dead battery
 

my box wouldn't start this morning. the battery was very weak. i jumped it and all is well. does anybody know how long the instrument display stays on after shutting the key off?

It shouldn't. Sounds like you have an ignition switch going bad.

On my 98 and 01, the panel stays lit until the doors are locked. If you don't lock the doors, it stays on for a few minutes (same as the interior lights).

Same on my 00, will stay on for 5 minutes with door open or unlocked.

dead battery - hood & trunck switches
 

okay, the instrument lights (clock, odometer, etc...) do go off after a few minutes. i just came back from the dark garage and noticed that the light on the hood and the truck switches on the driver's door sill were still on after being parked for 4 hours!. anybody have this happen to them? meanwhile, i just setting the alarm...this turns off the lights.

How old is your battery?

not sure the age of the battery but i'll guess 3 years. this just started on monday. we washed it on sunday afternoon and monday morning the battery was very weak. it would turn the engine but not fast enough. a jump got it going and it's been fine ever since.

i was wondering if maybe we moved or adjusted a switch while wiping down the interior.

it just seems very weird that the trunck and hood switch lights would remain on and nothing else.

I would have the battery tested before doing anything else.