How's your battery, is the car starting properly. Maybe the battery or alternator.
In a 1997 Lincoln Continental : To the right of your headlight switch in the dash is a ( panel dim ) switch I believe if that is turned all the way up then the interior lights will come on
Used for Interior Lights and Instrument Panel Lights.
If only the interior lights won't work, check the fuses.
48.0 liters ( 12.7 U.S. gallons )
Closing the door turns off interior lights on a 1997 Chevy S10 because there is a switch in the door jamb that closes when the door shuts. When the door opens, the switch opens.
Did you check the bulbs?
My F250 does the same thing. I think it has something to do with the door latching mechanism. I ended up taking out the bulbs. You can still manually turn on the interior lights with the switch up on the ceiling.
Take the negative battery terminal off for 15 minutes.
I have the same problem with my 1999. The tail lights as well as the interior instrument panel and the license plate lights are all not working.
1997 escort tranny's are a breed of their own you must replace it with a 1997 transmission.
I was looking at the 1997 Ford Escort owners manual ( for North America ) and it shows the only engine oferred was the 2.0 L SPI engine ( that is a Single Over Head Cam engine )
If the interior lights come on and go of and chimes sound off f on a 1997 Dodge Caravan there could be a loose connection somewhere. This is a common condition with the Dodge Caravan series.