Interior lighting brainstorm session

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

[quote name='FAST4DR']Help!! I was messing around with installing the floor lights today and accidently touched the two map light wires together and I guess I blew a fuse. The interior lights will not work nor will the radio, climate control, clock, etc. I have pulled every fuse I can find and they are all fine. What blew? A relay? Taking it to the dealer tommorrow. Will[/QUOTE] DON'T take it to the dealer- I did the same thing- there's a fuse in the underhood fuse box- I think it's a 20 amp, but it might be 15- check the ones under the hood and save yourself the hassle!

[FAST4DR]

[quote name='jedimaster']DON'T take it to the dealer- I did the same thing- there's a fuse in the underhood fuse box- I think it's a 20 amp, but it might be 15- check the ones under the hood and save yourself the hassle![/QUOTE] Thanks jedimaster. I fixed it. Since you said it was underhood I started pulling all of them and found it. I thought I had checked every single fuse there was to check. I checked a lot of the fuses that were in the underhood case. But I guess I didn't pull that single lone 20amp fuse that was labeled as "backup". It was blown. Now it's all good. :D Thanks again. Will

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

No problem- I panicked the night I did mine- checked all the fuses in the inside of the car, then checked the ones under the hood and let out a sigh of relief. I'm no electrical guru and had visions of the car going to the Subaru dealer to get fixed, finding burned wires and having a voided electrical system warranty :eek:

[ellivnad]

I did the maplight to domelight mod the other day and it is well worth it! Now there is plenty of light in the car when the door opens, its great! Someone mentioned drilling holes and using binding posts, I think that would be a good idea. Its tricky soldering the wires to the switches without getting the switchs too hot. I also wired it up slightly different. Rather than tapping into the dome light switch, I used a wire tap to tap the brown wire instead. This way the front map lights won't come on when you turn the dome light to the constant on position (didn't like the idea of passengers in the rear seat turning on the front map lights). The one down side being that there is now no "off" position so every time you open the door the map lights come on.

[centerpunch]

Great job, Craig! I was just looking through the manual to try to figure out a way to do this, but you've done all the work, thanks!

[c_hunter]

[quote name='centerpunch']Great job, Craig! I was just looking through the manual to try to figure out a way to do this, but you've done all the work, thanks![/QUOTE] Thanks for the compliment, mod-guru!

[dskelto]

Thanks man for your ingenuity and curiosity. Finished the mod with diodes and it works like a charm.

[GTWag]

Man, I really wish I was electrically-gifted enough to do this mod. I HATE the lack of lighting in my front seats. Anyone willing to do this if I pay them?? I am in LA. I'm serious.

[Boulderguy]

Thanks C Hunter for the legwork, I plan on doing this today. Now for the noob question - what's the best way to get into the dome/map light fixtures and headliner? DISREGARD - I found it up there (too many posts!).

[Boulderguy]

Did it - works great, thanks again for the plans. A couple things I did different - First, I tapped into the brown wire BEFORE the dome light switch, so now map lites only come on with open doors or their own switchs, not with the dome lite switch. The trade off is that I can't fully switch them off with the dome switch. The other piece is that I can't solder to save my life, so on the map lite I put the new wires under the bus bars, after their seperate switches. They're just wedged in there & twisted to themselves, pretty secure. I zip-tied them in place as well. Sticky? Sticky?

[GTWag]

[quote name='Boulderguy']Did it - works great, thanks again for the plans. A couple things I did different - First, I tapped into the brown wire BEFORE the dome light switch, so now map lites only come on with open doors or their own switchs, not with the dome lite switch. The trade off is that I can't fully switch them off with the dome switch. The other piece is that I can't solder to save my life, so on the map lite I put the new wires under the bus bars, after their seperate switches. They're just wedged in there & twisted to themselves, pretty secure. I zip-tied them in place as well. Sticky? Sticky?[/QUOTE] Can you provide pics of this? This problem (attaching the wires) is my only hesitation, as I cant solder either!

[GTWag]

I tried wedging the wires under the bus bars at the map light and also at the dome light. Then once it was all wired and hooked up - I reattached the battery and opened the door. The dome light came on as normally would. When I switched the map light switch, the dome light turned off, but the map lights (both) came on. Then suddenly they all 3 were working together, which is what I wanted. ONE PROBLEM.... I saw smoke coming out of the dome light area and a little from the map light area!!!!

 

So -- do you think this is due to me wedging the wires under the busses instead of soldering them or attaching them properly? I noticed the wire sheathing near the dome light was slightly melted.

 

I attached a pic of where I wedged the wire at the map light - just for reference...

 

Please help! I am so close!

