I was thinking of having a waterproof led strip light mounted to either, the underside of the bonnet, or somewhere in the engine bay.

I wanted to know if there was any way of wiring it so that once the bonnet is open it turns on.

Now i know you could get like some aftermarket latch type switch which compresses, thus cuts the power when closed.

But was wondering if there is a sensor that tells you when the bonnet is open?

Like if the boot or rear door is open you get the messege on the dash.

That way i could try and tap into that...

the heat and vibration will kill any type of light you put in leds will last 5 minutes once the heat hits them if they survive that long the vibration will kill them theres a few cars out there that had them as standard but due to the above they were usually ripped out and thrown away

what about neon? ..or is that just the stuff of fast and furious? lol

a friend of mine has and led strip on his prefaclift mondeo bonnet so they light up the grill when the bonnets down, then light up the engine bay when its open.

His are wired to the side lights but you could probably use something like the switches used on the doors.

Well there is deffo some kind of sensor on the bonnet as the alarm goes off on mine if you open it without unlocking the doors. Not really looked into it tho. I always carry a headtorch in the glove box myself

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Not a hard mod at all I considered it myself even did up a little drawing.

Here is what you will need

A dead man switch, bulb, fuse, and some wiring 1mm/1.5mm depending on bulb type.

You can buy a pre wired fused wiring kit off eBay.

Fit the switch somewhere the bonnet stops near the inside of the bay such as the bump stops. The bonnet will press down onto the switch for the off position and when the bonnet is open the release spring will turn the switch into the on position

Run a feed from the battery with the fuse to the switch then from the switch to the light, the light can be positioned under the bonnet insulator/heat shield with the wiring. It would require minimal wiring straight from the battery if the light is positioned at the buttom of the bonnet near the battery where its cooler.

You can buy bulb holders pre wired for easy changing of bulbs or fit led strips. I don't think led bulbs would last long, halogen bulbs would be better.

You would have to find a good place for the switch. If it's too near when closing the bonnet the switch will be crushed if its too far it wont operate. That or you can fit a manual switch right after the fuse next to the battery.

The hardest part is finding a good place for the switch everything else is simple

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The alarm uses the same sort of switch, I would suggest leaving that alone it coyld possibly interfere with your alarm, I have the same alarm issues

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There is definately a sensor, as the bonnet warning comes on the computer. Ideally though your better installing a dedicated switch.

You can get high heat tolerant LED's. but they will cost more than standard ones. Just wire them into a perm-alive (from the battery even!) the closed circuit is on the open swiitch :) you don't want to install them in the engine bay directly, or you would need some careful planning as to where to put them to ensure they get some ventilation.

the switch is in the bonnet latch

tapping that would be a bit tricky then ;)

Aaron,

i like your thinking. Its a good idea and would be very useful if you had a problem in the evening.

maybe you could wire in a small led inside the car thats connected to the bonnet lighting so that too would come on if the bonnet wasnt closed properly? Maybe the switch could be mounted on the inside of the wing/runner?

let us know how you get on

I'm thinking of having an on/off switch inside the car (maybe where the diagnostic port is, as I already have a switch for the drl's)

So it's just a case of finding suitable lighting and a position for it.

I was initially thinking led strip lights for the simplicity of installation, and was hoping for bright white light to match the rest of the car...

Cheers for the input guys... Any other info or ideas are greatly appreciated!!

I think the easiest answer is this.

Wire up a circuit direct to the battery. Wiring in the middle a circuit open when button pressed switch, alternatively, install a rocker switch next to the battery, so that when you pop the bonnet you can switch the rocker and control it manually (this probably is the easiest installation. I would advise that you install an inline fuse, perhaps a 5 amp?

Then Wire it around the engine bay. I would say, take a few LED Pad lights (or similar), install them on the bulkhead, furthest away from the heat sources, so perhaps one mounted on the battery cover pointing into the engine bay. One on the offside pointing in, one on the opposite side, one up by the top left of the engine bay.

Then, from that circuit, wire in a second wire that you can lay underneath the bonnet lining. Then you can mount some strong LED strip lights along the top of the bonnet.

This way, you will have light shining in from inside the bonnet, and light shining down from the top of the bonnet. You will probably need a few well positioned strips to give you a sufficient light.

In essence you can floodlight your bonnet with LED lighting, if you get the right heat resistant lighting, and position it in the coolest area's, then you should be able to do a good job of lighting without killing the lighting.

You might also find it worth considering installing an "extractor fan". Its something I have considered for a while, if you were to install like a bonnet vent, you might be able to install a small fan that can run to draw the heat out of the bonnet and out through the vent, thus trying to reduce the heat in the bonnet, perhaps protecting your lighting further still, and still your bonnet looks cool with a vent on it too :p

If your installing a manual switch only like your drl switch I would think of a back up of some kind. Forgetting to switch off the bonnet light could potentially kill your battery.

With an auto switch it would still be a good idea installing another switch a manual switch for long periods where the bonnet may be kept opened for work.

Installing the switch inside of the car means always remembering to turn it off is an accident waiting to happen lol I had a good long think Bout this in while considering how to do it

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