Rear courtesy light.

Hello

I've put a headlining in the rear of my 90 HT and I want to put a courtesy light in. I have bought one of these:

inside there is a double connection, I'm assuming live and earth and on the base there is another tag, is that an extra earth?
Also could I just take the feeds from the front light? Then take an earth to a back door switch? But which earth if there are 2?
I have looked at wiring diagrams but most are over complicated as they include alarm modules and stuff my 200tdi doesn't have.
Many thanks for any help and suggestions.
Julia

As courtesy ligghts usually work by the return shorting to earth, and without seeing then connections on yours, might I suggest that you have a direct +ive feed to the lamp, an earth to the door switch and the other earth goes to 'feed' the manual switch.

Thanks.. I forgot about the manual switch on the dash.

The light fitting normally has 2 x live connections, purple and brown for the "normal" use and purple & white connected from the alarm system (but check your wiring diagram to confirm as this might vary between models). The earth is the tag in the square hole in the backplate. Do not connect the "spare" live to earth or you will blow a fuse or worse . The earth normally goes to the door switches. Opening a door completes the earth path through the switch and makes the circuit. The feed is normally live ie not via the ignition, and should have a 5amp fuse. You should be able to take a feed and earth from the front light. The earth will then work from all door switches, and the feed will already be fused.

Just doing this on my 200 tdi 110 csw, took the dash switch out the tag on the frame is an earth ( black wire) there's a plug fits onto the light itself that has a purple wire perminant live and a purple/blue which is the switched earth that connects to the door switches you can buy a loom which plugs in can get the part number for you if you'd like plugs onto the purple wire by the rear lights will take a photo of it so you can see what I mean if you like ?
Cheers Ian

Thank you Wimblowdriver.. So does the earth from the existing light go to the new door switch on the back door (not fitted yet)?
I have it working but only by physically turning it on with the switch on the new light, no earth connected as it earths through the body... I only managed to blow one fuse getting to this point.

Hi Ian.. Yes the part number would be great thanks.. although I have it sort of working, I would like it to work properly with the door opening though I need to fit the switch yet. I have found a purple wire in the back drivers side corner though on testing it with the multimeter it isn't live...

Need to correct an error or two in my previous post. The earth tang on the backplate is earth to body, used when the doors are shut and interior light switched on. There should be one live connection to the light fitting. There IS a second earth, wired to the door switches via the alarm unit when fitted, OR directly to the door switches when no alarm fitted. Hope that helps.

Its AMR 3158 they've got them on ebay £17.50 not cheap but they clip straight on then all you would need to do is extend the wiring they look like this

the purple blue trace is the switch earth for the door switch, black earth to body and purple is live. am pretty certain that should be permanent live would check that out for a break or blown fuse. Mines a project and am just finishing off the wiring so if you need to know were to look for wires or fuses without stripping yours down can look for you as most of mine is pretty accessable.

Thank you both, Ian and Wimblowdriver... I have ordered a harness and I will fit the door switch for when I re-wire it up...

No probs let us know how you get on.

They make such a difference

There are some posh people on here ...
I got a couple of LED strips off Fleabay for a fiver, and stuck one to the roof lining in place of the 1.5CP internal 'light', and the other over the top frame of the back door.
Even in half light my innards light up like daylight!

Oldseadog said:

There are some posh people on here ...
I got a couple of LED strips off Fleabay for a fiver, and stuck one to the roof lining in place of the 1.5CP internal 'light', and the other over the top frame of the back door.
Even in half light my innards light up like daylight!

Click to expand...

I was going to get some LED strips but I got the LR lamp to fill the hole in the roof lining and to help hold it up.. Still might get some as I want to be able to see in there sometimes...

I did think about mounting another two just above the inside roof gutter, but that would have been a bit overkill ... although I still have a pair that I might use there

Ta DA!!!... Today I got the loom thing from the postie and I fitted the rear door switch and bracket and I now have a working rear light...
Thank you all for your help...

Plkeased to hear you've got it sorted!