Map Lights on with Dome light Mod

Anybody?

 

I was thinking that since the blue wire in the dome light is always hot, the switch is gooing to be on the ground. This maybe the problem. I'm going to go check.

Finally had some time to look it over. Looked at the wiring diagrams and the OP is 100% correct. I found that my original tap was no good. Re-did the hook up and everything works like a charm. The brown wire does run by the passenger's side by the sunroof and then down the A pillar. Would suggest that one looks at the OP's picture of the soldering on the map light switch terminals. I pried up one side of the little pyramid(/I\), sliped my hookup wire between the side and the middle portion and soldered to lock them in. Doesn't take much time to heat.

Hi:

After picking up my new 'used' MY05 OBXT as few weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was the interior lighting in the front of the cockpit was terrible. I'm so glad I found this mod, I completed it this week. I'd like to share my findings which I suspect is just a recap of some of the comments in this lengthly thread.

 

My first observation was that my map light module was wired opposite of that indicated in the wiring diagram C/L-02 (page WI-154) from the vacation pix document. The diagram shows +12VDC to the lamps when in reality it was going to the switches first (like the vanity mirror light connections). So rather than cut wires I just flipped pins 1 & 2 in connector R56. You'll need to release the plastic tab by inserting a very thin and narrow blade in from the wire end. Be careful not to short the two wires or you'll blow the fuse and possibly melt the pins, best to remove the fuse first but I couldn't figure out which one it was. M/B fuse #8 powered off the room light but not the map light, so the diagram is still incorrect.

 

I went a little further with my mod and connected it so that the Room Light Switch could be used to turn off the map lights in addition to the room light. This means I tapped onto the switch rather than into the brown wire to the BIU. This requires a third soldered connection but that's easy to do once you remove the room light module and do it on the bench. Since you have to solder in two diodes anyway this was no big deal. To ensure you DON'T melt the switches use a low wattage soldering iron (25 watt or less) and solder directly to the switch pins not the flat metal bars. Tin all the soldered points first before connecting each wire/diode.

 

The diodes connect with the anode between the map light bulb and switch while the cathode (stripped end of diode) connects to the room light wire. This is because the BIU activates the lamps by grounding the brown wire and then slowing letting it rise back up to +12VDC. So be careful with the wire connecting the two light modules together as a connection at either end will have +12VDC on it and you don't want to let it touch any ground.

 

I also used butt connectors so I could remove either light module and not have to unsolder or cut any wires in the future.

 

Here's a modified wiring diagram:

http://files.co30.com/sarge/auto/MapLightWiring.png

 

And two shots of the light modules (map then room).

http://files.co30.com/sarge/auto/MapLightMod.png

 

http://files.co30.com/sarge/auto/RoomLightMod.png

 

I hope this info is helpful to anyone contemplating completing this mod.

Dale

Edited September 6, 2014 by dschultz
spelling

Ok, now I tried this mod and have two burning questions:

 

1) How do you pull out the pins from the power supply to switch them? I tried and could not get them out. PLEASE HELP!

 

2) Where is the best place to order a new overhead console. In soldering (which is a total and utter pain in the a#s, I melted the passenger button.

 

Thank you

I did it!! I have lights in the front. I had know idea what I was doing but followed mwiener2 instructions and worked great. Here is some feed back.

 

• I didn't solder anything. The screw and jam method worked.
  
• no brown and white wire at the front in my car. Had to run one from the dome.
  
• Radio shack stores in Canada don't carry diodes. Bought NTE brand from and electronics store model 1N5401 R-100 PRV 3 amps. package of 12 cost $2.99
  

Thanks all for your help. BTW dealers are no help.

 

Barie

Did this today, had been meaning to for about a year

Ran a line from the mid-car dome to the front, two radio shack diodes.

swaped the tabs in the front dome connecter, A little solder, heat shrink and some 'cramming the wires between the metal and plastic' and it works!

 

As for the 'how to swap the connector pins' -- on the connector there is an E shaped plastic thing on the bottom, pry that out, then you can get a good angle at the tabs holding the pins in, just pull the tab down with a tiny screw driver and the pin should slide right out. Swap the wire positions, put the E back in, and you're good to go.

 

Next is the LEDs in the cup holder......

Now that I've had a chance to think about it, my only concern is the ability of the "body integrated module" (which provides the ground for the theatre dimming) to take the additional current of the two maplight bulbs. Time will tell if the little chip inside can handle triple the nominal current flow of the single dome light...

 

Well, if you convert your dome and map lights to LEDs, maybe the

current is reduced enough that this is a non-issue. Or not. It's hard

to tell, since most of these LED suppliers (like autolumination) don't tell

you how much current they draw.

the current to these LEDs is minimal

but alot of the LED's come with resistor packs to match teh draw of the equivalent regular bulb because otherwise the cars can get confuzed and think all their light are burnt.

but alot of the LED's come with resistor packs to match teh draw of the equivalent regular bulb because otherwise the cars can get confuzed and think all their light are burnt.

 

I find this a little hard to believe. When I receive my recent order

from autolumination, I will measure the currents just so we have some

real data. I am particularly interested, in order to know what I can get

away with (as far as leaving the lights on) while car camping.

Here: http://www.plasmaled.com/tail_light_led_bulb_fix.htm

 

Some LEDs have them, some don't

Here: http://www.plasmaled.com/tail_light_led_bulb_fix.htm

 

Some LEDs have them, some don't

 

Interesting, thanks. Hopefully autolumination.com would say if

their's have 'em; but their website is pretty disorganized. I'll

report back ...

