under hood lighting

How about use one of the hood pin switch used for the alarm?

Alarm Hood Trunk Door Pin Switch Viper Universal (NEW!) - eBay (item 120480024835 end time Sep-07-10 12:13:46 PDT)

sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. i just couldn't think of the name of the switch.

matrix77 said:

How about use one of the hood pin switch used for the alarm?

Alarm Hood Trunk Door Pin Switch Viper Universal (NEW!) - eBay (item 120480024835 end time Sep-07-10 12:13:46 PDT)

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This would work... but you could also us a a door pin switch. Door Pin Switch-Door Pin Switch Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on alibaba.com


David

Or you could use a mercury switch light. My wife's 2000 Grand Cherokee has one of those. The light goes on when the hood goes up and off when it goes down. No complicated mechanical switches and only two wires.

SteveJ

Tell us about the light you're going to use and how you're going to mount and wire it. Pix appreciated.

What about something like this?

12V Trouble Lamp | Canadian Tire

Could be stored under hood and clipped to the battery when needed, not as cool as I wired in unit on a switch but would do the job.

mercury switch light....tons of cars in the 90s had them...crown vic cop cars for one that i know of for sure. tons of them in junk yards. i personally dont see a need for an underhood light on something that aint broken all the time. but to each his own.

^^Yea it is something you do not need until you need it. LOL..Why mfg's do not put a simple light under the hood anymore is beyond me! But yet "ashtray" is an option on a lot of cars now.

Marky_Mark said:

^^Yea it is something you do not need until you need it. LOL..Why mfg's do not put a simple light under the hood anymore is beyond me! But yet "ashtray" is an option on a lot of cars now.

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haha well there are still some complete dumbazz nasty idiots out there who insist on smoking....

i honestly thing the reason they quit doing the underhood light is the sheer fact that no one really has to have one now since cars are so reliable and for the most part low maintenance. no more checking oil every fill up, and all that crap. so i bet its just something they could gut out to save some bucks and 99.99 percent of the owners would never even notice. i for one dont miss not having one.

^^Ya i agree with that somewhat..But if you are giving someone a jump, or getting one, it sure helps to have light.

Marky_Mark said:

^^Ya i agree with that somewhat..But if you are giving someone a jump, or getting one, it sure helps to have light.

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uh just touch the jumper cables together....it'll make a spark and thats a light source haha.


actually just use the running vehicles headlights to see what you are doing to hook it up...99 percent of the time they are going to be facing one another, and even if side by side there shoudl be enuf scatter from the lights to help...or maybe im just arguing to be arguing haha.

Barney_Fife said:

i honestly thing the reason they quit doing the underhood light is the sheer fact that no one really has to have one now since cars are so reliable and for the most part low maintenance. no more checking oil every fill up, and all that crap. so i bet its just something they could gut out to save some bucks and 99.99 percent of the owners would never even notice. i for one dont miss not having one.

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Well.... maybe.
The other way to look at is that they are now so complex that there is nothing you can fix outside of a shop. You need a Techstream and every imaginable size metric tool just to work on them.

I had intended on running a 12" strip light from vleds but am looking at other lights also. the only reason for the light is just in case. I may never need it but would be nice to have if i do. I will post pica as soon as i get all the materials and start the install

^^VLeds is a great choice..That is what all of my underhood lighting is. And I have mine on a 2-way switch..It can remain all off when hood is open, or comes on when hood is opened normally with pin switch.

marky mark how do you wire up the pin switch i have never installed one before

Barney_Fife said:

mercury switch light....tons of cars in the 90s had them...crown vic cop cars for one that i know of for sure. tons of them in junk yards. i personally dont see a need for an underhood light on something that aint broken all the time. but to each his own.

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I don't think mercury switches are allowed any more. EPA regs have eliminated most former uses of free mercury. I carry a little Photon light on my keyring and keep a couple more in my vehicles' consoles and glove boxes. They come in handy.

Photon Micro - photon micro lights and ultra bright LED flashlights and accessories

gameover169 said:

marky mark how do you wire up the pin switch i have never installed one before

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Really quite simple IF you get the correct switch. Mount it so that the hood pushes the pin in when it is closed.
If the switch has a normally closed contact (makes a connection when the pin is NOT pushed) then you wire it in series with the light. Connect a fuse to the battery, run a wire from the fuse to one terminal of the switch then from the other terminal run a wire to the + side of the light. Ground the - side of the light.
A normally open switch can also be used but the wiring is a LOT more complicated. Avoid it if possible.

^^Ya what he said..And if you have an alarm with a hood pin switch connected to it, you can just tie into that one.