cargo light wiring (solved)

[Guest]

1992 Ford Festiva EFI

Is there an easy way to hook up a cargo light???

I got a cargo light from the salvage yard (I do not know if it even works), but I installed the light, got the latch with the blue wire, but when I hooked it up I think I hooked it up wrong. From the latch there is a blue wire and I got the other end to it, tried to string it but did not work.

What am I doing wrong??

Thanks in advance,

PB

[Tim]

Burnt out bulb?

Sounds like you hooked it up right. I am assuming, of course, that you connected the wires to the cargo light too.

[Phatbowler]

I am not sure that I did. I hooked the red/wht one to one side and the other side I am not sure what to do with, because I am not sure how to get the other side to the latch. If that makes sense.

what kind of bulb do I need?

[GenevaDirt]

I was told that if you do not have the hatch latch that is made for the light , you have to ground the one wire that would go there to the car somehow.....I think that is what I was told.

[Phatbowler]

Actually I do have the hatch latch, but of course I still need to get the bulb replaced. The main reason is I want to make sure I have it all hooked up right.

there are two prongs on the light. on the passenger side rear compartment there are two female ends I can put on those two prongs. I still cannot figure out where the hatch latch wire goes to, I stripped it correctly. maybe it goes to one of the prongs on the light? that would make sense.

And maybe I should just forget the whole thing and leave the light there for the look of the car.

[freshtiva]

Here's the wire I used for the latch and for the light. The latch is a single blue wire bundled in the blue tape and the cargo light wires are white with a red tracer and a blue with a black tracer.

[SimonTuffGuy]

You'll need to pull the cover off the hatch and find the wire posted above. String the blue wire from the latch assembly up there and plug it in and you should be good to go!

[freshtiva]

I have a 1990 that didn't have the blue wire for the latch. So I just made a free latch switch out of a door jam/dome light switch. Works great. The latch just provides a ground, the wire going to the light( white with red stripe) should be hot all the time.

[Phatbowler]

I have come to the realization that I have the red w/ white wire, I have the latch, but nothing to plug it into, I do not have the blue with black tracer, but I have the black with green (I believe that is for the rear window defroster. I have replaced the bulb, but who knows what might be the problem, heck it could be even a bad cargo light. I am going to leave the cargo light there (unplug) just for the look of it. It was worth a shot trying to get this thing to work. Maybe I will run into a Festiva fan here in Idaho that can help me one on one. :angel3:

I appreciate all your help though, thank you very much.

[Tim]

If you come to the Spokane meet in June, we'd be happy to sort out your hatch light problem!

[Phatbowler]

Thank you for the generous offer. I really wish I could. The area up there is beautiful and that would be a nice drive. But there is no way on this earth my partner would let me go to that :argue:. I am in love with my car and someone human :angel12:

[freshtiva]

If you don't have the blue wire for the latch just plug the white wire with the red stripe into the light and just run a ground wire off the other post of the light. Then you can at least have a cargo light, you will just have to turn it on and off with the switch.

[Phatbowler]

I will try that either tonight or Saturday. I am going to bed, I work nights on the weekend at a hotel. It sucks, but it works with my school. 52cr. 4.0 GPA.

I also thought maybe it is the unit that is faulty, anyway to check that? I am sure I can find a voltmeter

[freshtiva]

You could use a 99 cent bargin bin tester like this one



Use it in place of your bulb see if it light up.

[Phatbowler]

Got the light hooked up and I will have to manually switch it on. No bother for me. Thanks for ev1's help.