Which interior lights should come on when doors are opened?

[Pete Rutledge]

The owner's manual says the dome lights come on when the doors are opened and the map light over the console area can be manually switched on.  In my car (R5083), the map light comes on when the doors are opened and the dome lights do not.  The dome lights can be individually switched on and off with their respective manual slider switches.  When the doors are closed, the map light will not manually switch on (I do suspect this is wrong and will be checking that switch).  So how should the interior lights operate and did this change at any point in the production run?

Thanks,

Pete

[mfg]

2 hours ago, Pete Rutledge said:

The owner's manual says the dome lights come on when the doors are opened and the map light over the console area can be manually switched on.  In my car (R5083), the map light comes on when the doors are opened and the dome lights do not.  The dome lights can be individually switched on and off with their respective manual slider switches.  When the doors are closed, the map light will not manually switch on (I do suspect this is wrong and will be checking that switch).  So how should the interior lights operate and did this change at any point in the production run?

Thanks,

Pete

Hi Pete,   The way your Avanti's interior lights are operating is normal and "as built" for a Studebaker Avanti with one exception.....The map light should be able to be manually switched on with the doors shut....So something is amiss there! (dirty switch?)

Personally, I've always felt Studebaker 'goofed' by not having all three interior lights come on when either door is opened.....Later, Altman corrected this inconvenience in his Avanti ll's!

[Pete Rutledge]

Thank you for the reply and the info.  In the meantime, I cleaned the map light switch; now I can turn the map light on and off with the switch when the doors are closed.  So I guess it is all good now.  We're making progress getting everything working again.