiring harness uses the same plug, but the sequence of the wiring is shifted. The best way to figure it out is to compare the wiring of the earlier plug to that of the newer map light plug using the wiring diagrams. When the electrical connectors in the plug are pushed into the plug there are small barbs that hold them in place. These can be depressed using a small thin tool, allowing the connector to be pulled back out.
Lewis

 

[kb0nly]

Yes i realize that, but what i am saying is if he has an 07' KJ and he takes the original dome light and salvages the lighting off it, pull the bulb sockets and switches out and slide off the connector from its mount then he can do the same on the EVIC and put his original lighting harness on it and plug it in. That way he doesn't have to modify the 06' EVIC's lighting wiring to plug into the 07' bodies connector correctly.

On my 03' when i installed my EVIC i got a 01' Grand Cherokee EVIC, the connector from the lights was not only wired different but the plug itself wasn't even the same as it was a different style housing. So i stripped off the light harness from my old dome light, you just pop out the light sockets and slide out the switches and then pull the connector off its mount, then i did the same to the EVIC and installed my 03' harness on it and plugged it in... No further mods needed as the harness is modular and will fit either the dome/map light housing or the EVIC/OTIS housing.

 

[tulsa]

Yes i realize that, but what i am saying is if he has an 07' KJ and he takes the original dome light and salvages the lighting off it, pull the bulb sockets and switches out and slide off the connector from its mount then he can do the same on the EVIC and put his original lighting harness on it and plug it in. That way he doesn't have to modify the 06' EVIC's lighting wiring to plug into the 07' bodies connector correctly.

On my 03' when i installed my EVIC i got a 01' Grand Cherokee EVIC, the connector from the lights was not only wired different but the plug itself wasn't even the same as it was a different style housing. So i stripped off the light harness from my old dome light, you just pop out the light sockets and slide out the switches and then pull the connector off its mount, then i did the same to the EVIC and installed my 03' harness on it and plugged it in... No further mods needed as the harness is modular and will fit either the dome/map light housing or the EVIC/OTIS housing.

The lights, switches and bulbs are all different from the EVIC, nothing interchanges except the plug.

 

[kb0nly]

The lights, switches and bulbs are all different from the EVIC, nothing interchanges except the plug.

I don't get what your saying here...

I just looked at an 06' EVIC on eBay, it has the same style of removable lights and switches as my 03' does. I also found a map/dome light from an 07' on eBay and it looks like they remove the same as it did on my 03'.

So why can't you swap the entire harness like i did?

 

[tulsa]

I don't get what your saying here...

I just looked at an 06' EVIC on eBay, it has the same style of removable lights and switches as my 03' does. I also found a map/dome light from an 07' on eBay and it looks like they remove the same as it did on my 03'.

So why can't you swap the entire harness like i did?

Just because an item is listed as '02-07 on ebay doesn't mean it is. This ebay item is what an '05-07 map light looks like, it is totally different:

item number 300361678602

 

[kb0nly]

Just because an item is listed as '02-07 on ebay doesn't mean it is. This ebay item is what an '05-07 map light looks like, it is totally different:

item number 300361678602

Yep thats the style, but the one i saw a picture of the back it still looked like you could remove the switches and lights. Oh well guess you can't then.

Shouldn't be too hard to rewire though.