Hey guys,
Does anyone know where the switch for the engine compartment light is located? i looked and looked...

The light does not shut-off sometimes , and this puts a real strain on my battery.

Thx

 

I don't think there is a switch. You can just unplug it if you don't need it. There is a connection not too far from the light. Just follow the cable.

 

Bought my 03 Z new. One of the first things I did, was to dissconnect the plug & electical taped the open ends. I have no need for the light to be draining on the battery on a car that eats batteries as it is. I did the same w/the lights in the trunk compartment. Keep a trickle charger hooked to the side of the battery, & have it hooked up when car is not in use. I don't close the hood all the way when charging & didn't want to take a chance of any battery drain. Hope this helps. Bob.

 

I believe the switch is a mercury type, and it's right next to the light fixture itself. It's a small metal capsule with wires attached at both ends. I've noticed my car has a time out switch somewhere, because if I leave the hood up for say more than 10 minutes, the light shuts off and won't come on again unless I close the hood and open again. In fact all the interior lights on the car have this time out feature as far as I can tell.

 

My light shuts off 15 minutes after it goes on. If I tap the hood or move it it goes back on for another 15 minutes then off again.

 

I added a on -off switch similar to this by Eckler's

 

The light is controlled by the BCM and should shut off after a time delay of about 15 minutes when the hood is open. Here is a description of the circuit and how it operates. The aftermarket switch isn't needed.

Underhood Convenience Lamp
Voltage is supplied to the Underhood Lamp from CKT 640. CKT 640 receives battery voltage when the MONITORED LD Micro Relay #43 has closed its contact switch. The opening and closing of the MONITORED LD Micro Relay #43 is controlled by the BCM through CKT 1393. The BCM will ground CKT 1393 under normal operating conditions and energize the relay which in turns energizes CKT 640. Battery voltage is then supplied to the Underhood Lamp and it becomes functional. The BCM will monitor CKT 640 at the BCM connector C2 terminal C4 for an inadvertent load. In the event that the Underhood Lamp is inadvertently left ON, the BCM will remove the ground from CKT 1393 de-energizing the MONITORED LD Micro Relay #43 and removing battery voltage from CKT 640. This function is used to help prevent the battery from losing voltage over a period of time in the case of a load being left ON. The Underhood Lamp is grounded by CKT 150 through Splice Pack #102 to G102.

If you are having a problem with the light staying on (very unusual) then you need to check the relay and associated wiring.

Bill

 

Wow Bill, to think that the GM engineers went to all that trouble when all they needed was a simple on/off switch. Being that the C4 under hood courtesy light is notorious for draining batteries, and that the C5 lites ( under hood and trunk lights) stay on for 20 minutes, I just installed simple marine switches to keep them off.

 

Hey guys!

Thanks for the insight. This really helps.