-- Ward

[n8gray]

[quote name='GTWag']I tried wedging the wires under the bus bars at the map light and also at the dome light. Then once it was all wired and hooked up - I reattached the battery and opened the door. The dome light came on as normally would. When I switched the map light switch, the dome light turned off, but the map lights (both) came on. Then suddenly they all 3 were working together, which is what I wanted. ONE PROBLEM.... I saw smoke coming out of the dome light area and a little from the map light area!!!![/QUOTE] Gaah! Smoke BAD! :eek: [QUOTE] So -- do you think this is due to me wedging the wires under the busses instead of soldering them or attaching them properly? I noticed the wire sheathing near the dome light was slightly melted. I attached a pic of where I wedged the wire at the map light - just for reference... Please help! I am so close! -- Ward[/QUOTE] It's possible (even likely?) that there was a slight gap between the wire and the bus and it arced. If you truly can't find anybody to solder for you then you might try using alligator clips, nuts washers & bolts, or some other kind of mechanical fastener that's slightly more reliable than "wedging". ;)

[GTWag]

Thanks for the reply -- I think I should try the alligator clip method - seems like the best alternative. One other question - on the dome light, I am supposed to attach to the bar that runs horizontally across the switch (the one that is closest to the edge where the switch is) correct? And I should attach to the left side of that bus bar (when the switch is at the bottom)?

[n8gray]

[quote name='GTWag']Thanks for the reply -- I think I should try the alligator clip method - seems like the best alternative. One other question - on the dome light, I am supposed to attach to the bar that runs horizontally across the switch (the one that is closest to the edge where the switch is) correct? And I should attach to the left side of that bus bar (when the switch is at the bottom)?[/QUOTE] I don't remember what the circuit is for this mod so I can't say where you need to attach, but be double sure you have it right. If you're doing it wrong and shorting the circuit that would definitely account for the smoke.

[GTWag]

Is the spot I should attach it on the dome light where I've circled below?

(see attachment)

 

The pic is a little blurry, so I just want to be sure.

 

thanks!!

[c_hunter]

You have to reverse the pins in the harness plug going to the map light!! The map light is switched on the (+) while the dome light is switched on the (-gnd). To make the lights work together, you need to make the map light switched on (-gnd) too. The easiest way to do this is to reverse the harness pins going into the map light. If you don't do this and hook them up, you'll end up eff-ing up your car's wiring harness. You basically shorted +12V directly to ground. Based on your description, it sounds like you did not reverse the pins. Craig

[GTWag]

Yeah, sorry I didnt clarify, but I did reverse the pins to the map light. I bought some alligator clips today, so hopefully I can use those to make the connections and I will be good to go!

[c_hunter]

OK, then maybe you connected to a wrong lead/bar somewhere. The "smoke" symptoms you describe are shorting 12V to ground and cooking a wire, so verify all the connections carefully! Alligator clips sound like a good way to do this mod. Good luck! Craig

[GTWag]

Thanks again for the reply. I tried the version where you tap into the brown wire going to the domelight, and alligator clips on the map lights bus bars. ...End result was that I blew the fuse and still couldnt get it to work (the maps still didnt come on when door opened). I removed the wiring (leaving the tap on the brown wire), and decided to wait till later. Now... the domelight stays on after I open the door (it never fades out unless I switch it off or turn the car off). The maplights work fine. So, basically I have to leave the domelight off totally - and have NO LIGHT! :) Opposite of what I wanted. I am thikning this problem is because I left the tap on the brown wire. Do you think that would make the dome not fade out?

[graayfa]

Could you use liquid solder? It seems that the solder points are very tiny. I'm just a novice when it comes to soldering.

[GTWag]

Ok - I need help. I disconnected everything from this mod, as I never could get it to work... and now the Dome light will not fade out when I close the doors. The only thing altered is that the ground wires are still swapped at the map light. Other than that, Im all stock, and everything looks normal... **Any ideas why my dome light wouldnt fade out when the doors close??** Now, I have NO interior light (with the dome off)!!!! Whoo hoo! :)

[c_hunter]

You may have burned out the circuit that fades the dome light. The circuit takes the inputs from the door switches and has a delay/fade function. It also shuts off the light if it's on for a long time. At some point, you must have shorted a wire. I just looked at a wiring diagram and that circuit is part of the "body integrated unit". If that's the case, you might be screwed. Best thing would probably be to go to the dealer and act dumb about the whole thing. Maybe they can figure it out. Craig

[c_hunter]

Also, in the photo you showed above of your map lights, the pins in the map light power connector were *NOT* reversed. Did you do that step after the picture was taken?? If you hit a map light switch with the wiring setup as shown in your photo (ie, with pins not reversed), then you would have sent +12V into the switched-ground circuit of the dome light which would have melted some wires and eventually burnt something out. Craig

[GTWag]

Also, in the photo you showed above of your map lights, the pins in the map light power connector were *NOT* reversed. Did you do that step after the picture was taken??

 

If you hit a map light switch with the wiring setup as shown in your photo (ie, with pins not reversed), then you would have sent +12V into the switched-ground circuit of the dome light which would have melted some wires and eventually burnt something out.

 

Craig

Oh my -- Craig, I think you nailed it. If you were referring to the pic I've attached below (see circled area) that is NOT where I reveresed the pins. I reversed them in the larger white connector that plugs into the map light assembly! Reading the instructions, I may have taken them to mean the wrong connector! Please look at the pic and tell me if THIS is where I should have reversed the wires....

 

(thanks for your help again!)

Ward