Painfully new here...bear with me please.

[AmberBeauTahoe]

Ok yall. I just bought a 98 Tahoe and none of my dome lights work. All of the door lights work when you open every door so it doesn't seem to be a switch. All of the fuses are good. The dome override button is NOT pushed in, and the dimmer knob works for the dash lights and even the lights on the rear ac control panel. The only lights that won't come on are the map and dome lights and it's drivin me nuts. It seems to be a loose wire or somethin ridiculously simple. I've currently got my headliner out having it redone and was wondering if anyone has encountered/fixed this issue and would be able to MAYBE point me right where I need to go so I don't end up frustrated and wading through a jungle of wires by noon. Thanks yall!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Ok yall. I just bought a 98 Tahoe and none of my dome lights work. All of the door lights work when you open every door so it doesn't seem to be a switch. All of the fuses are good. The dome override button is NOT pushed in, and the dimmer knob works for the dash lights and even the lights on the rear ac control panel. The only lights that won't come on are the map and dome lights and it's drivin me nuts. It seems to be a loose wire or somethin ridiculously simple. I've currently got my headliner out having it redone and was wondering if anyone has encountered/fixed this issue and would be able to MAYBE point me right where I need to go so I don't end up frustrated and wading through a jungle of wires by noon. Thanks yall!

Welcome. While the headliner is down, do you see any loose wires up there? How's the ground for those lights?

 

[swathdiver]

Are you able to test the dome light override button or the wires on it? That's where I'd start.

 

[PG01]

I think @east302 has wiring diagrams and flow charts....welcome btw

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

Welcome. While the headliner is down, do you see any loose wires up there? How's the ground for those lights?

No loose wires, everything is clean and in it's place like it rolled off the line yesterday. My dad was helping me troubleshoot the other day and stuck the very back dome ligh with an oem reader and it's not got power. I've about concluded that there's 2 wires I need to pull out and look for cuts or burns, starting from the back. The previous owner said one day the dome and map lights just stopped working but he never investigated it.

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

Are you able to test the dome light override button or the wires on it? That's where I'd start.

I guess I haven't looked into that extensively cause that whole area functions properly. Seems like if somethin was goin out it'd affect the general area as well. Unless the wires that are only for the map/dome lights are grounded back there?

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

I think @east302 has wiring diagrams and flow charts....welcome btw

Those would be nice to look at! I've tried googling for some but for some reason information on 98 Tahoes seem so choppy.

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

And thank all yall for the welcomes

 

[ScottyBoy]

The 95-99 Tahoes, Yukons, and Burbans were notorious for the door switches going bad. It's basically a plastic button on the side of the dash. The driver's pin switch had two trigger wires on it if I remember right. I used to wanna pull my hair out installing alarms in a 95-99 with bad pin switches. Even one bad switch can cause everything to go haywire. I'm not saying that this is the cause of your issue, but I would sure as hell investigate it. They not only go bad, but they can come loose or get pushed back into the dash a bit and then they won't fully touch the door and that causes them to not work properly. Another thing, there is a round plastic "button" on each door panel where it touches the pin switch. If that falls off the door panel, then the dome light will not work. If you have a small hole in the door panel, then the button had fallen off.

 

[Cattivo]

Klein Tools NCVT-2 Dual Range Non-Contact Voltage Tester - - Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Fluke 323 True-RMS Clamp Meter: Home Improvement

My trucks previous owner was a complete butcher, he hacked up 90% of the wiring...these 2 voltage testers will make your life a lot easier to trouble shoot anything electrical

 

[swathdiver]

Ohh, check out ALLDATADIY and see if they have your truck, if so, they'll have the wiring diagrams and trouble shooting sheets.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Klein Tools NCVT-2 Dual Range Non-Contact Voltage Tester - - Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Fluke 323 True-RMS Clamp Meter: Home Improvement

My trucks previous owner was a complete butcher, he hacked up 90% of the wiring...these 2 voltage testers will make your life a lot easier to trouble shoot anything electrical

That Fluke meter only measures AC current, not DC current. It does however measure DC voltage. But if you are just measuring voltage, a basic multimeter can be found for a LOT less than that Fluke. I've found that the absolute BEST tool I have ever used for automotive electrical troubleshooting is the PowerProbe 3. I borrowed one from a friend years ago when I used to install car alarms and remote starters, and after using it I just HAD to get one. They are slightly expensive, especially if you get the Master kit with all the attachments like I did, but they are handy as all hell when doing auto electric work. You can probe just about any circuit and it not only tells you whether it's a positive or negative wire, but it also tells you the voltage on the screen. It also gives you the ability to shoot power or ground into the wire you are probing. That helps in situations with broken wires, you can power the circuit after the wire break and if it works, that helps you narrow down the area of the break. For instance, if you were to use this to power the dome light circuit at the A pillar, that at least tells you that the wiring from the A-pillar to the light us all good. But if you do the same test at the fuse and the light doesn't come on, that would tell you there's a problem between the fuse box and the A-pillar (assuming the fuse is good).

