Underhood Lighting DIY w/ Pics
I never understood why there was no underhood light on the G8, so I decided to make one myself. (I'm a big fan of inexpensive, functional modifications.) The pictures below are a work in progress, so keep that in mind, please.
Here is a picture of underhood, taken only by the light of the underhood light itself. There are 2 lights in this picture, a white one on the hood, and a red one near the firewall. The red one will probably be replaced with white in the future - it was just an experiment. You will get plenty of light from just this hood light mod, the firewall lights are unnecessary.
IMG_1291..JPG
In order to avoid glare, I mounted the underhood light behind the rubber seal strip on the hood - this gets the light up high for better illumination and allows the use of a relatively large light strip.
IMG_1301..JPG
To avoid having to use a manual switch, I used an mercury switch instead to turn on the lights when the hood is raised.
IMG_1305..JPG
Parts List -
LED Light Strip - search eBay for '72 cm 72 LED white" - here is one chosen at random - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LED-S...#ht_5298wt_927 - $7 shipped
Mercury Switch - you are on your own for this - I happened to have one in the junk drawer - Mercury switches are increasingly hard to find because mercury is so Evil for the Environment. You can substitute a solid state tilt switch available at most electronic parts suppliers, or a manual switch.
Mini Inline Fuse Holder - most Auto Parts Stores
Corrugated Wiring tubing - small
Double Sided Foam Sticky Tape - used to mount the LEDs
Ring Terminal Crimp Connector - used to provide power (1/4 inside diameter hole)
Wiring, Crimp Connectors, Electrical Tape, etc.
Please read the instructions first before attempting.
1. Figure out which wire from the LEDs is positive. The LEDs will only work when connected correctly. Connecting them backwards won't hurt anything, they just won't work.
2. Mount the LEDs - straighten out the LED strip and apply the foam tape to the back side. The tape will be wider than the LED strip, so trim to fit. Center the LEDs behind the rubber hood seal and press into place with the LEDs pointing down.
3. Extend the LED wires using your spare wire - long enough to reach to the underhood jumper cable attachment point. Conceal the wires behind the hood blanket where possible. Use corrugated wiring tubing for a professional look.
4. The power comes from the underhood jumper cable attachment point. Remove the round cover and then remove the red cover from the attachment point - pry carefully and it will come off. It helps to use multiple screwdrivers to hold the cover away from the clips.
5. Attach a ring terminal to one end of the inline fuse holder. Unscrew the jumper cable attachment point (it is just a fat bolt, after all), place the ring terminal under it, and screw it back down. Feed the wire out the back of the attachment point and replace both covers. You now have unswitched fused power available under the hood. (Since I have other uses for that power, I attached the other end of the inline fuse to a junction block I mounted under the hood - this step is not necessary, but will come in handy in the future).
5. Mount the Mercury switch or manual switch if that is what you are using. I mounted the mercury switch to the bottom end of the hood strut rod using 2 tie wraps.
6. Take the fuse out of the inline fuse holder.
7. Do the wiring. The safest route is: from the inline fuse to the mercury switch, out of the mercury switch to the positive LED wire (from #1 above), out of the negative LED wire to a chassis ground. (The nearest chassis ground to where you are working is the horn mounting bracket). Use another crimp ring terminal so it looks like you know what you are doing.
8. Doublecheck the connections and then replace the fuse in the fuseholder. Check for function.
Enjoy! You will probably be surprised how bright it is. This can also be done with a shorter LED strip than the one I used, but a little overkill never hurt anyone
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mi04se1
