Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? September 27, 2017, 01:22:05 PM Let's say you want your rear reading lights (C-pillar) to come on when you open the door, since you keep stuff in the back you'd like to find at night. What would be the easiest way to trigger the rear lights with a door opening signal? Tap the wire from the passenger side dash-to-floor light and run it to the switch in the console? That switch has me confused and the EVTM isn't helping. And yes, I've converted them all to LEDs, so the electrical draw shouldn't be much more with the additional lights. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #1 – September 27, 2017, 02:22:37 PM do you want it so the switch in the back of the center console will still activate the lights also? Or just so they strictly turn on with the regular inside lights and the switch does nothing? Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #2 – September 27, 2017, 04:22:32 PM I would like for the lights to do both: take input from the switch and the door. Can't be too hard, Lincolns do it all the time :) Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #3 – September 27, 2017, 04:47:10 PM Well it can be done but it's gonna require liberal amounts of pumpkin spice...is that something you're willing to abide? Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #4 – September 27, 2017, 05:32:16 PM If you like redneck you could drop a wire down from the dome light to the switch.But any simple wiring of the courtesy lights to the reading lights will work both ways.Turning on the switch will light the courtesy lights along with the reading lights.You could replace the single throw switch with a double throw switch. That way the OFF side of the switch could tie courtesy and reading lights together.The ON side of the switch would power just the reading lights. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #5 – September 27, 2017, 05:44:14 PM Quote from: ericcoolcats;462951well it can be done but it's gonna require liberal amounts of pumpkin spice...is that something you're willing to abide? nevar!!!!! Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #6 – September 27, 2017, 05:44:57 PM Quote from: softtouch;462953If you like redneck you could drop a wire down from the dome light to the switch.But any simple wiring of the courtesy lights to the reading lights will work both ways.Turning on the switch will light the courtesy lights along with the reading lights.Hmm...maybe I will dig into my Lincoln EVTM manuals to see how they make it work without activating every light when you hit the switch. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #7 – September 27, 2017, 05:52:38 PM Quote from: pro-five-oh;462955Hmm...maybe I will dig into my Lincoln EVTM manuals to see how they make it work without activating every light when you hit the switch. I added a solution in my post. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #8 – September 27, 2017, 07:30:12 PM I had thought about this very scenario years ago. What I wanted was an either/or situation: either the entry lamps OR the rear switch could operate those courtesy lights, but never both simultaneously. And also, I wanted to run everything through stock fuses.Only thing I came up with was redoing the wires for the door post switch so that the rear switch could only get power when the door post switch was closed. Opening the door would override the rear lamp switch. But I never pursued the theory as I'd sold the car.(Pumpkin spice is an inside thing...) Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #9 – September 27, 2017, 07:52:14 PM "punkin' spice"?Wasn't that one of those scantily clad bimbos in that ~band~ called spice girls? (i really hesitated calling them a band...more like a travelling bordello choir?) LOL Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #10 – September 28, 2017, 01:09:41 AM That's how the 83's are wired. They have the lights at the backside of the console and come on with the dome light. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #11 – September 28, 2017, 11:02:02 AM Quote from: softtouch;462956I added a solution in my post.I think you are on to something. Maybe I can hack one of the Mark VII reading light switches and put it into the same location without ruining the factory look of the console. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #12 – September 28, 2017, 11:02:44 AM Quote from: Haystack;462963That's how the 83's are wired. They have the lights at the backside of the console and come on with the dome light.Hmm...time to see if one of those older buttons is on eBay. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #13 – September 28, 2017, 03:59:59 PM Quote from: pro-five-oh;462966I think you are on to something. Maybe I can hack one of the Mark VII reading light switches and put it into the same location without ruining the factory look of the console.I had a Mark VII and , if I recall correctly, the rear lamps came on with the dome light and also with a switch. There was a rocker switch on each rear sail panel that controlled the lights independently. The Thunderbird/Cougar use a push button single pole on/off switch on the back of the console. Frankly I'm not sure how to make the stock switch function the way you want and retain the factory look. I'm sure it can be done but it's above my head, electrically :hick:. Quote Selected
Turning reading lights into courtesy lights? Reply #14 – September 29, 2017, 01:34:03 AM A diode would do it. Really wouldn't be a big deal. Just wire power on with the dome light (bet you could just tap into the ash tray light in the console) and the hook the same power wire up through the switch with a diode in between. Quote Selected
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