Under Hood Lighting

[scottfab]

We all know what a POS the under hood utility lights are when it comes to power consumption. Good way to kill the battery. Most put switches on them (as I have).

The current draw is 1 amp per light so that's 2 amps total.
Well I think I've found a way to drop the current to 250 mA per light.
That's 1/2 amp total for both.
Along with this comes 3x more light.
The answer is LEDs of course, that cure all for illumination of the modern age.

There are a few issues yet to work out but what I have clicks right into the stock bulb holder. No modifications needed.
Stay tuned. I'll post details as soon as I work out a few things.
In the pic below the left side is the stock incandescent light and on the right is the LED "plug and play" replacement.

http://zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=199&pictureid=1952

[GOLDCYLON]

Love those leds I have them in my interior in cool bright white. Just completed the footwells

[-=Jeff=-]

Watching this with interest

[GOLDCYLON]

Watching this with interest


You and me both!!!!

[-=Jeff=-]

Hey GC do you have a list of the bulbs for the interior? It is on my list but seats are first

[jimmy b.]

Should also be a lot less heat on the lenses too and yes please post part #'s and where to buy...jimmy

[Fully Vetted]

You and me both!!!!

X3!

Mine are not working at all right now (bulbs are ok).

[Paul in SC]

Scott,

Nice...I'm in.

and GC...a second to Jeff's request for the list of interior LEDs. :handshak:

Thanks,
Paul

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Nice, Scott. BIG thumbs up!

[GOLDCYLON]

Hey GC do you have a list of the bulbs for the interior? It is on my list but seats are first


Nope I picked em up from Corvette HID. Yosi has the complete kit. He does not list the sizes either for obvious reasons. I will tell you coupled with Andrews Mirror upgrade that had the same LEDs it is one hell of an improvement.

Cylons are all about LEDs dont ya know :) I went with Cool White. Still need to get one for the Console. DA link is provided below gents. I will try to get a night shot to show you the difference as well. The kit includes the Foot Wells, the under the Mirror Map light (Which I did not need due to Andrews Mirror), the Halo panels and the Door handles.


http://www.corvettehid.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=69&zenid=837031fec6e1c19c8c32f7a4af8a47b2

[Paul in SC]

GC,

Thanks for the follow-up and refresh as to supplier.

Paul

[GOLDCYLON]

GC,

Thanks for the follow-up and refresh as to supplier.

Paul


Paul if enough are interested I can ask him for a forum group buy pricing. I did order about $1400 of HIDS and LEDs from him. Im sure I could get the forum a better price. LMK GC

[Paul in SC]

Paul if enough are interested I can as him for a forum group buy pricing. I did order about $1400 of HIDS and LEDs from him. Im sure I could get the forum a better price. LMK GC

I would be very interested in pricing. The interior lighting especially with the others for consideration. :handshak:

Thanks,
Paul

[Corbusa]

I'm in .. anyone doing the tail lights? or blinkers ?

[LancePearson]

X3!

Mine are not working at all right now (bulbs are ok).


You probably know this but on my 91 there is one inline 10 amp I think it is, spade lug two legged fuse just down below the left headlight area when the clamshell is up. In my case I like the lights and LEDs would be great but when you have the hood up for a while I've just chosen to remove the fuse, put the two sides of the inline fuse together and store the fuse. Easier than putting a switch in for me as I'm at the stage where I don't open and close the hood each time I do something around the engine.

Lance Pearson;)

[Ronstar]

I'd be interested in their HID driving lights and maybe interior lights. Also the underhood lights

[GOLDCYLON]

Look at my seperate post up


http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19392

[RICKYRJ1]

Nice job Scott, I'm in on both underhood and interior. Thanks for posting and Thanks GC for the GB set up

[scottfab]

Here is an update on the Underhood Engine Lamps (That's what the FSM calls them)
I thought I could get the power down from 24 watts (12W x 2) to 6watts. Well I've gotten it down to 1.2 watts and still so bright you can't look into it. That is 5% of the power and more light.

I've done an over night test leaving them on all night. Battery is still fine. The LED assemblies draw 50ma each.
I'm doing the write-up now. There is no cutting or butchering up of any wires. This thing plugs right in.

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Portals/0/101_0188.JPG

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Portals/0/Images/TechArticle/LED%20Under%20Hood%20Light/small%20101_0193.JPG

photo taken with only the engine lamps on:
http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Portals/0/Images/TechArticle/LED%20Under%20Hood%20Light/small%20101_0205.JPG

[GOLDCYLON]

Scott did you hand make these?

[cvette98pacecar]

You guys are killing me, Count me in for three sets of under hood and 3 sets Interior.

[GOLDCYLON]

You guys are killing me, Count me in for three sets of under hood and 3 sets Interior.


Robert follow my thread and get your 20% from corvettehid.com

[-=Jeff=-]

Yeah Scott if it is a DIY project I am all for it

[scottfab]

Yeah Scott if it is a DIY project I am all for it

I am going to supply the parts for a few $ to make it worth it.
Requires some level of soldering ability and eye hand coordination.

I may do a short run build but it'd have to be well worth my
time to do so.

Scott did you hand make these?

I designed and assembled them yes. All parts are easy to get if you know where to look :)
I suppose I could keep private any development work I do on the car, but why?. I'll make it all open including schematics and circuit simulations.

Lots of time went into this including a build of several prototypes.
One design worked well but was not efficient enough. The current one is not only efficient but more light with fewer parts :blahblah:

For anyone the enjoys this sort of thing here is a plot of V across the LEDs and power dissipated by the dropping resistor as a function of battery voltage to make sure everything is kosher.
http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Portals/0/Images/TechArticle/LED%20Under%20Hood%20Light/Vdrop%20and%20Rpower.jpg

[-=Jeff=-]

I will buy a kit .. sign me up

[Corbusa]

I'm in !!!

[72warbonnet]

Ditto...as long as you'll mail to Hawaii! I'd get two underhood sets.
Bill

[tf95ZR1]

Scott did you hand make these?

I'm interested also.

IN

[Paul in SC]

Scott,

For those of us (me especially) that are electronically challenged :dontknow:, and do not have any testing equipment, what would a completed kit go for?

I know I could do the soldering, but I have no way of checking "kosherness". :???:

Thanks,
Paul

[PhillipsLT5]

I am interested in under hood, I do have a switch now that turns them on/off
Will that still work?

[GOLDCYLON]

I am interested in under hood, I do have a switch now that turns them on/off
Will that still work?


Yes Phil since this is a direct bulb replacement. Cant wait to get my hands on a pair of these.

[GOLDCYLON]

I designed and assembled them yes. All parts are easy to get if you know where to look :)

Sign me up for a pair. I would need to have these built as I suspect most of the membership will.

[scottfab]

Sign me up for a pair. I would need to have these built as I suspect most of the membership will.

