alright, tomorrow, i'm going to order a trunk light for my ej when i stop by my honda dealer to pick up my new gas gauge i already ordered (got it for 37 when original price is 55). i thinkthe trunk light is20 bucks, but i get like 25% off parts there so it'll prolly be around 15 bucks (in otherwords, why not get it, it should keep me busy). so my question is, what type of wire connector does the light come with? do you think it comes with a connector, or do you think thewiresaresoldered to the light assembly? and finally, after looking at the wiring schematics for my 97 dx, i see that the ground of the trunk light is connected to the trunk latch via a blue/black wire, so when i close the trunk the light will go off (hopefully that's right). the positive lead is supposed to be connected to a red/white wire leading towards the underdash fuse box. but in the schematic, it shows the wire running into the fuse box and then coming back out of the fuse box, and then into the another red/white that leads to the fuse for interior lighting. so my question is, why does the schematic show the wire running in and out of the fuse box, and then back into the fuse? (is it like a representation of a relay or something? can i just tap into the interior lighting fuse which is continuously hot.

in the end, what's your take on the situation? (sorry, i know it's long, but it's hard to describe, maybe i'll post up a pic or something later)

thanks, ej6

 

Looking at my manual too. It looks to me like that white/red wire just loops. In other words, both white/red's are wired to the same fuse, it just happens that they are both white/red. One to the roof light, the other to the trunk. I think if you find where the dome light wire connects, and solder your new connection there, it will be all good.

As for the switch, yes, it appears that when the trunk is opened, the switch compleats the ground circuit, and the power to the trunk light is enabled, when closed, the switch is not grounded and therefore terminates there.

As for the connectors, if it's a factory add on type thing, I would bet that the connector would be somewhat similar to the headlight/taillight type of plastic clip plug. I don't know for sure if they would include that with the light assembly, as those wires are probably all rigged at a factory somewhere and then shipped to the assembly lines pre-wired. It might be possible to get an exact plug and then pin it, but why not just use a little aftermarket connector, or better yet, solder.

I guess it's up to you on the way you mount it. I mean if I were a super stock junkie, I might want the plug, but there isn't any reason you can't do without it.

Anyway, good luck. I need to install one myself, so post a pic or two and let us know how it goes ;-)

 

I took my trunklight out and hooked cold cathodes to the stock wires so they come on and off with the trunk being open or closed like the stock light. I cut the stock plug off of the wires and took it out with the light housing. lol If you need them I will give them to you if you just pay the shipping.

 

red trunk cathodes FTW! Just wire them into the + and - of your amp and then run a fuse and switch between the amp and the cathodes. Cheaper and looks better too man

 

lol, yeah guys, thanks for the replys, i really want a trunk light now (oem of course), and i was sure about everything accept the little loop on the wiring diagram in the that stumasters talked about. so thanks guys, i'm gonna go buy it tomorrow when i pick up the gauge. and about the cathodes in the trunk, i already had a red neon in the trunk that was hooked up to the rest of my neons, but i had a lot of problems, so i took them out. so OeM FtMfW! i guess i'll hook the ground to the blue/black ground wire to the latch, and then the hot wire (Red/White) to the interior lighting fuse with the dome light.

thanks

 

i've been looking, and according to the diagram, the interior lighting fuse is supposed to be under the dash, but it's actually in the engine bay, so i don't know how to trace the wire or anything, do you think i could just tie it off with a 7.5 amp fuse under my dash, like i did with my neons?

 

The engine bay, wtf...

That sounds like an odd placement, lol.

Either way, yeah i don't see any reason you couldn't, for example, splice into the dash lights or something similar, 7.5 - 10 amp fuse up there. If I were going to throw it in, I would stick with something like "back up lights, or instrument lights" that way if I ever sold it, the buyer could maybe put 2 and 2 together and trace it.

I gotta check this engine bay thing out, I can't figure out why they would run that thing out there.

 

yeah the trunk light doesnt seem to be a big enough power source to need an engine bay fuse, but w/e, Honda does some odd things. Whats wrong with your stock trunk light? Or do you not have one at all?

 

he doesn't have one, I don't either. They felt that the extra 20 buck investment might be too much for a DX owner to afford, lol.

 

haha i know man, i'm rockin a DX too. I say cathodes in the trunk ftw still, can wire them into a switch right in the trunk and they're bright as hell....