Just curious, has anyone installed a light for the engine bay that works when the hood is open? One of those "just in case" kinda mods, and it doesn't seem too hard except for the switch that will turn them on when the hood is open.

 

In case of confusion, I mean the light only comes on when the hood is opened.

 

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/no-und...-light-192524/

 

https://www.f150forum.com/f83/led-st...-light-244242/

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/under-...ed-mod-131096/

 

None of those seem to give any details on switches except for one and I don't want to use an IR switch.

 

Then come up with your own... you've got all the ideas on how to mount lights and wire them, now you get inventive and experiment and post up tons of pictures (or just turn them on manually :-p)

 

I'm good with electronics... if it was me I'd take the mercury bulb out of a cheap home thermostat and mount it on the hood so when it's opened, the mercury blob touches the contacts together and activates the lights. Easy. It's a no-contact switch that I'll likely never have to replace.

 

Or if you do want a contact switch, get a momentary push-button switch "normally on, push off" and mount it somewhere that the hood touches when you shut it so it holds the switch down (off) when you close it. Maybe even take the light switch off a spent refrigerator (or order just the switch, but waterproof or something). So many ideas to be had...

 

 

That push button one is what I was thinking of doing. I'm only barely knowledgeable with wiring like that. I can wire it up to existing, but the hood doesn't have existing, so I couldn't do it and know what I'm doing. The thing with the mercury blob is the contacts could touch without the hood being opened, right? it's more of a gravity thing isn't it?