Ok I'm doing a poll to see how much trouble I'm getting into.
This poll is for 7 days ONLY. Anything after that may or may not get serviced since this is not a business for me. I design things. That's the fun part :p Cranking things out is drudgery.

[GOLDCYLON]

Ok I'm doing a poll to see how much trouble I'm getting into.
This poll is for 7 days ONLY. Anything after that may or may not get serviced since this is not a business for me. I design things. That's the fun part :p Cranking things out is drudgery.


First in your poll Scott do you take Paypal? GC

[alwayscode390]

I am interested in under hood, I do have a switch now that turns them on/off
Will that still work?


I noticed my underhood lights don't turn on, are they supposed to come on when you lift up the hood?

I wonder now if I have a switch , or if they are just burnt out.

If they are burnt out, is that common since our cars are pretty old now?

If there is a switch ... where is the common place to install it (where should I look?)

Thanks ---

[scottfab]

First in your poll Scott do you take Paypal? GC

Yes, paypal will be fine but not quite yet. Based on the numbers I have to see if I need to hire someone to make these for me :icon_scra
Then I'll post pay options.

The assembly is not really trivial :-x

[scottfab]

I noticed my underhood lights don't turn on, are they supposed to come on when you lift up the hood?

I wonder now if I have a switch , or if they are just burnt out.

If they are burnt out, is that common since our cars are pretty old now?

If there is a switch ... where is the common place to install it (where should I look?)

Thanks ---

I'd check to see if someone unplugged the connector. It's located just to the right of the passenger side headlight. Follow the wire down to it.
Next check the inline fuse. Maybe it was removed.
Then look for any switch that may have been installed. Most are put in the cove under the drivers headlight.
Lastly you can inspect to see if the bulbs were just taken out or are popped. The mercury switched would be last.
You can tap on them to see if they've become intermittent.

[GOLDCYLON]

I noticed my underhood lights don't turn on, are they supposed to come on when you lift up the hood?

YES


I wonder now if I have a switch , or if they are just burnt out.

Both are possible and the switch is aftermarket. Its also more likely the previous owner unplugged the lights or pulled the fuse



If they are burnt out, is that common since our cars are pretty old now?

Not common one maybe out but not both my money is they are unplugged or switched. Start following the harness.


If there is a switch ... where is the common place to install it (where should I look?)

Thanks ---

It could be anywhere however mine is on the drivers side next to front of the tire in the engine compartment.

[alwayscode390]

Thanks Scott and GC ... if I can get these working I may be interested in the GP too :) ---

[Ronstar]

I want a set

[digg101]

i will take 3 sets

kevin@glescoelectric.com

[secondchance]

You guys are killing me, Count me in for three sets of under hood and 3 sets Interior.

An addiction?! Shopping spree?! Just say "NO!".:cheers:

[Fully Vetted]

I'll take the kit. I solder all the time so I'm cool with that if you send instructions.

[LancePearson]

I noticed my underhood lights don't turn on, are they supposed to come on when you lift up the hood?

I wonder now if I have a switch , or if they are just burnt out.

If they are burnt out, is that common since our cars are pretty old now?

If there is a switch ... where is the common place to install it (where should I look?)

Thanks ---

Down by your drivers side headlights just below them with the clam shell up there is a two part spade fuse holder that fuses the two hood lights. Most owners pull the fuse and put the two parts back together so they can leave the hood up for a couple days. Check that, you probably don't have a 10 amp fuse in there. When you put a fuse in and open the hood the lights come on.

Lance P.

[LancePearson]

here is a photo looking at drivers side under the hood ahead of the tire. The small red arrow points to the fuse holder for the existing lights.

Lance P. How do I know this? I asked the same question you did and found many just pull the fuse and use garage lights so they don't wear their batteries out...my p.o. had done that and I have a fuse in the glove box for it but know they work just don't use them. The LED's look really interesting though.

Lance P.

[scottfab]

This "one time buy" will close on 02-13-2013 at 06:27 AM
This is so that I can do the buying of parts.

Payment will be paypal. If you have a credit card you can use
paypal even if you don't have an account just like paying for membership this year.

What I need in a PM from each person ordering the assembly (or kit) is this:
1. private email from you personally (so I can forward an invoice from paypal to you)

2. The number and type of your order (assembly or kit)
Example "3 competed assemblies at 3x $50"
There is no shipping or handling charge.

3. Your delivery address. (Canada and US only ,other locations can be negotiated)

What you will get with the assembly(s) is a postage paid box containing your order and instructions for installation. (a link to the instructions on TechNet ) 30day free repair for any unit but you pay shipping.

What you get with the kit (along with my sympathy) is a postage paid box and all parts needed to assemble the unit(s) except the hermetical sealing agent that both insulates the unit from moisture but also isolates from potential shorting (you will need to use black tape over the mercury switch. Each part of every kit will be tested for correct operation before shipping. Since improper assembly and damage during testing is possible I can not replace them free. Replacements can be purchased but you will need to pay for shipping.

It is important NOT to look directly into the LEDs when on. I cannot be responsible for any eye damage. These are BRIGHT!

What I will do on or after Feb 13 is:
1. process any orders and send out email with the paypal info.
(sorry you cannot prepay because I need to confirm that I can buy all the needed parts first)
2. Send out the boxes after each paypal invoice is filled.
3. Post the completed Assembly Instructions on the ZR-1netregistry.com under TechNet.

Questions? Anything I left out?
Please get the word out to anyone that you think may want some of these.
This poll and orders end on Feb 13th.

[secondchance]

This "one time buy" will close on 02-13-2013 at 06:27 AM
This is so that I can do the buying of parts.

Payment will be paypal. If you have a credit card you can use
paypal even if you don't have an account just like paying for membership this year.

What I need in a PM from each person ordering the assembly (or kit) is this:
1. private email from you personally (so I can forward an invoice from paypal to you)

2. The number and type of your order (assembly or kit)
Example "3 competed assemblies at 3x $50"
There is no shipping or handling charge.

What you will get with the assembly(s) is a postage paid box containing your order and instructions for installation. (a link to the instructions on TechNet ) 30day free repair for any unit but you pay shipping.

What you get with the kit (along with my sympathy) is a postage paid box and all parts needed to assemble the unit(s) except the hermetical sealing agent that both insulates the unit from moisture but also isolates from potential shorting (you will need to use black tape over the mercury switch. Each part of every kit will be tested for correct operation before shipping. Since improper assembly and damage during testing is possible I can not replace them free. Replacements can be purchased but you will need to pay for shipping.

It is important NOT to look directly into the LEDs when on. I cannot be responsible for any eye damage. These are BRIGHT!

What I will do on or after Feb 13 is:
1. process any orders and send out email with the paypal info.
(sorry you cannot prepay because I need to confirm that I can buy all the needed parts first)
2. Send out the boxes after each paypal invoice is filled.
3. Post the completed Assembly Instructions on the ZR-1netregistry.com under TechNet.

