Interior courtesy light

[davidhowson]

Hi gang!
I am wanting to install some additional footwell lights in my car which come on with the inside light.
Does anyone know if there is a feed for the interior light somewhere behind the dash, a feed which is +12 volt only when one of the doors is open?
If not, I guess my only other plan is to send a cable all the way up to the light unit itself.
Thanks!

[Silverman]

Hi gang!
I am wanting to install some additional footwell lights in my car which come on with the inside light.
Does anyone know if there is a feed for the interior light somewhere behind the dash, a feed which is +12 volt only when one of the doors is open?
If not, I guess my only other plan is to send a cable all the way up to the light unit itself.
Thanks!

What d'you want footwell lights for...??  Should I ask?  I've never had those in any car? Even my very posh Rover 105..    Happy New Year.

[davidhowson]

They would be handy when trying to locate the things my daughter manages to drop on the floor! Apart from which, I'm bored and want to do something else to the car that does not involve loads of money.
Happy New Year, too!

[Liz]

Here is another idea - how about putting them in the doors - my boxsters were there and gave a good interior light.

[uktotty]

Have to agree with Liz, my Jag had lights in the doors and they were awesome

[davidhowson]

The doors were also an option if I could get them to fit OK and not look ugly! The thinking behind the footwell was that the light would be out of sight.
However, I still need to find that elusive feed!   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[cclarke99]

The wire you want runs along the top of the dashboard behind the instruments and the centre part of the dashboard. From there it travels up the left hand windscreen 'A' post to the light. This is a red/white wire.
There's another wire the same colour which only goes from the LH door switch to the instruments which you should avoid.
Given the difficulty of getting the instruments out, I'd start in the 'A' post and try to find the wire in there. As well as that wire, you need a +12V supply, which is most easily found in the same place where it travels up to the interior light - this is a red wire. This is fed from a 10A fuse, and only feeds this light and the clock, so no problems with the loading if you want to run, say, 2x 6-12W lamps.
In fact the easiest thing might be the start in the light assembly, and drop a two core wire across the top of the windscreen and down inside each 'A'post, which will then conveniently come out in the footwells.
One final point, my diagrams refer to a US car so things may be the other way round in yours

[davidhowson]

Thank you for the reply; if it's not too cold on Saturday, I will go digging in the dash!