Engine Compartment Light Mod

[btrommy]

Here's a quick write-up for how I installed lights under the hood to light up the engine compartment. Here is the site I found the lights and the hood switch

It wasn't too hard to install. Recommended materials are:

-at least 2 LED light modules ($10 each)
-hood pin switch ($7)
-about 50ft of 22 gauge electrical wiring ($7)
-2 non-metal washers (plastic works well) (less than $1)
-3/8"-24 thread nut (this is a finer thread- 18 doesn't work on the hood pin)
-Rubber stopper ($1)

Total cost after shipping from Oznium $42. I'm sure you could find materials for cheaper.

Find a hole where you can install the hood pin switch using the non-metal washers and nut. Note: be careful how/where you attach the switch. Bad things happen if the switch gets grounded. I had to drill a hole out a little to make the switch fit.


I attached a rubber stopper on the hood right above where the switch sits because the hood didn't actually make contact with the switch. You can always trim the stopper so the hood doesn't sit too high up when closed.

Install the LEDs wherever you want. They have a sticky backing and seem to stay put very well. Use the 22-gauge wiring to wire a ground and positive. I used the exposed terminal inside the fuse box--just loosened up the bolt, wrapped it around and tightened back up. Each light also has a ground wire. Find a place to ground each wire.

When wiring the switch, one prong needs to be contacting power and the other needs to be contacting the positive wire from the lights (both lights can feed onto the same wire).

 

[4-Ripcord]

Nice work!

 

[shadow247]

Looks good. Only change I would suggest is using a relay to switch the lights on instead of running power through the pin switch.

 

[ironhippy]

Looks good. Only change I would suggest is using a relay to switch the lights on instead of running power through the pin switch.

This is great advice, however with small LEDs it's not really much of a concern. The LEDs won't require much more power than the switch itself.

 

[shadow247]

This is great advice, however with small LEDs it's not really much of a concern. The LEDs won't require much more power than the switch itself.

The concern is if the wire were to short to ground it could blow the main fuse being that he has it connected to the main power on the fuse block.

 

[ironhippy]

The concern is if the wire were to short to ground it could blow the main fuse being that he has it connected to the main power on the fuse block.

Good point, I guess i assumed he had his own, fused line coming off the battery, in which case you'd only have to worry about blowing that one (led specific) fuse.

Even if he uses a relay, if the switch line shorted, wouldn't he have the same problem you are concerned about?

 

[shadow247]

Good point, I guess i assumed he had his own, fused line coming off the battery, in which case you'd only have to worry about blowing that one (led specific) fuse.

Even if he uses a relay, if the switch line shorted, wouldn't he have the same problem you are concerned about?

No, the relay uses the ground to switch power. You hook the ground side of the wire up to the pin switch, so when the switch is up it completes the ground which closes the relay and allows power to flow. The only power would be from the fusebox to relay and then to the led lights. It is never advisable to use a switched power wire, you always want your switch to control the ground on the relay.

See here ---> FAQ: RELAYS; how they work and how to wire it up...