Questions? Anything I left out?
Please get the word out to anyone that you think may want some of these.
This poll and orders end on Feb 13th.

One assembly is one light? One car needs 2 assemblies (or kits)?

[scottfab]

One assembly is one light? One car needs 2 assemblies (or kits)?

Yes,
Finished unit for $50ea (2 needed)
Kit for $25ea (2 needed)

Oh and I corrected the post on instructions for ordering to include a delivery address to be included in the email.

[GOLDCYLON]

Yes,
Finished unit for $50ea (2 needed)
Kit for $25ea (2 needed)

Oh and I corrected the post on instructions for ordering to include a delivery address to be included in the email.


PMed you Scott for a completed pair.

[LancePearson]

Just out of curiosity how are these better than the six led lights you can buy on Ebay for each bayonet bulb for $15 a pair? Different current draw? these are advertised as drop in replacements with 5,000 kelvin color white lights and fairly bright. The guy sells lots of leds for interior applications as well. On ebay. I may try a set just to see how they work as they are pretty inexpensive. I have led's under my kitchen counters at home and love them.

What's the difference?

Lance Pearson

[GOLDCYLON]

Just out of curiosity how are these better than the six led lights you can buy on Ebay for each bayonet bulb for $15 a pair? Different current draw? these are advertised as drop in replacements with 5,000 kelvin color white lights and fairly bright. The guy sells lots of leds for interior applications as well. On ebay. I may try a set just to see how they work as they are pretty inexpensive. I have led's under my kitchen counters at home and love them.

What's the difference?

Lance Pearson


Lance it looks like a whole lot more LEDs (Real leds mind you) vs the mini led bayonet style dots. I have to say way more light for one. However I am sure Scott can tell you the difference. GC

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Hey Scott,

I'm in for 2 completed assemblies. PM sent as instructed.

Mahalo for offering this up.

Craig

[mrmojo1111]

2 assemblies for me please. PM submitted.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Hey Scott,

Sent you a PM to double my order to 4 assembled sets. A Z brother here in Japan wants to jump in on this and I will be the buyer for ease of shipping and everything else.

Thank you.

Craig

[PhillipsLT5]

PM sent

[ScottZ95ZR1]

I'm also in for two assembled units and have sent you an email, Scott. :cheers:

[GOLDCYLON]

Im still in...... GC

[scottfab]

I've been doing some homework.

TESTING
I've tested the 24LED assembly in these areas:
1. Life test. (on 24-7 for two weeks)
2. Temp test (in the oven up to 250deg. The parts are spec'd at 203deg)
3. Vibration (on the end of a grinder with an off centered disk)
4. Shock (I've dropped them repeatedly 30 times)
5. I'd like to do a humidity test but don't have a humidity chamber.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
1. I've purchased and studied the two best competitors to this 24LED design.
2. I've compared the amount of light
3. I've compared the power needed
4. I've compared the light temperature (color of light)

here are some of the findings:
http://zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=199&pictureid=2008

FYI - I ordered four of the above 6-LEDs and picked the brightest for comparing.
I did a comparison of the above 6-LED light to the 24LED lamp I'm assembling. The below pic was taken at 12in away at both lamps using the same 12V supply. Surprisingly the 6LEDs use more current (95ma) than the 24LEDs (40ma). That was kinda unexpected. You'd thing "more LEDs" more current. Not so. The reason for this I won't go into here. What the pic bellow does not show in a measured way is how bright each is. I use a digital camera in "auto" mode to see what it would do to the exposure time if the F-stop was held constant. I took a picture of each unit separately. Well as you'd expect the exposure was four times longer with the 6 vs 24 LEDs indicating 4X brighter.

http://zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=199&pictureid=2007

There is an OEM company called CREE. They have a new line of LED product called High-Brightness LEDs that I have been looking at.
These could end up being another 4 times brighter than the current 24LEDs that I'm planning to use. (that would be 16X brighter than the 6LED set. How bright is bright enough. Don't know. How much HP is enough ?
I think the LT5 deserves an "LT5" level of light :-D

On a related note. I've made a few discoveries about the mercury switch assembly that might interest some of you.

Turns out the switches can be activated under breaking. That is, if your underhood lights are stock (no switch and fuse in) and you use you breaks reasonably hard the mercury floats forward enabling the underhood lights !
Interesting no? I'd sure like to talk to that designer.
Anyway, there's more work to do here related to unexpected dead batteries. TBD
Sorry for the longgggg post.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I've been doing some homework.

TESTING
I've tested the 24LED assembly in these areas:
1. Life test. (on 24-7 for two weeks)
2. Temp test (in the oven up to 250deg. The parts are spec'd at 203deg)
3. Vibration (on the end of a grinder with an off centered disk)
4. Shock (I've dropped them repeatedly 30 times)

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
1. I've purchased and studied the two best competitors to this 24LED design.
2. I've compared the amount of light
3. I've compared the power needed
4. I've compared the light temperature (color of light)

here are some of the findings:


FYI - I ordered four of the above 6-LEDs and picked the brightest for comparing.
I did a comparison of the above 6-LED light to the 24LED lamp I'm assembling. The below pic was taken at 12in away at both lamps using the same 12V supply. Surprisingly the 6LEDs use more current (95ma) than the 24LEDs (40ma). That was kinda unexpected. You'd thing "more LEDs" more current. Not so. The reason for this I won't go into here. What the pic bellow does not show in a measured way is how bright each is. I use a digital camera in "auto" mode to see what it would do to the exposure time if the F-stop was held constant. I took a picture of each unit separately. Well as you'd expect the exposure was four times longer with the 6 vs 24 LEDs indicating 4X brighter.



There is an OEM company called CREE. They have a new line of LED product called High-Brightness LEDs that I have been looking at.
These could end up being another 4 times brighter than the current 24LEDs that I'm planning to use. (that would be 16X brighter than the 6LED set. How bright is bright enough. Don't know. How much HP is enough ?
I think the LT5 deserves an "LT5" level of light :-D

On a related note. I've made a few discoveries about the mercury switch assembly that might interest some of you.

Turns out the switches cam be activated under breaking. That is, if your underhood lights in stock and you use you breaks reasonably hard the mercury floats forward enabling the underhood lights !
Interesting no? I'd sure like to talk to that designer.
Anyway, there's more work to do here related to unexpected dead batteries. TBD
Sorry for the longgggg post.

