Focus Mk2 & Mk2.5 Footwell Lights

[artscot79]

I simply purchased the illuminated ignition ring and spliced front and rear footwell leds from that

[jeebowhite]

seems a simple enough option, I was hoping to do it though without additional splicing if possible.

[artscot79]

you could do it was just far simpler doing it through the ignition ring to be honest

[jeebowhite]

im still toying with the best way, but I am hovering over the buy it now button on it all

[vince_13]

i also went for the option of splicing the loom of the ignition ring, only because of past experience with using tools inside the car near wiring,

that way i can make the loom up (including the inline fuse) as long and as tidy as ya want outside the car (in the warm etc) and then simply install

[jeebowhite]

well I hit the buy button on quite a few things. Can anyone with any experience of wiring in their own LED strips advise if you earthed each of the connections, or just wired the pos and neg of the LED's directly into the wire?

[Oliverb]

Yeah I have changed my footwell light and interior lights all to LED white , gives the inside a nice look !!

You are asking what else you could do,

Well maybe , glove box light , main interior light, buy the heater control dials circular ones they allow a red glow from the light through on eBay around £11

Lights are the only thing inside really for little money ..

Outside change all the lights to xenon ones, scuff plates , new number plates Legal 3D font with NO border or GB logo (just sweet and simple (£20) .... Ermmmm yeah

:-)

[vince_13]

well I hit the buy button on quite a few things. Can anyone with any experience of wiring in their own LED strips advise if you earthed each of the connections, or just wired the pos and neg of the LED's directly into the wire?

if it was me, i wouldnt use the fuse holder, but simply take a fused +ve wire to the 1st strip, and a -ve (GND) wire to the -ve same strip then simply wire each strip in series from there on, i.e

strip 1 +ve to strip 2 +ve

strip 1 -ve to strip 2 -ve

just double check hich fused wires you taking power from

[jeebowhite]

Thanks guys I'm very much A noob at these electronics hence my reluctant nature cutting existing wires can't ruin something if you haven't attacked it lol

[vince_13]

This maybe slightly off topic but what my dad suggested to me was to buy or use an old pc power supply and rig it for 5, 10 and 12V then any mods you want to try for ya car just put the 12v from the psu (it can only blow the psu fuse or trip ya rcd in ya house), rather than blowing fuses in ya car or worst case ya battery

[jeebowhite]

Good idea I never thought of that! Not got any spare but that is an excellent idea!

[vince_13]

Yeh works wonders when I built my loom plug in and see, yeh be worth second hand 1

What colour did you buy?

[b4zz]

checked mine and it hasent got any doh

[jeebowhite]

blue :) going for a blue interior look, hoping to replace the two main courtesy lights with LED blue festoons, to accompany the blue footwell lights, then might leave the map lights as white (hopefully decent LED's) just to allow clarity in reading...

getting rather excited now :p

I darent tell the wife how much I have recently spent on these things...

[jeebowhite]

OK so today I received my LED lights (two days - not bad for second class post!) and the wiring is positive and negative as anticipated. I tested the LED's by touching them against a live 12v output. only when I touch the positive to the bottom and the negative to the side does it light up. I wonder now how to wire it into (for example) a fusetap).

I would wire the LIVE directly into it, but dont believe that putting that and negative together into the fuse tap will work. In which case, where do I earth it! given also that these are four seperate units, where would I earth the rest :(

Any words of wisdom?

[Stoney871]

Wire the live feeds in parallel and then run the earth to any metal bulkhead or screw/bolt.

[vince_13]

am i right in thinking that the fuse tap would sit directly in place of a fuse in the fusebox?

something like this perhaps

[jeebowhite]

Thanks guys,

well I have just done the fuse tap idea, only problem is I thought that the fuse port was dimmed and switched off when the lights go, seemingly not, so by fuse tapping I dont think there is a way that it will switch off... more testing is required!

I have put the +ve into the fuse tap, and at some point will need to take the glove box out to find a suitable earth point.

My plan is probably similar to the below in the long term... please excuse the very crude diagram:

so RED box is currently fuse tap, may be substituted for the live wire of the illuminated ignition barrel when it comes through next month.

BLACK earth will be either an earth point / screw or similar behind glove box, or an earth point closer to the ignition barrel mod.

Then I will in series splice into the +ve/-ve speaker wire (I have bought just to ensure the LED's can reach all the footwells) three LED strips (front two, one rear) and then terminate this with the final rear footwell LED. I will probably heat shrink some protection over the top of each of these staggered joints.

Now, just to get the wiring sorted first, and then when it works by connecting it to the cigarette lighter then I will wire it once and for all into the final position, but will play in the interim...

Anyone know if any of the fuseboard only comes alive on ignition, or will switch off for example when for example the lights go off...? I just dont know if the lights are using the remainder of the current on the interior circuit, or if they will remain permanently lit?

I don't know if the fuse takes the wire from the fuse to the gem where its switched off, or if the gem switches off the port with the fuse in it...

Any advice much appreciated!

[vince_13]

the gem must have some input into the current being drawn because it will turn the dash display off (unless its on a timer relay)

what you could also do is run a +ve and -ve off the igniton light loom put an inline fuse on the +ve, link the -ves of the leds strips to earth therefore the leds will be on when the igniton ring is on and off when its off, as it runs off the interior light the gem will control the delay period,

[jeebowhite]

hmmm I dont really want to splice into any more of the "original" electrics of the Focus, I am currently more swayed to the idea of awaiting my illuminated ignition barrel, then splicing into it!

and I wonder if my gem is being a pain in the backside, as the dash display (trip computer / gear window) stays lit up like a christmas tree 24/7

[jeebowhite]

hmmm just been out there for 40 odd minutes, trying to find the mysterious "7" torx screws for the glovebox, and in the meantime somehow blowing my interior lights fuse twice!

I found the two on either side of the catch, one at each side at the top... but I cant find the last three screws to take the glovebox fully out... anyone any ideas?

[Stoney871]

If the glove box is like the Focus one the other screws are under little lugs at the bottom edge of the box, flip them down to expose the screws.

[vince_13]

hmmm I dont really want to splice into any more of the "original" electrics of the Focus, I am currently more swayed to the idea of awaiting my illuminated ignition barrel, then splicing into it!

and I wonder if my gem is being a pain in the backside, as the dash display (trip computer / gear window) stays lit up like a christmas tree 24/7

sorry i meant to splice into the ingition ring loom, maybe the gem does limit and monitor the current flow whilst the display is on, ive no idea how long it stays on,

[jeebowhite]

I cant seem to find that particular flap you refer to, if you get a chance Clive and are able to snap a shot that would be appreciated!

[Stoney871]

Done some searching, looks like there's a screw under the side as well, possibly under your dash (bracket to right of picture)