We just bought a 2004 Ford E-150 XL Passenger Van. Is there a way to turn off the interior lights while the radio is playing (key in ignition turned where radio will play but motor is not running) and also with the back doors open? We were at a drive-in theater over the weekend and were trying to watch the movie out of the back of the van with the back doors open. The sound of the movie comes through the radio; thus we had to have the radio on. The problem was that with the key turned where the radio will work and with the back doors open, the interior lights will not go off. We could not have the interior lights on, as the interior lights would cause viewing problems for people behind us. The lights do go off if the motor is running, but we could not do this since we were in the back of the van with the back doors open. Is there a way to shut off the interior lights or make them go off when the van is like this?

 

One way is to remove the bulbs and depending on the system you may be able to tape the door switch closed/depressed. Last but not least, check the owner's manual for the fuse that controls the interior lights and remove it before the movie starts.