Thanks for the comparative analysis. I also wondered about those mercury switches and heard that they are the reason for dead batteries at times on these cars. I bought new mecury switches recently, but what thoughts to you have to bypass these since I already have my power switched with Gordon Killebrew switch on my inner fender? Maybe just a simple fuse in place if possible? Thanks for your thoughts. Craig:handshak:

[scottfab]

Thanks for the comparative analysis. I also wondered about those mecury switches and heard that they are the reason for dead batteries at times on these cars. I bought new mecury switches recently, but what thoughts to you have to bypass these since I already have my power switched with Gordon Killebrew switch on my inner fender? Maybe just a simple fuse in place if possible? Thanks for your thoughts. Craig:handshak:

Yes, exactly. If that mercury bubble partially sticks in place on the contacts after hard braking...... not good. My preference now, knowing what I do, would be to remove the mercury switches (actually leave them in place and come up with a jumper arrangement) then put a normally closed momentary switch in, most likely over on the passenger side on the valence there such that the hood activates it when open. I'll be putting this on my "to do" list.

Mercury itself is really toxic and has been known to be so for a long time. Recently here on the Columbia river it's been found to exist in the Salmon that run up the river. So much so the the Oregon State health organization is about to recommend a limit to the number of salmon one should eat per/yr or is it per/mo. Not sure. Anyway I digress.

[WVZR-1]

Yes, exactly. If that mercury bubble partially sticks in place on the contacts after hard braking...... not good. My preference now, knowing what I do, would be to remove the mercury switches (actually leave them in place and come up with a jumper arrangement) then put a normally closed momentary switch in, most likely over on the passenger side on the valence there such that the hood activates it when open. I'll be putting this on my "to do" list.

Mercury itself is really toxic and has been known to be so for a long time. Recently here on the Columbia river it's been found to exist in the Salmon that run up the river. So much so the the Oregon State health organization is about to recommend a limit to the number of salmon one should eat per/yr or is it per/mo. Not sure. Anyway I digress.

Ford at one time had serious battery issues with which product I don't recall but it had to do with the position of that product on the car carrier. The rear most position on the top activated the mercury switches drained batteries. Well of course they would accept a charge, the product was sold and batteries failed relatively soon after delivery to customer or in instances before ever delivered to customer. It was a substantially large number of failures and it was actually traced back to the loaded position on the carrier.

[scottfab]

Ford at one time had serious battery issues with which product I don't recall but it had to do with the position of that product on the car carrier. The rear most position on the top activated the mercury switches drained batteries. Well of course they would accept a charge, the product was sold and batteries failed relatively soon after delivery to customer or in instances before ever delivered to customer. It was a substantially large number of failures and it was actually traced back to the loaded position on the carrier.


Truth be known, we all know there's a boat load of bad designs that have made it to the public and or government. Whether it's O-rings on a space shuttle or poorly designed and positioned gas tanks on a Pinto they make it to the point of being self evident when they fail.
We hear all about when lives are lost due to these idiotic decisions but rarely when they melt parts or kill batteries.

One can't help but wonder if those in the position of making the final decision were warned and to what degree they were warned of the pending disaster. There are unsung heroes and then there are the unsung despots.

[LancePearson]

Truth be known, we all know there's a boat load of bad designs that have made it to the public and or government. Whether it's O-rings on a space shuttle or poorly designed and positioned gas tanks on a Pinto they make it to the point of being self evident when they fail.
We hear all about when lives are lost due to these idiotic decisions but rarely when they melt parts or kill batteries.

Just like the Washington made boeing 787 where they are learning a lot more about sticking too many lithium battery cells too closely together without any venting or cooling across the chemical reaction on the Dreamliner...any sailor can tell you that his batteries aren't lineal...the way they function.

[DaveK]

Great comparison write-up there Scott. It's amazing how much science goes into something that seems such a small feature like a light.

Also got to add a thanks to Lance for the alternative option. I think it's fantastic that we have people like both of you (and Goldcylon come to think of it) that work out these update options to keep improving our cars.

Thanks to everyone :cheers:

Dave

[LancePearson]

Scott is a terrific engineer at all this but the other aspect to it is the heat...the original incandescent bulbs which aren't in mine any more must have generated a bunch of it with those glass lenses and perhaps plastic lenses would not have stood it but even with the option I chose, the lenses get pretty warm after a while. The lower the total amps drawn the better the heat reduction ought to be.

Now I'm wondering if I want to screw around with some type of Leds and light the gills up with the headlights or running lights on just for the effect! (just kidding...no plans to light the gills but I suppose it is possible)

[GOLDCYLON]

paypal sent Scott. GC :cheers:

[Corbusa]

Ditto Paypal.

[-=Jeff=-]

Ditto Paypal.

Same here

[Fully Vetted]

X 4!

[PhillipsLT5]

same

[mrmojo1111]

Done.

[1991ZR1]

I received the lights today and found out something that people with aftermarket wire harness with switch for the under hood light need to be aware of.

I installed the LED light on the passenger side and it did not work. I removed the LED and tried the other LED on the passenger side with the same result. The stock bulb works.

I installed the LED on the driver side and it worked. I changed to the other LED and it worked also.

Next, I checked the voltage at both light housings and found that the passenger side was opposite polarity from the driver side.

I tried plugging the passenger side light wiring into the stock wire harness and the light works. I will need to switch the terminals in the aftermarket terminal housing to make it work. I guess they didn't worry about polarity when they made the switch harness because it doesn't matter with regular bulbs. It could just as easily have been that both sides wouldn't work or only the driver side wouldn't work.

Scott. It seems that the lense rests against the LED's. Is this ok or should I add a gasket to the lense to add clearance?

[Fully Vetted]

Got mine yesterday. Thanks, Scott. This will be one of my first mods when I get my car back from Corey.

[scottfab]

I received the lights today and found out something that people with aftermarket wire harness with switch for the under hood light need to be aware of.

I installed the LED light on the passenger side and it did not work. I removed the LED and tried the other LED on the passenger side with the same result. The stock bulb works.

I installed the LED on the driver side and it worked. I changed to the other LED and it worked also.

Next, I checked the voltage at both light housings and found that the passenger side was opposite polarity from the driver side.

Curious, I had anticipated this potential and had several C4 lights checked for polarity. They were all neg on the bottom and pos on top.

I tried plugging the passenger side light wiring into the stock wire harness and the light works. I will need to switch the terminals in the aftermarket terminal housing to make it work. I guess they didn't worry about polarity when they made the switch harness because it doesn't matter with regular bulbs. It could just as easily have been that both sides wouldn't work or only the driver side wouldn't work.

This part I'm not quite getting. Was part/all of you harness not stock or just the aftermarket housing???
We're going to need more data from more LEDs assembly users. I took pains to make the assembly such that it could only be installed one way. That may have been a mistake if half of the lamp holders are wired the other way :(

Scott. It seems that the lense rests against the LED's. Is this ok or should I add a gasket to the lense to add clearance?

The leds should ride snugly on the glass. This should keep them focused on the engine and not blinding people standing beside the engine. Each unit was tested for fit inside my passenger side lamp holder. I'm hoping the holders are all the same size. Having said all that if you are concerned the vibration will "sand" the end of each LED then a washer can be used under the glass. There is another work around but is more involved. Right now there's nothing to make me think there will be an issue.

