Here's a quick and easy one. I installed a switch on the wiper cowl that turns the underhood light on and off. This helpful to save the battery if you're working on the engine, or at car shows where the hood is up all day, etc. The wiring is very basic. I used a SPST (single pole;single throw) lighted toggle switch. I wired it in reverse so that the red LED in the switch lever would be ON when the underhood light was OFF. This serves as a visual reminder: "Hey goofy- your underhood light is off." The only issue I ran into was the amperage of the circuit. For some reason, Dodge put the little underhood light (maybe 1A) on the same circuit as the stereo. Yes- the same stereo that also does Nav, Bluetooth, and has a 508W amplifier hooked up to it. What could have been a simple little circuit is now a big ol' 20A circuit. I found out the little 3A push-button switch from Radio Shack wasn't going to cut it after cooking a fuse. So, off we go to get a switch that can handle 20A. FIRST THINGS FIRST Disconnect the lamp. There is a connector on the pass. side, right at cowl level. Slide the red safety lever toward the drivers side, then push with your thumbnail on the catch while GENTLY pulling on the other side of the connector. They should separate fairly easily. I did not pull the neg. battery cable, but you can if you'd like. It is safer. I pulled the 'push rivet zip tie' connector for the wires over by the pass. side. After I marked off where the zip tie connector was, I clipped it off. The wires for the light were then cut. I added about 2" of extra wire (same gauge!!!) via solder and heat shrink. This gave me room to maneuver the switch around so it could be installed properly. I removed the wipers (pull the mini-lever and they lift right off) and the wiper cowl (2 screws and 6 plastic push 'rivets'). This takes a little wiggling, but it does come off. I found that if I 'pushed upwards' at the center of the cowl, it lifted easily. The cowl is two pieces joined by some rubber shields for the wiper posts. Lift slowly but firmly. DON'T GO TOO FAR! Once the cowl is free, raise it up a few inches and look underneath for the washer hose over by the pass. side. Pull the single hose from the Y-connector and set it aside. Now you can move the wiper cowl off the truck. Unless you've removed your hood and hinges, It will need to be flexed a little to get it past the hinges. Be careful not to snap it. For the switch, I used the same hole the push rivet zip tie connector had. I enlarged it wide enough for the new switch (just under 1/2"). I added 2 more holes for the wires. The wires from the main connector now enter right next to where the wiper fluid hose enters. The wires going to the lamp exit on the far left side of the cowl, on the wall. Wire up the switch. Because the switch will be exposed a little more than normal, I added heat shrink to all the switch connections as well. Not necessary, but it's a good idea and looks pro. If you're going to be soldering near the truck, put some towels or some type of protection over the fender and other areas. Solder will burn through paint faster than you can say "Weller". TEST IT!!!!! Test the switch before you mount it into the cowl. Make sure it works as you want it to. Place the cowl back into position on the truck, but leave it a loose enough so you can have access underneath it. Mount the switch, and then re-install the washer fluid line. The tubing had dried a little, so I licked my finger and coated the Y-Connector a little. Slid right into place (Thanks to Peter North for the idea!). On my install, with the hidden wires, I trimmed the factory split-loom tubing so it would rest against the cowl cleanly. It's not exactly smooth, so I'll be adjusting that to where the split-loom tubing goes into the cowl (zip-tied behind). Re-attach the two screws for the cowl. CHECK THE SWITCH AGAIN! This is your last chance before the push-rivets go in. I picked up 6 new push rivets from the dealership. If everything is cool, install the push rivets. Done. TIME: About 1 hour, including the soldering. COST: About $10. (switch, push rivets) Pictures show the 99% complete installation, and then what the switch looks like when the underhood light is off. Questions are welcome. ©2006 Kevan J. Geier All Rights Reserved
