Hi, I want to make a dome light that works off a switch and the door switches. Can any one help. thanks Jim
Basic electricity, involving a light and a normally open switch. https://www.google.com/search?site=...#tbm=isch&q=how+to+wire+a+dome+light&imgdii=_
positive path Battery - fuse - light Ground path Light- split to door switch Short to ground when door open and toggle to ground
Like bonzo said. Two ground wires coming off the light. One to the door switch and one to the switch on the roof/dash.
And the hot wire is hot to the bulb at all times. So make sure that the frame of the light (if it grounds the bulb) is insulated from the car frame. Cuz like the guys said above, the light comes on when the ground connects to the light. -Pat
helps if you get a dome light from something, which has the two wires going to it, instead of just one. connect the red wire to +, connect the white wire to the door jamb switch.
I need some help also. I have 2 domelamps for a 40 Ford from Bob Drake that has a single wire from them. I have door jamb switches that only have one terminal. There is a power wire from the KwikWire loom marked courtesy light power. So does the power wire connect to the 1-terminal switch and then piggy back to the lamps, one on each "B" pillar?? I am not planning a toggle type switch, only want them to come on when I open the drivers door.
You can use a relay for that. Run the hot dome lamp wire to relay, then up to light. Run a power source to the relay to energize it, then run ground thru jamb switch. I keep a bunch of the 5 terminal Bosche relays around for doing things like this.
The drake 40 lights were designed to come on when a switch was closed to the hot wire--the body is grounded. To use them there are two options. replace the bulb receptacle with a two wire contact or install a relay to close by the door (ground switches) I usually use a relay. Greybeard360 beat me to it--do it the sameway.
I need help also. I am rewiring my 53 f100 using EZ wire kit. It has a white wire that goes from the fuse box to the dome light. How do I get the power to the light? I have seen something talking about running ground wires but just don't understand it completely.
The hot white wire would go straight to the bulb/light. Then the ground from the bulb/light goes to the door jamb switch. When a door is closed, the jamb switch is held open so that the switch is NOT grounded, since the switch isn't grounded no ground contact is made for the light to operate. When the door is open the jamb switch moves out and grounds itself to the body and completes the circuit and in doing so grounds the bulb/light in the dome housing allowing the light to come on. The bulb is always hot, its the ground to the light that is turned off and on thru the jamb switch allowing the bulb to glow....
There is also the option of running the Ford style door jamb switches with two connections and the dome light grounding at the light.
This is an old thread, but thought I'd add a link to a video that explained the Ford vs GM switches fairly well.
Here's some HAMB search info - https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/59-f100-dome-courtesy-light.871047/ I'm using Ford 8M13713 door switches and a 60's> GM headlamp switch. This method also allows you to turn on the dome lamp manually and dim it with the headlamp switch.
I am wiring in a dome light now. I'm using a on-off-on toggle switch. That way the doors turn on the light or I can turn on the light manually. And also have an off position so no light comes on when the door opens. That comes in handy sometimes like at a drive in movie.
@J.M. Dome lights are wired to be live all the time [from the fuse box], but they ground via the door switch to create a circuit [all ground wires can be parallel as only 1 ground matters] You can use a Chevy light switch to also manually operate the dome light [it has a separate dome light to ground terminal] But if you want a separate toggle switch [or latching button] simply Tee off one of the ground wires to the switch. Then add a ground wire to the other terminal to the switch. This method allows any door or the switch to operate the dome light.
The OG one in my '59 Ford was a single wire, the socket body was the ground. The harness kit came with 2 wires, a black and white. The new jamb switches had black and white wires. I bought a new light socket with 2 wires, again, black and white. I wired it up per the harness kit instructions. I had to join the 2 black wires, I went across the bottom of the dash.
Having the door jam switches provide a ground for the dome lights also can double for a "cheap" alarm. Just connect the door jam switch wire to a small toggle switch, then to the horn relay wire coming from the steering column. The toggle switch will enable/disable the alarm. Works great, you can even put a door jam switch to activate when the hood is opened too.
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