Thanks for bringing the issues up.

[1991ZR1]

I think the aftermarket harness plugs into the stock harness on the driver side. The light housings for both sides plug into the aftermarket harness. The change in polarity occurred in the aftermarket harness. I don't think anyone with stock wiring will have any trouble.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Curious, I had anticipated this potential and had several C4 lights checked for polarity. They were all neg on the bottom and pos on top.

This part I'm not quite getting. Was part/all of you harness not stock or just the aftermarket housing???
We're going to need more data from more LEDs assembly users. I took pains to make the assembly such that it could only be installed one way. That may have been a mistake if half of the lamp holders are wired the other way :(



Hey Scott,

I have the Gordon Killebrew under hood lamp switch as sold by Gordon and Corvette Central. I can't imagine when I installed it years ago that it would cause a polarity issue, but I will let you know as soon as I receive my LED assembly.

Thanks again,

Craig :cheers:

[PhillipsLT5]

I got my lights today
I have the same problem as 1991 ZR1
Passenger side LED will not work, stock bulb does
Driver side OK
I do have a on/off switch/harness made by?, bought from catalog co.?
A suggested fix to this?

[GOLDCYLON]

I got my lights today
I have the same problem as 1991 ZR1
Passenger side LED will not work, stock bulb does
Driver side OK
I do have a on/off switch/harness made by?, bought from catalog co.?
A suggested fix to this?

I prob will be in the same boat. Phil.

[scottfab]

I got my lights today
I have the same problem as 1991 ZR1
Passenger side LED will not work, stock bulb does
Driver side OK
I do have a on/off switch/harness made by?, bought from catalog co.?
A suggested fix to this?

Ok, I've spoken to Gordon Killebrew. Apparently the harness in question is not his. His does not switch polarity. It is the one Mid America sells that is in question.
I found a picture of this harness
Can anyone confirm this is the product?
http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette.html?frame=1.1077&searched=hood%20lamp%20harness%20switch%20c4
If someone that has this unit and willing to call me I may be able to come up with the least painful option. PM me
I do know the clips that hold the bulb are not swappable since one has the contact tab for the mercury switch.

[tf95ZR1]

Hey Phillip,
Oops, I just saw that you changed the
lighting on/off switch/harness. Can't imagine
how that would change things.

:icon_scra

Maybe dumb question, but can you
rotate the LED 180 deg?

[scottfab]

Hey Phillip,
Oops, I just saw that you changed the
lighting on/off switch/harness. Can't imagine
how that would change things.

:icon_scra

Maybe dumb question, but can you
rotate the LED 180 deg?

I'll interject here that the LED unit I made was designed
to only go in one way. The thinking was to make it more
straight forward to install. Had I known some of these aftermarket
harnesses swap polarity I could have made the unit such that
it could be rotated.
Oh well.

[PhillipsLT5]

Scott, thank you for all you have done & your continued concern!
Harness looks like mine, let me see if I can find the receipt & or instruction sheet to confirm
Right now I am running 1 old bulb & 1 new LED

[PhillipsLT5]

Scott, after a trip down memory lane thru the receipts, that is the one I have 601-721, Mid America
Can you help?

[1991ZR1]

I think my switch harness came from Mid America also. It's very easy to correct the polarity. You need to get the weather pack terminal removal tool. Just switch the terminals at the connector that gets connected to the light that is not working. The change should be made on the after market switch harness and not the stock plug. Either way will work but this way, if someone removes the after market switch, the light will still work.

Don't forget to turn off the switch or disconnect the battery before working on this. Otherwise those terminals are live.

The tool is just a tube with a handle to pinch the terminal locking tabs so you can pull the wire and terminal out. The tool doesn't cost much and you should have one anyway so you can replace those old broken weather pack terminal housings.

[GOLDCYLON]

Looks fairly simple. Is this the process you went through and the correct tool?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNO49GYv5Ng

[scottfab]

This is what I recommend. And the reasons it's best are also listed.

I think my switch harness came from Mid America also. It's very easy to correct the polarity. You need to get the weather pack terminal removal tool. Just switch the terminals at the connector that gets connected to the light that is not working. The change should be made on the after market switch harness and not the stock plug. Either way will work but this way, if someone removes the after market switch, the light will still work.

Don't forget to turn off the switch or disconnect the battery before working on this. Otherwise those terminals are live.

The tool is just a tube with a handle to pinch the terminal locking tabs so you can pull the wire and terminal out. The tool doesn't cost much and you should have one anyway so you can replace those old broken weather pack terminal housings.

[1991ZR1]

Yes that is the tool and process. It's much faster and easier to do than explain.

The tool and weather pack housings if needed are available at NAPA and probably most auto parts stores.

Looks fairly simple. Is this the process you went through and the correct tool?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNO49GYv5Ng

[GOLDCYLON]

Thanks just ordered a 3 piece tool kit on Amazon.

[PhillipsLT5]

GC, send me the amazon link please

[GOLDCYLON]

GC, send me the amazon link please


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002JMYKS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had some amazon credit to spend lol

[LancePearson]

I'll interject here that the LED unit I made was designed
to only go in one way. The thinking was to make it more
straight forward to install. Had I known some of these aftermarket
harnesses swap polarity I could have made the unit such that
it could be rotated.
Oh well.

Scott,
with the lesser light, lesser expensive led's I put in I did in fact have one in backwards with polarity and just reversed it, end of problem.

Led's are great but slightly more technical like everything nowadays. Does anyone have a good, representative photo of your units in place at night to show before and after brightness?

My car is going to get a new, known provenance serpentine belt tomorrow before driving it to Carlisle with the Wazoo group April 6 then to Bowling Green May 15. I didn't get maint. records and don't know its age but it seems to me that it might be old enough in years to not depend on it on the Interstates in the middle of nowhere.

Is the polarity thing an issue if you put leds in your interior lights?

Lance

[GOLDCYLON]

Is the polarity thing an issue if you put leds in your interior lights?

Lance

No.. At least not with the kit I installed from Corvettehid.com

[LancePearson]

How have the Scott kit lights worked out? Do you like them? I just got a new serpentine belt, oil change, grease job in prep for some driving to Carlisle and the Gathering coming up over the next 8 weeks or so. My punch list is done.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Hey Scott,

The bulb assembly is awesome and everything you said they would be and more. I have no polarity issues whatsoever with my Gordon Killebrew switch assembly. What I love most about it is the color of the light and when I compared to the stock bulb there was no question next to the yellowish color that provides very little lighting to begin with. When compared to the other LED bulbs that I had there is also no question that this assembly will out perform anything else out there, period!! The best part is the low power usage that you designed these with is perfect considering I have a lightweight Odessey battery too from the power drainage perspective during use. I turned off all the lights in the garage and these illuminate so well that I can see how it will help during emergencies or just showing off the LT5 on cruise nights. These are awesome; thanks again Scott!! :cheers:

[1991ZR1]

These lights are a nice improvement over the regular bulbs. The improvement is a combination of more light and the light being white instead of yellowish.

