SC door switch wiring

[schumicat]

Can someone tell me where I can access the wire for the switch for the left door, OTHER THAN the dome light? I am talking about the switch that turns the dome light on when the driver's door is open and turns light off when door is closed. Basically, where does that wire run in an accessible place (under dash, front trunk). My car has no dome lights (the replacement headliner completely covers where they are), and I'm not interested in install factory type dome lights now. I am going to put a little generic light somewhere else and want to use the door switch to operate that light. Thanks.

[ossiblue]

The door switches for the dome lights are a ground circuit with the switch itself acting as the ground point. The wires run inside the A pillar and over the top of the windshield, as well as along the sides of the roof to the light fixture. If the dome light holes are covered by the headliner, there is no access to the wires without removing some parts of the headliner, nor can you pull a new wire from the door switch opening as the wires are in a harness and secured by clips along their route. From what you describe, I don't see a way to do what you want without removing part of the headliner in some way. Also, are you sure the hot lead to the dome lights was securely insulted now that it's inaccessible behind the headliner? If you don't use the openings for the original lights for access, you will need to run not only a new ground to the door switches, but a new hot to wherever you mount the light.

Edit: Just thought of something that might work. If you mount a generic light on the center edge of the windshield, over the rear view mirror, it may be possible to find the wiring harness that contains the ground wire and hot lead and tap in there. Failing that, it may be possible to use the hole where the sun visor pivot is mounted to drop a new ground wire down to the door switch hole through the A pillar, and also pull up a new hot lead to your mounting position along the top of the windshield. Just a thought as it sounds like you don't want to go back to original.

[schumicat]

I just took a look under dash and it looks like there is a hole with grommet with a ground wire running to the switch (right by the hot air hose). Determined this by wiggling the wire and observing the switch wiggle. The wire is cut on my car (I suspect the wire ran to the door buzzer at one time, which was removed on my car). It will be easy to crimp a wire onto it and run it to the light, and use a vampire tap from underdash source for +12 volts.