Finding wires for Door Lights

So I just finished up the cathodes that wires to the rocker switch. Now I want to install a extra set of cathodes - one for each side (Passenger and Driver).

The question is, how do I go about looking for the wire to tap into so that the cathodes light up when any of my doors are open. I heard that I can tap into any power source but its a ground wire that I have to tap into. Is this true?

Anyways if anybody can toss some help, it be great!

It depends on the car, some are constant positive and switched ground, some are the other way, although switched ground seems to be more common

Easiest way to find a wire would be to find a light that already turns on/off with doors (dome light, footwells maybe) and splice into the switched wire there, and run it to where you want the lights to be.

Might be able to help more if you share the type of car

Oh I'm sorry, my service manual doesn't seem to supply me with dome light supply fuse location but I own a 2009 Acura TL

Fuse isn't necessary to find, instead just take off the dome light and tap into a wire there.

http://cl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=716877

That seems to have a decent write-up for an earlier year of your car about 2/3rds of the way down.

If that doesn't work for you, searching forums for your car would be the way to go - I'm sure there are others out there that have done similar things before to it.

Hope that helps

Actually I'm an avid poster on AcuraZine, I'm probably the first to have done the cathodes. Tapping into the dome lights, I'm not quite sure how to do that..and swinging a wire up there looks really ghetto lol

first to done the cathodes in an 2009 TL

It wouldnt be ghetto if you did it right, hide the wires in the headliner and run them down

One question that jumps to mind is: Do you have a dimming dome light? If you tap into them and they dim it's bad for the transformer.

Iceman52489 wrote:

Tapping into the dome lights, I'm not quite sure how to do that..and swinging a wire up there looks really ghetto lol

Look under the dash as there might be lights there that also come on with the dome light.

And if you looked at the link I posted you can see that they tapped into the wires behind the A pillar, all hiding is done for you

PwrRngr wrote:

One question that jumps to mind is: Do you have a dimming dome light? If you tap into them and they dim it's bad for the transformer.

x2 .. this is a very common reason for ruining a set of cathodes.

Yes they are dimming. I actually found a thread for a 3G TL on AcuraZine where they tapped into a switched ground in the plastic covering next to the door sill. It connects to the button that is pressed when the door closes. Here's a link in case anybody were interested..not sure when I'll have time to do it ..maybe tomorrow.


http://www.sbadesign.com/acurazine/sills/index.html

Iceman52489 wrote:

So I just finished up the cathodes that wires to the rocker switch. Now I want to install a extra set of cathodes - one for each side (Passenger and Driver). The question is, how do I go about looking for the wire to tap into so that the cathodes light up when any of my doors are open. I heard that I can tap into any power source but its a ground wire that I have to tap into. Is this true? Anyways if anybody can toss some help, it be great!

there is a door switch at the side of the door, open the door, there is a round round thing that can be pressed.. its the switch for door lights

First of all, AcuraZine FTW!
Second of all, can't you just tap into the actual door light on the bottom of the door that turns on when you open that certian door?

First of all, AcuraZine FTW!
Second of all, can't you just tap into the actual door light on the bottom of the door that turns on when you open that certian door?