[scottfab]

The light from the LEDs are in fact more white looking. Many of the replacements festoon type LED assemblies I tested were spec'd at 5000 or 6000 K in temperature. I chose 9000k LEDs specifically for that ultra white look. It makes 6000k look yellow when held side by side.
Also I chose 15deg not 130deg light projection to keep the light directly on the LT5 and not in the eyes of bystanders. The BIG win I think is in using a parallel series arrangement such that the current load is kept extremely low compared to others I saw. In some cases 4 times the brightness with half the current :dancing

I'm looking around at other of the many incandescent lights for replacement. Fortunately there is a wide selection of the common
bulb types out there both in color and intensity. That is good because in some locations it seems to me you don't want extreme brightness.
A few examples would be the vanity light and tail lights. (who wants to blind the driver behind you?)

The one assembly that I am looking into is the CMHSL lamps.
Those not only draw BIG current (in the order of 10amp) but they also suffer from burning of the circuit board. I replaced a few bulbs some years back. If I can't find a suitable replacement assembly that exactly matches ours I'm going to build one. I'll start a new thread with my findings.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

The light from the LEDs are in fact more white looking. Many of the replacements festoon type LED assemblies I tested were spec'd at 5000 or 6000 K in temperature. I chose 9000k LEDs specifically for that ultra white look. It makes 6000k look yellow when held side by side.
Also I chose 15deg not 130deg light projection to keep the light directly on the LT5 and not in the eyes of bystanders. The BIG win I think is in using a parallel series arrangement such that the current load is kept extremely low compared to others I saw. In some cases 4 times the brightness with half the current :dancing

I'm looking around at other of the many incandescent lights for replacement. Fortunately there is a wide selection of the common
bulb types out there both in color and intensity. That is good because in some locations it seems to me you don't want extreme brightness.
A few examples would be the vanity light and tail lights. (who wants to blind the driver behind you?)

The one assembly that I am looking into is the CMHSL lamps.
Those not only draw BIG current (in the order of 10amp) but they also suffer from burning of the circuit board. I replaced a few bulbs some years back. If I can't find a suitable replacement assembly that exactly matches ours I'm going to build one. I'll start a new thread with my findings.

Hey Scott,

I love the mod and thanks again for doing this.

I know I could have replaced all the interior bulbs for less, but for ease of research I went with the group buy that Daryll arranged from Corvette HID and waiting on those to arrive.

As for the CMHSL, I did mine with the Harbor Freight part and for the price and ease of install it was a good conversion that Andrew showed from CF: http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9587&highlight=harbor+freight

I would like to get rid of all incandescent bulbs if possible and already switched out the Euro (Porsche) side markers on my car, but don't have a solution for the tail/brake/turn signals with my Euro lamps there.

I appreciate all the help from this forum to update stuff like this. :handshak:

Craig

[LancePearson]

Just in case the discussion about Kelvins as a measure of color tickled your interest as Scott has discussed his choices which worked well here's a link which shows you something of what you get. For cameras this is an extremely important setting as lighting often is the "mood" of the photo with it's shades of color. http://www.eaglelight.com/c=Zmu7rf9XAT3Wk8I9RxkKkNnHl/category/lighting_tutorials.color_temperature/

The lower the number the more towards a reddish hued light it is. That's why incandescent bulbs have a reddish yellow cast to their light. The higher you go up into the 7-9000 kelvin range the more you begin to get not a white light but a bluish light. What we normally think of photographically as "white" light is somewhere in the middle around 4,000 kelvins or so. What that approximates in the 4-5000 K range is bright daylight color about noon on a clear sunny day. Even the 5,000 K lesser leds I put in mine at night which are less bright than Scott's but are brighter than the ones I replaced from the factory have a slightly bluish tint to them. Just take a photo and it's instantly obvious.

You could design led's of a kelvin range to give you just about what color hue you like but with enough of them in the array using led's like Scott's excellent ones you could have very, very bright lights but not have the bluish cast.

Like everything else more modern there is an array of choices and costs. Inside the car I would not want bluish, bright interior lights as it's a cold, kind of hard light photographically but something with a slightly warmer temperature maybe even down around 3,000 to 3,500 Kelvins. One of the reasons people so enjoy sunrise and sunset photos is that the light is a warm light, a slightly reddish yellow light that is softer than either extreme. It is all about mood in photos and to some degree glare and angle for shadows when you talk about light. I'd think the interior of a car would be effected no less by the hue so getting some Kelvins relationship in your head is not all bad if you change.

It's all a matter of taste and Scott has done a great job with this.

If you are thinking of doing more in life with led's the knowledge of Kelvins becomes kind of important as all lights have hues to them....to the best of my knowledge.

Lance

[scottfab]

Thanks Craig.
That is excellent and useful info and the part is still available.
cool.
Scott


Hey Scott,

I love the mod and thanks again for doing this.

I know I could have replaced all the interior bulbs for less, but for ease of research I went with the group buy that Daryll arranged from Corvette HID and waiting on those to arrive.

As for the CMHSL, I did mine with the Harbor Freight part and for the price and ease of install it was a good conversion that Andrew showed from CF: http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9587&highlight=harbor+freight

I would like to get rid of all incandescent bulbs if possible and already switched out the Euro (Porsche) side markers on my car, but don't have a solution for the tail/brake/turn signals with my Euro lamps there.

I appreciate all the help from this forum to update stuff like this. :handshak:

Craig

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Just in case the discussion about Kelvins as a measure of color tickled your interest as Scott has discussed his choices which worked well here's a link which shows you something of what you get. For cameras this is an extremely important setting as lighting often is the "mood" of the photo with it's shades of color. http://www.eaglelight.com/c=Zmu7rf9XAT3Wk8I9RxkKkNnHl/category/lighting_tutorials.color_temperature/

The lower the number the more towards a reddish hued light it is. That's why incandescent bulbs have a reddish yellow cast to their light. The higher you go up into the 7-9000 kelvin range the more you begin to get not a white light but a bluish light. What we normally think of photographically as "white" light is somewhere in the middle around 4,000 kelvins or so. What that approximates in the 4-5000 K range is bright daylight color about noon on a clear sunny day. Even the 5,000 K lesser leds I put in mine at night which are less bright than Scott's but are brighter than the ones I replaced from the factory have a slightly bluish tint to them. Just take a photo and it's instantly obvious.

You could design led's of a kelvin range to give you just about what color hue you like but with enough of them in the array using led's like Scott's excellent ones you could have very, very bright lights but not have the bluish cast.

