So I've searched this topic and can care less for neon lights, LED's, and colored lights.

I'm interested in adding bulbs or lights where the gas pedal and ecu are. I want to run it to the dome light light switch if at all possible. which bulbs would I need? how to run the wires? if dome light integration is not possible, how to wire to a seperate switch?

 

You will need a 12V bulb and housing, bulb wattage will depend on how bright you want it down there.
depending on year of car and assuming it's a Honda/Acura you will find a 12V+ constant free pin on the under dash fuse box, connect the pos.(+) light leads to it.

If you want them to come on when you open a door you will need to find the pin switch lead, probably a light green/red, MM&Y of car would help 94.

 

thanks for the quick reply as always, fcm. I have a 97 civic hatchback. since I want 2 lights how will the wiring differ? if it's not too much trouble, can you post a link to a bulb that you would recommend?


Modified by zerovandez at 2:00 AM 3/18/2008

 

Go to the bone yard and find any set of courtesy lights, lights under the dash, older pick ups and jeeps used under dash lights in housings with a mounting bracket, [held in place with one 7mm screw] like these... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

When connecting two lights parallel the wiring, both the pos.(+) leads would go to the 12V+ constant free pin, with an in-line fuse as close to free pin as convenient.

The two neg.(-) leads need to be grounded, you can use a switch to close the circuit to ground or use the cars door pins to close the circuit, the light green/red lead can be found a number of places around the under dash fuse box, but confirm with a multimeter that you have the correct light gree/red, there is more then one.

If you want them to work just like the dome light, [off - door - on] you will need to run a lead from the ground side of the dome light bulb, [terminal bulb neg.(-) sits on] run that to #85 of a relay, connect #86 of the relay to the 2nd ign. free pin
ground #30 and connect the two ground leads from the under dash lights to #87 of the relay.

The relay may not be needed, but I do not know the amperage of the dome light switch, probably not a lot more then is needed for the one dome light, adding two more bulbs will burn out the switch if load exceeds capacity. 94

 

Thanks a million for taking the time to write that up. I appreciate it!

 

Change of plans. Now I think it's better to wire up each light seperatly and have an on off switch of their own. what's the easiest way to do this?

 

Pos.(+) to the same place each neg.(-) to a SPDT switch, [probably a 3A] and ground the other terminal of the switches. 94

 

so an spdt switch has 3 poles. middle for power i take it. postive from light to one pole, negative end on the light goes to ground and ground the 3rd pole right?

 

Leave the 3rd pole open. If you ground it, whenever you turn off the lights, you will blow the fuse feeding the switch (if you have one); or if you don't, you will melt the wiring.

 

but the rest of the wiring that I assumed earlier is correct? just don't ground the 3rd pole.

 

Yes. Or you could swap the power and ground wires on the light and switch. So you would have power going to the light and you would be switching the ground (as FCM said). Either way will work. You don't even need a SPDT switch; a SPST will work just fine.

 

spst has 3 poles too right?

 

2

 

ok. I get it. Thanks again all.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zerovandez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">spst has 3 poles too right? </TD></TR></TABLE> Sorry, I should have said 3A on/off switch, [2 terminals] you really do not need an indicator switch, [lights up when on], the under dash lights will be on when the switch is on, should be all the indication you need to know the switch is on
If you have 2 OEM switch locations with no switches, [dummy plugs] find 2 matching Honda/Acura on/off switches, that fit the holes, nice clean stock look.

Also, to be safe plug the lights pos.(+) leads into the park light free pin, [don't forget the fuse] that way it does not matter if you forget the under dash light on. 94

 

I use small white neon light strips under both sides of the dash. Gives off a really clean white light and not some yellowish looking crap. I have them hooked up to overhead light's power VIA a relay. This way when I switch the light to the on position they will come on. If I open the door they will come on as well. When the switch is in the off position they do not come on at all.

 

thats what i wanted to do but sounds hard

 

It's not... You just gotta find the wire up by the dome light that gets ground when the light comes on whether it be door or switched. Then tag off that wire and run it down under your dash and use that to trigger a relay.

 

would the wire already be exisiting where the underdash fuse box is?

 

No, why would I run the wires if it were that easy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by White Smoke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's not... You just gotta find the wire up by the dome light that gets ground when the light comes on whether it be door or switched. Then tag off that wire and run it down under your dash and use that to trigger a relay.</TD></TR></TABLE>Actually, if you want them to also work with the dome light switch you will have to make the connection to the neg.(-) terminal of the bulb "holder", I am pretty sure most Honda/Acura that have the dome light switch at the dome light, do not have a lead, [wire] going to the neg.(-) bulb holder terminal, just the switch connection from the door pin lead and the grounding screw, [dome light housing mounting screw] and an "open" position for dome light off. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Actually, if you want them to also work with the dome light switch you will have to make the connection to the neg.(-) terminal of the bulb "holder"</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is where mine is hooked up to (right off the holder but after the switch) but I could have sworn there was a short wire up there. I installed this setup not long after I got the car and that was back in 01 so I could be remembering this wrong.

 

I checked my teg, the white/red, [12V+, hot at all times] lead goes to the pos.(+) side bulb holder, the light green/red, [ground from door pins] goes to one of the 3 switch contact positions, of the other 2 switch positions one is grounded directly to chassis, [one of the dome light housing mounting screws] the other is open.

There may be a short lead from the switch common to the bulb holder on some dome light housings, but not on CDM 94 Integras or 92 Civics, [sisters car]. 94

 

Holy crap... You guys are making this WAAYYY too complicated...

Just get these:


Problem solved, and no confusing wiring or switches.

 

LOL. Highly considered!