My driveway’s really dark, which makes it difficult to see to load and unload the boot at this time of year. So, I think I’d like a boot light of some sort.
When I first got the car, I assumed the lights for the rear numberplate were boot lights, and that the bulbs had gone, so I was planning to get some replacements for them, however now that I’ve realised what they are, I’m thinking it would be much more useful to have them light up when the boot lid is open. By default, they only come on when the headlights are on, so it is possble to use them, but it means leaving the lights on, and I know that’s just going to end up with a flat battery at some point.
My first thought was to simply wire in a normally closed push switch on the inside of the boot lid (in a position where it’ll be pressed when the lid’s closed, and not when it’s open) and run a wire from the 12V terminal on the battery through the switch and to the lights, but I suspect if I do that then opening the boot will cause the headlights to come on.
My next thought was as above, but to add a diode on the existing wire to the lights, so that only the number plate lights come on, however I think I need to think about that quite a lot more before I start messing around with my car’s electricals!
I’ll keep posting here with what I think about and do, but I was wondering if anyone else had tried this mod, and if so how they did it and how well it worked! Does anyone have any tips?
You could always fit one of these [Y]
Heh. There are two downsides to that… The first one is that the MX-5 Parts boot light is £40! Th second one is the fun of fiddling around with it myself!
That said, using a tilt switch is a very good idea, I shall have to pick one up!
I’ve had a quick flick through the electrical manual which was posted on here a while back, and it’s not enormously helpful - I think I’m going to have to just play around with it myself.
Mine does exactly that. I assume it’s a normal thing on the mk2.5.
Our 2.5 does it as well so they must have listened to customers by then.
Mind you himself did discover if charging a nearly dead battery while it is still connected up in boot you have to flip the boot-catch to turn the lights off otherwise it is all rather pointless as the lights are still draining the battery[:$] Then you just have to remember to release the catch again by use boot opening button/leaver before trying to close the boot-lid, otherwise it wont shut! And he used to be a mechanic … Ok so tractors don’t have boots[^o)]
I think I’d probably shut the boot on the charger cables… But still,maybe I should fit a slide switch as well as a tilt switch!
Hmmm. Well, I guess we’ve found a way to tell the difference between a mk2 and a mk2.5!
Or…keep a torch in the boot / on your keyring
Or wear one of these [:D]
To make the number plate light work as a bootlight (like a MK2.5)
The torch idea isn’t entirely a bad one, although I think I’d improve it somewhat by mounting a light in the boot and running it off the battery… That said, knowing me, I’d probably end up leaving the boot light on and flattening the battery. :-
Richardn, that’s fantastic! It’s pretty much what I was planning to do, although I was going to use a tilt switch instead of taking the boot latch apart… Much less to go wrong, I think! Still, other than the switch part (which is trivial anyway) that’s going to let me sanity check the whole thing. That’s great! Thanks!
An option to prevent the accidental battery drain is to use high powered LEDs that will take a fraction of the power of bulbs.
They are darn bright these days!
There’s a nice cavity above the boot catch as well.
I’m currently thinking of trying to keep everything neatly on the right hand side of the boot, mostly for tidiness and simplicity of wiring, but if it turns out that the number plate lights are insufficient, I might add some LEDs later. I’ll check the power draw of the number plate lights when I do the mod as well.
Oh, and post a thread with photos, of course. 
A couple of alternatives, found on Maplin’s site:- A stick-on LED AA battery operated cupboard light or a 12V LED strip. This could be wired directly to the battery via an inline fuse and a tilt switch.
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m286/bresslaw/IMG_0668.jpg
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m286/bresslaw/IMG_0669.jpg
Heres what mine has, LED strip fitted with a switch on the boot lid to turn it on on opening
Light looks good.
The boot layout in your MK1 looks nice and cosy - pillow, blanket its bijou but a nice space for 40 winks…[:D]?
That’s quite nice… I might save that idea for if I decide I’m not getting enough light from the number plate lights, or if I decide it’s using too much power.
Or could consider replacing the number plate lights with LEDs, but I’m not sure about the legality of that.
I like the LED strip light idea, It looks nice.
(Also, if he ever falls on hard times, He can rent it out as a tanning booth for midgets.[:D])