Courtesy light circuit question

[dbo_texas]

I've mounted additional LED courtesy lights (trunk, cubby, engine bay, under dash), and I added extra wires into the rear harness for battery feed to those LEDs and also spliced a ground wire for each LED into the existing black ground wire in that rear harness. What I'm now realizing after spending more time looking at the RF schematic, is that it looks like the courtesy light circuit is ground switched (via the headlight switch terminal), not power switched.

Can someone set me straight here - what's the proper way to wire up extra courtesy lights (when using the existing courtesy light circuit in the RF harness + headlight switch rotary knob)? Should I have run a separate ground to the LEDs (not connected to chassis ground, but instead to the GRY-TO HDLT SW wire)?

I'm thinking that since I already added chassis ground connections for each LED, the best option now is abandon using the headlight switch for courtesy light activation, and just add a toggle switch under the dash. I think this works --> I would just connect the RED-COURTESY LT feed from the fuse panel to one side of my OFF-ON toggle, then the the other side of the toggle switch goes to the positive on all the courtesy lights, and then they are all grounded to chassis ground (which is how I currently have them wired). Is this the better alternative vs. cracking open the wire looms again and running a new ground to all the different locations?

[Dave M]

As I see it you have two easier choices. Do the switch as you said or add a relay that switches the light hots by switching relays ground with the head light switch. Hope that makes sense. Either way you’ll have to add a component or do a lot of wire changes.

[dbo_texas]

oh yeah I like the relay option and grounding that w/ the headlight switch. I don't mind adding a relay for that.

[jgray]

As I see it you have two easier choices. Do the switch as you said or add a relay that switches the light hots by switching relays ground with the head light switch. Hope that makes sense. Either way you’ll have to add a component or do a lot of wire changes.

Very clever! And adaptable to other situations.

[i.e.427]

We use a tilt switch mounted to the trunk hinge. Turns the lights on when the trunk is opened.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ECS-Norma...hoC1u4QAvD_BwE

[dbo_texas]

Would a SPST or SPDT relay be best for this? Seems like the SPST would work, and to wire it I would just hook up the relay ground to the headlight switch (i.e. negative trigger), and then hook up the RED-COURTESY LT feed to both contacts on the relay (the fused battery and positive trigger source), with 87 going to the LEDs.

Would something like this work?

SPST relay: for this I'd wire RED-COURTESY LT to both the 30 and 85 terminals, and then the headlight switch to the 86 terminal.


SPDT Relay wiring (not using 87A contact, effectively making it a SPST device?):

[Norm B]

You really don’t need a relay. I bought these and made striker plates for the door hinges. Spliced them into the ground circuit for the courtesy lights. Open either door and the lights come on.


HTH

Norm

[jgray]

Great thread! Lot of good options. Since I am still at the wiring installation stage (I thought I was done but then I find new things to add and things to improve).

Darryl - What LED courtesy light fittings are you adding under the hood, trunk, etc?

I figure it will be good to have lighting everywhere - that way when I break down in the middle of nowhere, at night, I can see under the hood, I can find tools in the trunk....! Then, when I realize I can't fix it I can find my phone to call AAA to get towed!!

[dbo_texas]

Great thread! Lot of good options. Since I am still at the wiring installation stage (I thought I was done but then I find new things to add and things to improve).

Darryl - What LED courtesy light fittings are you adding under the hood, trunk, etc?

I figure it will be good to have lighting everywhere - that way when I break down in the middle of nowhere, at night, I can see under the hood, I can find tools in the trunk....! Then, when I realize I can't fix it I can find my phone to call AAA to get towed!!

Yeah same - I figured it would be good to have the "option" of having lights everywhere if I needed it. Here's a thread discussing some various options.

I used these (here's my build thread showing install locations). I've since added once right in the center of the firewall (engine facing), and one on each F-panel (engine facing). I figure that should give me enough light in the engine bay to tinker in the dark if I need it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1?ie=UTF8&th=1

Others have used these: https://www.amazon.com/Partsam-Marin...utility+strips

[toadster]

I added my trunk/cubby lights to meet up with the normal interior lights, I figured if I'm going to turn on the light, I'll want to see everywhere

some have used micro-switches - like Frank's setup, just a little different

Hinge Lever Type Miniature Micro Switch ~$13 for 5 of them

[dbo_texas]

I added my trunk/cubby lights to meet up with the normal interior lights, I figured if I'm going to turn on the light, I'll want to see everywhere

That was my original intent, but I messed up and didn't tie the LEDs to the switched headlight ground, I tied them to chassis ground. I think I'm going to go with Dave M's suggestion to use a relay, triggered by the switched headlight ground, to switch the power side of the LEDs instead. Same outcome, just a little more work...

[jgray]

Thanks everyone- since the prices are so low I’ve ordered “all of the above” and will figure out what I want to do when they arrive. Most of all, I appreciate the heads up with regards to the grounding; I would have likely made the same mistake.

[Fixit]

Here's a few ideas for you...