Like everything else more modern there is an array of choices and costs. Inside the car I would not want bluish, bright interior lights as it's a cold, kind of hard light photographically but something with a slightly warmer temperature maybe even down around 3,000 to 3,500 Kelvins. One of the reasons people so enjoy sunrise and sunset photos is that the light is a warm light, a slightly reddish yellow light that is softer than either extreme. It is all about mood in photos and to some degree glare and angle for shadows when you talk about light. I'd think the interior of a car would be effected no less by the hue so getting some Kelvins relationship in your head is not all bad if you change.

It's all a matter of taste and Scott has done a great job with this.

If you are thinking of doing more in life with led's the knowledge of Kelvins becomes kind of important as all lights have hues to them....to the best of my knowledge.

Lance

Lance,

I know squat about lighting and photography and with your explanation I think I understand why and how importing lighting is when taking photographs. I notice when the car is in the sunlight as you said it looks red and when I take pictures in darkness or the garage, my car always looks orange from the flash. At least I think that is why now after your education about kelvins and mood/color. Thanks for highlighting this related to lighting. :cheers:

Craig

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Thanks Craig.
That is excellent and useful info and the part is still available.
cool.
Scott

You're welcome. I bet you could design a cool, better and brighter set up for yourself.

Craig

[scottfab]

You're welcome. I bet you could design a cool, better and brighter set up for yourself.

Craig

I'm betting it's bright enough with those HF string LEDs but I do see they are only 9 some inches wide. The CMHSL units on our cars are about 12in wide.
I may see fit to lengthen them "for a few dollars more". :)

[GOLDCYLON]

Work great! As I too have a madvet switch I had to reverse polarity in the weather pack of the switch plug as well. Works like a champ. Thanks GC

[1991ZR1]

I took advantage of the Corvette HID group buy also. Thanks Daryll. There's a Corvette Mods on the other forum that sells LED's at lower cost but I haven't heard how people like them. They also sell reverse lights. If anyone tried them, I would be interested to know how well they work.

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I'm betting it's bright enough with those HF string LEDs but I do see they are only 9 some inches wide. The CMHSL units on our cars are about 12in wide.
I may see fit to lengthen them "for a few dollars more". :)


Hi Scott,

I'm sure you'll find a way to tweak it and improve it with your ingenuity and knowledge. On another note, today I finally installed the HID conversion H4 headlights I was given by a friend here 2 years ago. It only took less than an hour to install and all plug and play. Why did I wait so long? This one is a 55W, 8000K unit with white light (did not want any trouble with colored lamps); it is simply awesome.

Craig :cheers:

[HAWAIIZR-1]

I took advantage of the Corvette HID group buy also. Thanks Daryll. There's a Corvette Mods on the other forum that sells LED's at lower cost but I haven't heard how people like them. They also sell reverse lights. If anyone tried them, I would be interested to know how well they work.

I wish I were still young with a good memory. I know I did an upgrade to bulbs for reverse and it was just a high wattage to make it brighter when backing up. I would be interested in what has been discovered for the reverse lights. I had to do some other mod too for the reverse switch on the tranny to last longer too. I hope all is going well in Maui. Take care, Craig

[LancePearson]

Craig,
"Lance,

I know squat about lighting and photography and with your explanation I think I understand why and how importing lighting is when taking photographs. I notice when the car is in the sunlight as you said it looks red and when I take pictures in darkness or the garage, my car always looks orange from the flash. At least I think that is why now after your education about kelvins and mood/color. Thanks for highlighting this related to lighting. :cheers:

Craig "
__________________

What the human eye sees is a function of several things but the color will vary with the light that is on the car's finish for sure. I have two Vettes, both "bright red" 1991 I believe it is and on a day where there is no direct, bright, overhead light full of glare they tend to look like a darker and red red. On the opposite day they will tend to have an orangish cast to them. It's a function of a tiny amount of some kind of yellowish pigment in the paint's make up and the ambient light reflecting off the finish. A truer red is something like Torch Red which tends to be more the same in different lights just as an example. Your eye will see light differently than the camera does which tends to see it in their digital sensors which pick it up somewhat more accurately and without the context of surroundings so when you look at photos under different lights color expressed in kelvins is more apparent.

This whole area of led's is growing and they are capable of a wide range of colors in the light generated. As I incompletely understand it an led has a substance of a certain chemistry in it which electricity runs through and that generates the wave length of light depending on the chemistry of the substance to determine color. I'm not sure how intensity is developed, maybe current draw but I don't know that. Regardless, they offer some terrific light sources at much lower amp draws. Boats, cars, anything battery driven is beginning to use them despite their high cost. They also don't have fragile wire filaments in exotic atmosphere glass encased housings and for cars which bump around, it's a real plus. So, I'm trying to learn about them. Scot is way, way ahead of all of us with his skills but I work best when I understand the principles behind something especially if it's an emerging thing.

[GOLDCYLON]

I took advantage of the Corvette HID group buy also. Thanks Daryll. There's a Corvette Mods on the other forum that sells LED's at lower cost but I haven't heard how people like them. They also sell reverse lights. If anyone tried them, I would be interested to know how well they work.

I am using the led rears. But I picked those up from Madvett about 6 years ago. They are a very bright improvement over stock.

[Paul Workman]

My new under hood lighting; $21 and a 5-minute install! And, light enough to see around the entire front end! Thanks Scottfab!!
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,
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,

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,
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,
,
,
,
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,
,
,
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http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x220/6PPC_bucket/003_zpsd81a32c4.jpg

But, Scott...Somehow it just doesn't look quite right???? (Punishment for "ripping" my secondaries out, no doubt. But! I can't argue with a good KLUDGE solution!) :sign10:

Jess pokin some fun. Saw some (of your?) under hood LEDs on Friday, and they're SHARP! :thumbsup:

[scottfab]

Snip....
But, Scott...Somehow it just doesn't look quite right???? (Punishment for "ripping" my secondaries out, no doubt. But! I can't argue with a good KLUDGE solution!)

Jess pokin some fun. Saw some (of your?) under hood LEDs on Friday, and they're SHARP! :thumbsup:

I take absolutely NO offense. A kludge is in the eye of the beholder.
We've got to get along here even if we disagree on stuff. AND AND AND it should be OK to disagree. Suppression of an opposing view is tyranny. :nono:(we don't live in N Korea)

I ripped out the stock exhaust as soon as I got the car and would not take offense if ANYONE said I ripped them out. What's the big deal?
If I took offense it'd be a sure sign that I'm insecure in my conviction to do so.
My brothers and I grew up in a boys home. We learned to roll with ribbing but not with abuse (personal attacks). Besides, I've had my coffee, dog is fed and life is good. :fahne:
And I know the difference between engine displacement and the moniker given to it :-D

I've published an extensive list of systems and components that I've modified for reliability and/or performance. Some are well documented some not so much (kludge). I've tried to keep an accurate record of such for the next owner. It's about the people AND the car. For the "people" part of it to work we have to communicate with future generations of owners through supportable and documented changes.
Many of mine come in the form of notes in the manual.
As you can tell I've had enough coffee to reach cruising altitude. :hello:

[Fully Vetted]

I'm glad this topic has come up again. I finally put your lights in and they no worky. Of course, I knew they wouldn't since the ones I took out were good and they weren't working either. So, I guess now I'll search for the 10 amp in line fuse. If I'm not mistaken it's located off of the drivers side parking light? If that is good I probably need to search for a switch installed by the PO. Any other ideas?