This is a link to the exact one that I have. The price had gone down a little bit since I got mine, but not by much.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-...rd_wg=eHhmh&psc=1&refRID=MDJH60FBYKTDPTFHRGWW

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

The 95-99 Tahoes, Yukons, and Burbans were notorious for the door switches going bad. It's basically a plastic button on the side of the dash. The driver's pin switch had two trigger wires on it if I remember right. I used to wanna pull my hair out installing alarms in a 95-99 with bad pin switches. Even one bad switch can cause everything to go haywire. I'm not saying that this is the cause of your issue, but I would sure as hell investigate it. They not only go bad, but they can come loose or get pushed back into the dash a bit and then they won't fully touch the door and that causes them to not work properly. Another thing, there is a round plastic "button" on each door panel where it touches the pin switch. If that falls off the door panel, then the dome light will not work. If you have a small hole in the door panel, then the button had fallen off.

I didn't realize those specific wires connected back there. Really don't know why it never crossed my mind. Reckon I got overwhelmed with everything else that I overlooked that possibility. I'm gunna go see what I can figure out if it doesn't rain today. Thanks!

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

That Fluke meter only measures AC current, not DC current. It does however measure DC voltage. But if you are just measuring voltage, a basic multimeter can be found for a LOT less than that Fluke. I've found that the absolute BEST tool I have ever used for automotive electrical troubleshooting is the PowerProbe 3. I borrowed one from a friend years ago when I used to install car alarms and remote starters, and after using it I just HAD to get one. They are slightly expensive, especially if you get the Master kit with all the attachments like I did, but they are handy as all hell when doing auto electric work. You can probe just about any circuit and it not only tells you whether it's a positive or negative wire, but it also tells you the voltage on the screen. It also gives you the ability to shoot power or ground into the wire you are probing. That helps in situations with broken wires, you can power the circuit after the wire break and if it works, that helps you narrow down the area of the break. For instance, if you were to use this to power the dome light circuit at the A pillar, that at least tells you that the wiring from the A-pillar to the light us all good. But if you do the same test at the fuse and the light doesn't come on, that would tell you there's a problem between the fuse box and the A-pillar (assuming the fuse is good).

This is a link to the exact one that I have. The price had gone down a little bit since I got mine, but not by much.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-...rd_wg=eHhmh&psc=1&refRID=MDJH60FBYKTDPTFHRGWW

And btw, that probe sounds freakin cool! I might have to break down and get one.

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

Ohh, check out ALLDATADIY and see if they have your truck, if so, they'll have the wiring diagrams and trouble shooting sheets.

Yes I will! Thank you so much!

 

[mals]

I've found that the absolute BEST tool I have ever used for automotive electrical troubleshooting is the PowerProbe 3. I borrowed one from a friend years ago when I used to install car alarms and remote starters, and after using it I just HAD to get one. They are slightly expensive, especially if you get the Master kit with all the attachments like I did, but they are handy as all hell when doing auto electric work.

This is a link to the exact one that I have. The price had gone down a little bit since I got mine, but not by much.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-...rd_wg=eHhmh&psc=1&refRID=MDJH60FBYKTDPTFHRGWW

And btw, that probe sounds freakin cool! I might have to break down and get one.

I picked up a lightly used Power Probe 3 Master Kit with the bulb adapters, lead set, and ECT2000 short and open finder for about half price on ebay. Like @ScottyBoy said, prices for new and used have come down since the Power Probe 4 came out, but since the Power Probe 3 does exactly what you would want it to do they still hold their value.

 

[Cattivo]

That Fluke meter only measures AC current, not DC current. It does however measure DC voltage. But if you are just measuring voltage, a basic multimeter can be found for a LOT less than that Fluke. I've found that the absolute BEST tool I have ever used for automotive electrical troubleshooting is the PowerProbe 3. I borrowed one from a friend years ago when I used to install car alarms and remote starters, and after using it I just HAD to get one. They are slightly expensive, especially if you get the Master kit with all the attachments like I did, but they are handy as all hell when doing auto electric work. You can probe just about any circuit and it not only tells you whether it's a positive or negative wire, but it also tells you the voltage on the screen. It also gives you the ability to shoot power or ground into the wire you are probing. That helps in situations with broken wires, you can power the circuit after the wire break and if it works, that helps you narrow down the area of the break. For instance, if you were to use this to power the dome light circuit at the A pillar, that at least tells you that the wiring from the A-pillar to the light us all good. But if you do the same test at the fuse and the light doesn't come on, that would tell you there's a problem between the fuse box and the A-pillar (assuming the fuse is good).

This is a link to the exact one that I have. The price had gone down a little bit since I got mine, but not by much.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-...rd_wg=eHhmh&psc=1&refRID=MDJH60FBYKTDPTFHRGWW

I forgot I even had 1 of those lol...I bought it last year, works great but my fluke also measures dc unlike the link I provided...I find it easier to use my fluke since I don't need to pop the hood and hook up to 12v to get it to work...the probe did help me install the power seats in my Tahoe that came with non power seats

Here's the probe I have Power Probe III Circuit Tester, Red, Clam Shell PPRPP3CSRED Brand New! | eBay

 

[east302]

Here are the diagnostics from alldatadiy.com for a 1998 Tahoe with inoperable dome light. Hope it helps...

 

[AmberBeauTahoe]

Here are the diagnostics from alldatadiy.com for a 1998 Tahoe with inoperable dome light. Hope it helps...

Thank you SO much! It's incredibly overwhelming to try and just google these things when you have zero experience with it and have no idea where to start.