LEDs under the hood

[AllLostThings]

Ok for a while now I've wanted to get some lighting under my hood. I had a friend give me a mercury switch to trigger it when I lift the hood. However I am not good at car electronics at all. How much trouble is it to wire in some LEDs for soemthing like this?

[AutoEuphoria]

It wouldn't be hard...but it'd be sort of...well....the "r" word.

[JCell]

its a simple power and ground job

the cleanliness of the finished product will be ur skill

i do, however, agree that it will scream the forbidden word

[Wagonbacker9]

unless you got 12 v LEDs, you'd have to get resistors as well... which complicates things substantially. but yes, just reading the thread title made me thing the R word.... so I recommend you just drop the subject. lol

[JCell]

pep boys sells leds that accept 12v inputs

pep boys = ftw!

[240ka]

If its a led or two for lighting under the hood it won't be rice. But if its just to led up the hood just to put leds there then yes, it will definitely be the"R" word...with a capital R

[UHATEIT]

It does kind of suck that cars dont have any lights under the hood for say, nighttime repairs. But I keep a 99 cent store flashlight in the glovebox for that stuff.

My step-dad's Silverado has a built in light bulbunder the hood that lights up the engine bay when the hood is popped. It comes stock on his Chevy

[car46999]

Here I was thinking the "r" work was retarded.......(uhm)
Mazda is rice, but led's under the hood serve no purpose.
I carry a led flash light instead in my MS3

[JCell]

led flash lights ftw.

discount auto parts just started carring a small black flashlight that EXTREMELY bright, i bought 3 and gave one to my roommate to use when hes working (hes a bouncer and flashing really bright lights at people faces gets their attention)

[Kain]

"It's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car. You better learn that."

http://us1.webpublications.com.au/static/images/articles/i11/1139_4lo.jpg

[MikeLikesMazda]

"It's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car. You better learn that."

http://us1.webpublications.com.au/static/images/articles/i11/1139_4lo.jpg

lololol

[dmention7]

How is it rice to have a couple lights to illuminate the engine bay when you open the hood? My old escort had a light on the underside of the hood, and I loved it.

[DaleNixon]

Yea my buddy Mark has a nice bright light under the hood of his Z06. It makes nighttime engine checks a breeze!

[11B-33T]

Sorry to bump an old-azz thread, but was this project ever started/finished? I'm interested cause I just want have lighting under the hood for night instead of using a flashlight.

[11B-33T]

Nobody eh?

[meicalnissyen]

led flash lights ftw.

discount auto parts just started carring a small black flashlight that EXTREMELY bright, i bought 3 and gave one to my roommate to use when hes working (hes a bouncer and flashing really bright lights at people faces gets their attention)

A neighbor was workin on some american van, had on this redneck baseball hat with LEDs

WOW

the miners had it right

GET the hat from lowes with the leds in the brim

totally THE way to work on a car at nite

[08SPEED3Veteran]

"It's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car. You better learn that."

http://us1.webpublications.com.au/static/images/articles/i11/1139_4lo.jpg

http://www.exodusnews.com/Photos/Diesel-V.JPG

I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free. Now lets put these LEDs in.

[Sleezer1533]

Having some led's under hood that light up the engine bay to see better isnt rice at all. This would be rice when, well... watch the opening to the original fast and furious and that would be rice engine bay lights lol. Although those civics .... dare I say it ... do have a pretty bad ass look to em

[meicalnissyen]

http://www.exodusnews.com/Photos/Diesel-V.JPG

I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free. Now lets put these LEDs in.

(first)

[rsvinylgraphics]

it would only be rice if the LED's were any color other than white

[halo0]

I agree, it's not rice necessarily, it's functional. Having a flashlight is nice, but it still doesn't let you keep your hands free, and you have to make sure you always have the ligth with you.

I'd like to to do this too. Finding the right switch would be the only hard part.

[rsvinylgraphics]

Finding the right switch would be the only hard part.

not really you can just use a toggle switch from radio shack

[halo0]

OK I guess knowing what the type of switch you need is called is the hard part :) Thanks.

edit: I was envisioning a switch that activates automatically when you open the hood.

[rsvinylgraphics]

^ you can use one of these
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_514AU43/Crime-Guard-AU43-Pin-Switch.html?tp=155

[808MP5]

OK I guess knowing what the type of switch you need is called is the hard part :) Thanks.

edit: I was envisioning a switch that activates automatically when you open the hood.

U will need an spst(single pole single throw) switch
if u want one for when the hood opens I would suggest using the magnetic one like they use on regular house doors. Those pin switches like the ones posted above usually break and require drilling. The magnetic ones require double side tape and are less prone to breaking. But with either of those switches you will probably need to run a relay cuz they really aren't switches at all.

[Wagonbacker9]

or you could wire in a switch so that they came on when you opened the hood... much cleaner, and easier.

[ejh]

Just wear a headlamp when you work on your car.

[Sleezer1533]

^ +1

[jmonterr]

sounds like a good idea but idk if it would work that well

[dmention7]

or you could wire in a switch so that they came on when you opened the hood... much cleaner, and easier.

My car alarm has a little mercury switch that attaches to the hood, as the hood lifts above horizontal, the switch opens. Something like that would probably work pretty well for underhood lighting.

EDIT: just read that's what he OP already has >.<

[StealthWyvern]

"I installed (3) Oznium High-Intensity LED Flood Light in addition to the 28" LED strip to fully illuminate the engine bay."

http://www.oznium.com/high-intensity-led-floodlight

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d22/SiennaSC98/FJ%20Cruiser/Engine%20Bay/LEDLights/DSCN8472.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d22/SiennaSC98/FJ%20Cruiser/Engine%20Bay/LEDLights/DSCN8513.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d22/SiennaSC98/FJ%20Cruiser/Engine%20Bay/LEDLights/DSCN8511.jpg

[halo0]

That looks freaking sick. Nice work. Did you use a mercury swich? If so, which one and where did you get it?

[theeyeman]

I went to get my car inspected today and to my surprise it did not pass inspection. Test results showed P0171 - System too lean (Bank 1) and P0037 Manufacturer specific code heater control circuit low (bank 1 sensor 2). My question is: Why would the car fail inspection for both these issues? and what will the dealership charge me? Thank you in advance!

[StealthWyvern]

That looks freaking sick. Nice work. Did you use a mercury swich? If so, which one and where did you get it?

It's not my install and you dont have to use a mercury switch. You can use this normal run of the mill hood pin switch that most car alarms use.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/gallery/data/500/HoodPinSwitch.jpg

[halo0]

I know but it would be cleaner to hide the switch and wiring up under the hood under-cover thing.

[Wagonbacker9]

I know but it would be cleaner to hide the switch and wiring up under the hood under-cover thing.

then you have to run more wiring to the hood. this could be installed next to the hinge in the back of the engine bay and be relatively hidden.

[halo0]

The lights are already going to be mounted in the hood, so it's 2 wires that have to go up there either way :)