zehnd

Just as the topic asks, what turns on the light in our engine bay. Mine does not work. I do have a new bulb in there.

Macfreak007

you have the headlights turned on for it to work, or at least that is what happens w/ my car.

zehnd

Didn't work, mine must be pooped. Any other ideas.

Thanks

Tyler951

I think mine only works when the engine is running... or the lights are on... i dont know for sure... some electrics with these cars are crap shoots right?

brrt50cal

Yea mine only works with the engine running...

zehnd

Nope, that didn't work either.

Just curious, if it only works when it's running, how do you work on your car when it's broke down.

I'll have to see if the wire is crimped some where. Thanks guys.

89magic98

On my car, the wire to the light is broken right where it is zip-tied to the hinge for the hood.

Over time, opening and closing the hood bends and unbends the wire, I imagine all of them break given enough time.

Perhaps the wire is broken in your car, but the insulation for the wire is intact.

I am going to solder in a fresh piece of wire at the bending point tomorrow night.

-Kevin

IceShark

Don, The underhood light will work as long as you at least have the parking lights on. Engine doesn't have to be running or keys in ignition. I'm not sure about the '83 switch but the later cars had a mercury switch built into the socket base. That is why it is so long compared to other sockets. So check yours and see if it about a half inch longer than it should be, then you have a mercury switch.

Mercury switches don't usually fail unless you bash them open and drain the mercury out so I would suspect a broken wire at the hinge area or dirty bulb socket.

BTW, you wouldn't believe how much underhood light you get when you put in a 50 watt halogen bulb in that socket. It is really amazing.

89magic98

Is this the maximum safe wattage bulb that you can use? I assume that if you recommended this, you must have tried it. I guess this is only really pulling ~4 amps though the wiring, so maybe this is OK.

-Kevin

Randy_J

S2Nut says:
"
its like a fridge if you open the hood fast enough you might see the little german turning the light on"

zehnd

I replaced the wire, and I know there is power there because I popped a fuse. The light socket is screwed. I'll have to find another one. Thanks

sweanders

There is a small switch that is is spring loaded, it extracts when the hood is opened and lights the bulb..

I'll try and find a pic of it, hang on!

led

On my car it turns on when you flip the turn signal switch to one side, can't remember which side though.

IceShark

Kevin, 50 watt would be the absolute maximum you would want to run underhood. I've been running a sample bulb in there for a few months and it seems OK. It would probably be safer to run a 35 watter in there. The issue is wire gauge size - it is a 0.5mm wire and depending on how long the run is that is a bit small for a 50 watt load.

Luis, when the car is off and you flip turn signal to right you engage the parking light function for that side. The underhood light is somehow tied into the right side, but I have never tried to figure out how.

Waterguy

Ice Shark is, once again, the MAN! The underhood light draws power off connector M33 of the main circuit board (85.5 and later models.) This is the same terminal that powers the right hand tail light, but not the left hand tail light. It therefore gets power whenever the parking lights or fancy euro right-side-only parking light functions are on, independent of the ignition key.