Underhood light inoperative
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 11
From: Newport, RI
Underhood light inoperative
I just bought a 2004 C5 coupe and I noticed the underhood light was unplugged at the connector by the radiator. There was some corrosion on the plugs, as they had been exposed - for quite a while, from the looks of them.
Anyway, I put a test light across the two tiny male terminals (inside the connector) coming from the chassis and it lit up, so I have voltage to the plug. I checked the bulb, and it's good. But when I plug the connectors (after cleaning) I get no light. Should I just replace the whole assembly? Or is there something in there that can be fixed?
thanks
Anyway, I put a test light across the two tiny male terminals (inside the connector) coming from the chassis and it lit up, so I have voltage to the plug. I checked the bulb, and it's good. But when I plug the connectors (after cleaning) I get no light. Should I just replace the whole assembly? Or is there something in there that can be fixed?
thanks
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,742
Likes: 43
From: Color my life with the chaos of trouble.
Funny, my light didn't come on for the first 2 years I owned the car then all of a sudden one day it came on! Works like a champ ever since!
If you are getting power to the plug there are only a few things it could be. Just keep checking up the line until you get all the way to the bulb and you'll figure it out.
If you are getting power to the plug there are only a few things it could be. Just keep checking up the line until you get all the way to the bulb and you'll figure it out.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From: JOHNSTON RHODE ISLAND
hi dave,it's me...lol...dave,i unplugged the light cause when it's hot out,when i pulled into the garage,i open the hood to let heat excape.i remember it was unplugged when i bought the car too. it alway's worked though....plug it in and mabye start to car and let a cycle happen.mabye a auto shut off...al
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
From: Guess it & Win a Rock, s&h only $4.95 New Mexico
I see several guys in here that do LED light conversions and apparently there is no aftermarket to solve this, so maybe one of you guys could come up with a switchable light that can replace this mistake?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Its a simple circuit. The lamp is controlled by the relay 37 and fused through fuse #2 in the footwell. Its called the Monitored Load circuit. Its an orange wire to the lamp which grounds at G102.
The circuit routes via the underhood fuse panel to a connector at the base of the hood to a connector on the lamp itself. From what I can see it could only be one of the two connectors or the bulb.
Here's a pic of the lamp unit
I'd say a bit more cleaning and reconnecting should fix it.
Last edited by DeeGee; Dec 9, 2008 at 12:33 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 11
From: Newport, RI
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,891
Likes: 4
From: North Port Fl
There is a switch inside the light housing, but it is not a mercury switch it is some kind of mechanical switch. (if you remove the housing from the hood and rotate it to simulate the movement it would have opening and closing the hood you can hear a clicking inside the little round brass thing in the housing)