Well, if you convert your dome and map lights to LEDs, maybe the

current is reduced enough that this is a non-issue. Or not. It's hard

to tell, since most of these LED suppliers (like autolumination) don't tell

you how much current they draw.

 

I've ordered and installed some of the autolumination bulbs and here's

what I've found:

 

1. 25 LED High-Powered SMT Array in "warm white" (wired to a 31mm

festoon). Current draw is about 50ma. In my dome light; it's nice and

bright, but not quite as much as I was hoping for lighting things up nicely

for car camping. The 6-LED below seems nearly as bright and a lot cheaper.

 

2. 6 LED Super-High Flux in "Super White" 31mm festoon. Nice and

bright, cold blue color that's not my fave (this one didn't come in warm

white). Current draw about 60ma. Will use in map lights and/or puddle.

 

3. 921 SuperStar bulb with heat sink, in red. Current draw is about

30ma, nowhere near the 1watt claimed, but it makes a nice "mood"

light in the cargo area (again, for car camping).

I enlarged the (grey plastic) bezel opening behind the clear lens ... [on the map light]

 

How'd you do this, Scott ? I want to do the same thing - it's silly the

way they make the opening so small.

Caution: read post #193 below before doing this ...

 

To access the wire running from the dome light (so you don't have to snake

a wire from dome light to map light, kinda a pain with sunroof) ...

 

First pull the trim on the A-pillar on passenger side. Stick a screwdriver in

from the top to pop the metal clip (or just pull hard enough), then it peels

away towards the bottom, with a couple of tabs sticking into the dash at the

very bottom.

 

Once that's out of the way you'll see a wire bundle heading towards a

connector with 12 poles (I believe this is connector R50, but mine's

not configured exactly like the 2005 vacation pix). Find the brown wire

(careful not to get the brown+yellow wire) and tap into it. If super

paranoid (me) verify near-zero ohms to contact in dome light fixture

using meter (remove dome-light bulb, or make sure switch is "off").

 

Then run the added wire to the top of the A-pillar and along the edge of

the head-liner to the opening for the map-light fixture. For more

professional result, use disconnect fitting (bullet or spade) to connect

this wire to the diodes you added to the map-light fixture.

 

Thanks to OP for this awesome mod (and to Dale for the schematic) !!

Edited May 30, 2012 by RustyShackleford

Finally mod'ed the map-light fixture itself (adding the diodes). I discovered

all this drama about soldering on the diodes and possibly melting the

plastic buttons is totally un-ncecessary.

 

I just slipped the anode end of the diode under the springy steel that goes

between the bulb and the switch. I then secured that lead of the diode to one

of the screws. The cathode end is soldered to a wire that's wrapped around

a plastic piece in the housing. The diode ain't going anywhere ! Yes, all

that's making the contact is a springy piece of steel pressing down on the

diode lead - kinda like the contacts in those zillions of connectors all over

the car.

 

P.S. That weird green circuit board thingy you see through the hole is

a 6-LED bulb from autolumination.com. Pretty cool, except it's several

millimeters longer than the 31mm spec, so you have to bend the crap

out of the socket contacts, and they aren't gripping the bulb that tightly.

Edited March 25, 2009 by RustyShackleford

Thanks for all of the detailed pics and diagrams, everybody.

When the weather gets warmer I'm going to finally do this.

Comrades, after doing the mod described here, I realize it doesn't quite work for me.

I use my car a lot for car camping. As such, I'll tend to have it parked with the

tailgate open. Unfortunately, opening of the gate, like any of the other doors,

causes the "brown wire" to be "pulled low" by the BIU. So although I can switch

the dome light off with the switch, the map lights will continue to glow no matter

what (as long as the gate is open).

 

So I'm afraid I have to back off to wiring the diode cathodes to the center contact of

the dome switch, as described in post #180. (So much for tapping the brown wire

without having to snake a wire from the map light back to the dome light). The

only thing I don't like about this is that if a rear-seat passenger turns on the dome

(while driving and the doors are all closed), the map lights will light up too (blinding

with these snazzy LED bulbs).

 

But I'm not sure I see any other way, short of some sort of logic circuit (at least

a transistor or two). I guess the ideal truth-table is: map light is on if map switch

is on, or door is open and dome switch isn't in off position ...

 

So maybe a PNP with emitter connected to the wire from the map-light diodes,

base connected to the center contact of the dome switch, and collector connected

to the brown wire.

Edited March 27, 2009 by RustyShackleford

or you could just add a switch somewhere

or you could just add a switch somewhere

 

Right. A SPDT to connect it up into the two different modes.

I think a circuit with a single PNP transistor will do it though.

I have to brush up on my bipolar devices - been working with

mosfets for too long ...

or just hook it up like I described and add a simple switch then turn off the map light mod when you go camping or whatever.

 

don't over engineer a light bulb.

um, just go to radio shack and get some moderatly sized ones. Most of them are rated 120v for 30watts or something, so on a car they're good for alot more than 30watts at 12v. I think the largest diodes at radio shack are only $3 for a pack of two. I'll see if I can find the package with the specs on it.

 

I know this is old and I'm late to the party, but I wouldn't be giving out instructions for people to mod their cars wiring if you don't know what you are talking about.

or just hook it up like I described and add a simple switch then turn off the map light mod when you go camping or whatever.

 

don't over engineer a light bulb.

 

amen

I know this is old and I'm late to the party, but I wouldn't be giving out instructions for people to mod their cars wiring if you don't know what you are talking about.

 

 

What part of ohm's law did I screw up? I didn't even have a full calculation.

30 watts is 30 watts, regardless of voltage.

 

But I'd wager that 30 watts is also 2x-5x more than our interior LEDs are drawing, so no worries.