Courtesy Lights

[Ryanz]

Can anyone tell me if both driver and passenger side courtesy lights are supposed to come on when you open one door? I've just installed mine and have it wired so that only the light in which door you're opening comes on. Not sure if that's how it was from the factory?

[pound41]

both should come on when either door is open

[Cap'n Hook]

Both.

[Ryanz]

Thanks guys - I thought so. I must have missed a step. Will go back and look at my wiring. I was going to tie them into my interior lights on my hard top but I know that's not how they came from the factory, so I think I'll leave them stock.

[pound41]

If you have lights in your top you have a single wall. I owned a single wall top years ago so I cannot remember. My double wall tops no lights. My courtesy lights are wired to the headlight switch. I would assume they would all be tied together

[cleszkie]

All interior lights should be tied together, and run through the headlight switch. When I open a door, all under dash and hardtop lights come on. They also all come on when I twist the headlight switch knob all the way clockwise with doors closed.

[Ryanz]

I didn't think they came that way from the factory? I'm pretty sure I read on a previous thread that you had to turn the dome lights on manually. But clearly I must have something wrong. I just have them wired into my fuse box.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by cleszkie

All interior lights should be tied together, and run through the headlight switch. When I open a door, all under dash and hardtop lights come on. They also all come on when I twist the headlight switch knob all the way clockwise with doors closed.

And if you want more light, a rear view mirror from an S-10 with map lights would really help. It's the same as the one I have in my Z-28 (it's a convertible, so no dome lights) and it really helps at night. I'm planning on adding that to my build.

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by Ryanz

Thanks guys - I thought so. I must have missed a step. Will go back and look at my wiring. I was going to tie them into my interior lights on my hard top but I know that's not how they came from the factory, so I think I'll leave them stock.

If you have a single wall top with the dome lights chances are your k5 was not equipped with underdash lights from GM as these were on double wall top k5s. I believe (maybe I'm wrong) the dome lights superseded the underdash lights, which are never the less a nice add.

[Ryanz]

Yes - that seems to be the consensus. So, if wired to factory specs, I should wire it through the light switch as well as into the fuse box? If anyone has done this can you please explain how you did it. Thanks guys.

[Cap'n Hook]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're just tied together by a common 12volt wire. Whenever either door opens, the door pin grounds the circuit and passes 12volts to the lights.

[Ryanz]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Hook

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're just tied together by a common 12volt wire. Whenever either door opens, the door pin grounds the circuit and passes 12volts to the lights.

Yes, but each is their own separate ground to the door pin so how is it possible to get them both to come on at the same time? Run a wire to connect both grounds - as in from one pin to the other?

[Cap'n Hook]

No, I believe they just share a common 12volt wire between the lights and the fuse box. I may be wrong, it's been 8-10 years since I rewired mine. No need to wire for sharing ground as the body of the truck is the common ground for both door pins.

[Ryanz]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Hook

No, I believe they just share a common 12volt wire between the lights and the fuse box. I may be wrong, it's been 8-10 years since I rewired mine. No need to wire for sharing ground as the body of the truck is the common ground for both door pins.

Yes, that's how they're wired - with the common wire. For some reason they only come on individually and not together.