[JGarrett911]

I just recently bought 2 10" green neon lights and today I was going to install them under my dash (one on drivers side and one on passenger) then hook them up so they would come on w/ the front reading/dome lights. To make a long story short, i got them mounted and ran the power wire up under the headliner and popped the little console w/ the lights down and hooked up the wires. I didn't have a test light to find out which was the right wire, so i just started hooking it up. The first wire nothing turned on, so i'm assuming it was the ground. the second wire turned the light on, but would not turn it off, and the third wire got my neon to turn on and off w/ the reading light, but there is a big problem. It would turn my neon on when the dome lights were off, and turn it off when the dome lights were on.

Anyone got any ideas?

~JGarrett911

 

[DMAG]

Is it hooked before or after the switch?

 

[JGarrett911]

I connected the wire at the base of the light - the part that you have to remove to actually change the bulb.


~JGarrett911

 

[Bart]

I don't know the specifics, but the dome lights are hooked up to a funky circuit... you might have noticed that the lights slowly fade away when you shut the doors. Just about everything that seems simple is pretty complicated in these cars, ie: door locks, power windows, dome lights... etc. I've never took the dome light assembly off, but going to the bulb, there has to be only two wires. The switch inside the assembly would be the most complicated part. Like many other circuits in cars, the dome lights are probably negatively triggered, so you might have to run two wires straight off the dome light bulb since the ground off the bulb might be isolated from the actual chassis ground. Even though neon lights don't take much energy, I would still suggest using a relay to ensure that you don't blow a fuse.

Back to the subject of all the complicated circuits in the car, has anyone ever played around with the window lock button on the driver's door panel? Very intersting the way it works...

When it's locked:

1) no one can control their windows, but I can.

2) If the front passenger is pushing the 'down' button, I (driver) cannot roll his window up.

3) If the rear left passenger is pressing his 'down' button, the front passenger is pressing his 'down' button, I can *slowly* roll the front passenger's window up.

There's probably some other weird combinations, but I was doing this on a real warm day in the BK drive-thru and I wanted to roll up all the windows and turn the heat way up to piss off my friends in the car.

 

[JGarrett911]

ok, it took 2 more hours this morning, but I figured it out. If anyone else is thinking of wiring up anything to come on with the dome lights, you need the power wire to go to the pink wire, and ground to the white wire... this is really screwy though, because I checked and there is power running through the white wire. Oh well, i guess it works, and thats all i care about.

~JGarrett98

 

[98PurdueIntrepid]

I installed some neon lights in my car too, but I mounted them under the front edge of the front seats. I put a switch on the passanger side right to the left by your leg. I was going to hook them up like you did at first but then decided make it so i could leave them on in the car at night when driving without all the domes on. I ran into a little trouble when I added on and mounted two little projector light at the top of the B pillars to shine acorss the roof liner to the back of the car. The wires were the opposite colors of the neon tubes.. how retarded. Anyways, Good Call for making a car look totally different. I did mine in all blue to match the dash lights and it looks awesome at night. I'll have some pics up soon so you can check it out then.

 

[JGarrett911]

I was going to hook mine up like that too, except for the fact that Iowa has to be THE gayest state for regulations on cars. Anything and everything you want to do with them is illegal, including having neon lights inside your car while driving. My headlight blackouts are illegal too, but you wont get pulled over (i hope) unless you drive with them on at night.

~JGarrett98

 

[Intrepid98]

Same here in IL, too Pretty strict as well.

 

[TehKing]

Thats why I like Minnesota. Unless its a saftey device (headlights etc) the po-lice can't stop you, its considered a secondary offence meaning they have to have another, valid reason.

 

[Bart]

I thought washington was anal about lighting. Glad I don't live over there. I was told by a state patrol officer (the most anal) that as long as it's below the window level, you can have any light, any color inside the car.