[LancePearson]

David,
On the drivers side just to the back of the assemblies directly below the headlight on the hood when up is a little two part fuse container with the ten amp spade fuse in it. My lights didn't work when I got the car and the owner had simply taken the fuse out. The female part of the fitting on mine is attached to a metal bracket about an inch and a half long and you can rotate it up a little. Just pull the short "cover" off while holding it and check for fuse or good fuse. I'm told many never put a switch in, just take the fuse out. Mine is in with led's in now so I don't remove it but know where it is.

From the tire, look forward and down and in about 8" from the fender edge...dark color so it's easier to see with a flashlight. One of the two holder sections has the two wires coming out of it to hold the head of the fuse and the spades go into the female end fastened to the metal piece. Not large assembly at all.

[scottfab]

I'm glad this topic has come up again. I finally put your lights in and they no worky. Of course, I knew they wouldn't since the ones I took out were good and they weren't working either. So, I guess now I'll search for the 10 amp in line fuse. If I'm not mistaken it's located off of the drivers side parking light? If that is good I probably need to search for a switch installed by the PO. Any other ideas?

My recommendation will depend on what in the way of equipment you have. Do you have a volt/ohm meter? or test light ?
If you do then I'd start at the connector just to the right and forward of the coolant over flow container.(passenger side) You'll see two or three connectors there. Trace these to where they are going. Find the one going to the hood not the head lamps. Check that it is plugged in. If it is, unplug it and check for ~12V there (on the car side not hood side). I go about it this way to mentally isolate half of the wiring. If you have 12V then the issue is with the wiring in the hood or the mercury switches. If you don't have 12V then there is a fuse problem or as you say, someone added a switch somewhere and didn't document it.

Do you have the FSM called "Section 8A Electrical Diagnostic Service Manual Supplement" ? If not I can scan in the relevant page.
We'll have you going in no time.

[GOLDCYLON]

David,
On the drivers side just to the back of the assemblies directly below the headlight on the hood when up is a little two part fuse container with the ten amp spade fuse in it. My lights didn't work when I got the car and the owner had simply taken the fuse out. The female part of the fitting on mine is attached to a metal bracket about an inch and a half long and you can rotate it up a little. Just pull the short "cover" off while holding it and check for fuse or good fuse. I'm told many never put a switch in, just take the fuse out. Mine is in with led's in now so I don't remove it but know where it is.

From the tire, look forward and down and in about 8" from the fender edge...dark color so it's easier to see with a flashlight. One of the two holder sections has the two wires coming out of it to hold the head of the fuse and the spades go into the female end fastened to the metal piece. Not large assembly at all.


Lance do you have a picture of where this fuse is? Anybody?

[LancePearson]

Yes, will dig it out tomorrow...not on my tablet.

[GOLDCYLON]

Yes, will dig it out tomorrow...not on my tablet.


Lance found it next to the vaccum bowl. Thanks D

[LancePearson]

Yep, that's the spot...good.

[Fully Vetted]

Yep, I found it. It wasn't what I was expecting so thanks for the description. Opened it up and wouldn't you know it...no fuse. Popped in a 10 spot and glorious LED light poured down upon me. Thanks for the help.

While I was digging around I came across a plug that was unplugged and I have no idea what it's to. Any ideas?

http://www.zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=215&pictureid=2128

I plug it in and nothing seems to happen. That I know of I don't have anything that isn't working except my antenna, backup lights and CHMSL.

[efnfast]

So, my '90' has plugs for the lights, that are currently unpluged. I don' see no stinkin' fuse.

[Fully Vetted]

Here's the fuse container. Just pop it open to expose the fuse. It even says 10 amp fuse on the top.

http://www.zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=220&pictureid=2130

[LancePearson]

Fully Vetted...as I understand it some put switches on the under hood lights for long openings to save the battery but many just reached down and pulled that ten amp fuse and put it in the center or glove box with spare fuses. I don't know what your unplugged connecters go to but you could start the engine, turn your lights on with them unclipped then turn your fog lights on then go in front and see if they are on. Alternately, you could with a volt ohmmeter see if there is voltage going through it with engine on and off. If you haven't open your fuse box and with a spade puller pull each one and see if they are okay and put them back. You may have a blown one. If there is one slot with no fuse in the box then find out in the manual what it is. Not unusual for some owners to rather than pay to fix minor things that break they just pulled the fuse and unclipped the wire. My 76 horns were not even connected and they didn't even know it, said the horn didn't work. Easy fix. Lastly, try tracing the wires back somewhere. I still don't know what all the relays, yada, yada are under there.

One thing which annoyed me was the horns sounded so wimpy and I know Corvette uses two horns from my 76, an A note and a C note which together sound okay. On the Z it sounded too quiet to me so I wondered if one was broken. Took a while but one day with the hood up I unplugged one then honked the horn and the other one worked, then unplugged the other and plugged the other one up and did the same, it worked. Then I honked with hood up and both sounds were there. Bottom line is I'd just like a louder horn than the factory did. They are easy to get to.

The connection to the horns is right there at each horn.

[Fully Vetted]

I haven't had it plugged in since I've owned it. I'll look in the FSM and see if I can figure it out.

[efnfast]

Here's the fuse container. Just pop it open to expose the fuse. It even says 10 amp fuse on the top.

http://www.zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=220&pictureid=2130
Excellent, thanks for the great picture. I just don't have one in my car.

[GOLDCYLON]

[QUOTE=Fully Vetted;169828]Here's the fuse container. Just pop it open to expose the fuse. It even says 10 amp fuse on the top.

http://www.zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=220&pictureid=2130[/
I dont Think MY90's have. Just 91s and up.

[efnfast]

Thank you, I hate feeling like a 'tard.

[-=Jeff=-]

[QUOTE=Fully Vetted;169828]Here's the fuse container. Just pop it open to expose the fuse. It even says 10 amp fuse on the top.

http://www.zr1.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=220&pictureid=2130[/
I dont Think MY90's have. Just 91s and up.

GC you would be correct.. wiring changed in 91

[tf95ZR1]

FYI Sale:

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~0000050f~10815~~~~~~~000005 0F