Location: Among javelinas and scorpions near Tucson, AZ
Vehicle: 2005 Ford F150
Posts: 3,604
Or, you could wire something in with a mechanical switch in the engine compartment you could throw whenever you opened the hood. (But, you probably want the mercury switch solution).
Jack makes a good point.
Something like an alarm hood latch that is a push button might also be a good idea in addition to a manual switch ?
I went looking and found not only they outlawed a Mercury switch to be installed in a new car, but also there is a scrap car Mercury switch recovery program. Bone yards might not have them ??
The federal fund paid to the bone yard to recover the switches ran out of money. Few states ( IL included for me ) still run paid recovery programs, you might be lucky and live in a state that does not pay to have them removed, and might get one from a 2003 and older MY F-150.
Location: Among javelinas and scorpions near Tucson, AZ
Vehicle: 2005 Ford F150
Posts: 3,604
Another solution you may or may not like is to hotwire an LED to the battery. There are ones that pull 1-3 Watts (which is 1/4 Amp or less) that would put out plenty of light for the engine compartment.
The drain is so low that unless you left the truck sitting for a long time (over a week), you wouldn't put too much drain on the battery.
This is a solution we applied to a friend's car, that seemed to attract packrats that liked to chew the underhood wires. They don't like to move into lit up spaces. We used a lower wattage LED for that though, about 1/2 Watt I think.
Location: Among javelinas and scorpions near Tucson, AZ
Vehicle: 2005 Ford F150
Posts: 3,604
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSCULLY
That has to look strange with the white glow from under the front of the truck while driving down the road.
Don't know if it is that noticeable in town, but on a dark road does it show ?
luds4wd -> Sorry for the hijack, Jack and I are just amusing ourselves today
It might, Steve. I never thought of that as I was installing it for him. I put it on the firewall, and I doubt he can see it from inside the car, but it's got to look a bit like a white ground effect light under the engine compartment from outside.
I've never bothered to look at his car at night though. I could have done it recently too, we were over there last weekend.
It's not really a hijack though. We're talking about underhood lights and you're simply pointing out a "side effect" I'd never considered.
Even the very old Ford (ITT) tilt-on underhood lights use a ball tilt switch, so Mercury isn't a real concern. There are several styles, so take your pick. Some CV/GM/TCs use a tilt switch on the trunk lid with the light mounted inside (where it doesn't move). Others use a switch inside the trunk latch to operate the same fixture. Many Fords use a small tilt-on fixture that snaps into 2 holes in the hood.
Older Ford trucks (& many Jeeps) often got a tilt-on underhood self-recoiling magnetic work light, but they usually need to be rebuilt to work properly.
GM trucks got a manual-rewind manual-switch magnetic light.
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