Engine Compartment Light

[4x4mike]

My old truck was a Chevy. It was a good truck and I had a lot of fun with it. For as basic and old school as it was it had some cool stuff from the factory. One was foot well lights (I've got a current project involving those) and an under hood light. Alright, they we're that cool but none the less. My 4runner doesn't not have an under hood light, not that I need one, but I thought it would be cool to build one.

I've had extra parts lying around for awhile so I've just been looking for places to stick stuff. Current stuff is a high powered LED in a hobby box attached to the underside of the hood. I've got a hood scoop so I plan on mounting the box in the depressed area.

I want the light to turn on when the hood is opened, not using a toggle switch. I didn't want a toggle because I didn't want to worry about it shorting out and turning the light on when I didn't know. I went looking for a pin switch and found one quick, for $0.78 no less.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06786.jpg

Here it is. In the picture it is shown in the 'on' position (grounded). This will be it's position when the hood is up. The plan is (it's got a little derailed) to mount it near the rubber bump stop on the radiator support. Power will come from the battery and go to the light box. The ground from the box will go to the pin and all will be well.

[4x4mike]

Ok as for the derailment. Ever drill through a bunch of wires? :wrenchin:

Well this afternoon I did :loser:

I was trying to use a factory hole in the radiator support for the pin switch. The switch itself is about 1.5 inches long and close to 2 inches with the ground wire attached to it. I just couldn't get it maneuvered into the hole so I had to drill one. The drilled hole was only about an inch away but it would make things a whole lot easier. Wait, no it won't.

I always check behind stuff when I drill a hole (kind of like shooting, you look beyond your target) but this time I put myself in some kind of hurry. The hole was drilled no problem but when I looked through I saw a bunch of copper, weird. Well there is a 1" diameter bundle of wire under the piece I drilled. I'm not sure what all the wires go to but I know one of them is an ABS wire. I patched them all up and made it nice again and then mounted my pin. I had to move the 4runner so I got in and turned it on, right away the ABS lit up and didn't go away. I checked the fuses and sure enough the 60 amp ABS fuse was blown. To the dealer and Kragen, in the rain to fetch a fuse. No luck, maybe next week.

Anyways here's the pin mounted. Camera wouldn't focus. Must be the dying battery, dark and rain.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06795.jpg

Here you can kind of see the wires I hit. They are wrapped in tape under the pin.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06797.jpg

Wire goes up the hood and under the fire mat. I may re-route this later for looks but it's functional.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06798.jpg

The box will be mounted near the stickers. Right now I have the wire tucked in the holes so it won't get pulled into the fan.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06799.jpg

[4x4mike]

The box is a little plastic project box from Radio Shack. They are nice because they have a lid and aluminum plate that can be mounted inside.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06789.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06791.jpg

I'm using the plate to mount my led to.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06788.jpg
It's nice because I can then screw it into the box. Next would be to drill a hole in the plastic lid for the light to come out of. It is also screwed on to the box when I'm done.

I glued the regulator to the bottom the the box.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06792.jpg

[DHC6twinotter]

Very nice! I always wondered why some of our vehicles don't have hood lights. Kinda wish mine did. I'll have to look into doing this now.

Thanks! :thumbup:

[4x4mike]

I don't plan on using it to fix anything in the dark, knock on wood, but rather just have it for piece of mind. I've always used a headlamp in the past. Not a big deal because it's always in the map pocket.

[CJM]

I been toying with this idea for some time and even robbed a nice pin switch from a chevy that was crashed. Shoulda taken the light too..

You shoulda mounted the pin switch somewhere near the sides of the hood on the fender area, if the wind grabs the hood just enough to make it move depending on the switch the light will turn on where you got it. That and you found the hidden wiring!

[4x4mike]

On the fender was my first spot but it didn't work. The angle of the lip and wiring running along the fender were too much. I would have had to shim the pin to angle inward. Then when the pin was pushed down it would hit the wiring harness. I didn't want to punch a hole in the wires (I'd rather drill) or bend the pin/break the wire connection.

My Chevy used a sensor in the light housing to turn on. When the hood was open the open angle would cause a swinging piece of metal to make contact with the housing closing the loop and lighting the bulb. That light must have been blinking like crazy on a washboard road.

[corax]

Nice, have you thought about one of those lights that you can pull the out of the housing and then reel it back in, from GM IIRC. I've seen plenty of them in junkyards for <$10

kinda like this
http://www.pfyc.com/mm5/graphics/new/gn3007.jpg

[Cebby]

My Jeep has an under hood light. Unfortunately, I use it all the time.

[CJM]

Nice, have you thought about one of those lights that you can pull the out of the housing and then reel it back in, from GM IIRC. I've seen plenty of them in junkyards for <$10

kinda like this
http://www.pfyc.com/mm5/graphics/new/gn3007.jpg


Thats off a older Chevy s10 or pickup/blazer, they reel out and everything and have a magnet so you can put it anywhere.

[4x4mike]

My old truck had a light that turned on when the hood opened AND one of the reel lights. The reel lights are pretty cheap and don't work half the time. They aren't sealed so they get wet and full of mud, sand and dust. Not to mention the big giant bulb.

[slosurfer]

My Jeep has an under hood light. Unfortunately, I use it all the time.


:lol:

Mike, that's cool, can't wait to see it finished up. YOur wireing makes me hate to look under my hood. :laugh:

[4x4mike]

Got it finished tonight. It's pretty bright and will do just fine.

Got a little shakey taking the pictures, I was on my attic ladder.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06800.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06802.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Under%20Hood%20Light/DSC06803.jpg

[CJM]

Pretty good man!

[Good Times]

mike,

this is an awesome mod! how did you mount the box to your hood?

[Scuba]

Looks great !! :bling:

[L33T35T Tacoma]

Very nice! I always wondered why some of our vehicles don't have hood lights.


This is because they don't break down :-)

[4x4mike]

mike,

this is an awesome mod! how did you mount the box to your hood?


My hood has a scoop so there are some threaded posts and nuts on the underside. I fabed a little metal piece that attached to the back of the little box in 2 laces. The piece sticks out about another inch. I drilled a hole in the one inch piece and bolted it down with the nut that was there. It's pretty solid and doesn't hit anything when the hood is down.

[4x4mike]

If you don't have to, don't pop the ABS fuseable link. It's a PITA to replace. It's got 2 little screws that hold the fuse/prongs in place and requires disassembly of the fuse box. Most of the time this might not be a super hard task but with a York compressor in the engine compartment it adds some difficulty. That is all.

[CJM]

FWIW if you dont want to drill or screw anything into the hood (most of us I would think dont want to), go to home depot and buy 3m mounting tape. This stuff will stick and not come off easy at all, if that doesnt work some good gorilla glue will do-dont need much either and of course this makes it removable later.