Under Hood Light

V

Viol8or

Registered
I noticed the underhood light on my 93 Mark wasn't working the other day. I replaced the bulb and found out the switch had gone bad. And, it turns out that the part has been discontinued. The part# is F3LB-15702-AB. A TSB states that the replacement is 1U5A-15602-AA. This new part costs under $10, but has no light shield or on/off switch.

I guess my question is, is there a good place to look for these types of inexpense parts on the web? It would seem that administrative and shipping costs would make it impractical for a business.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

go to autozone or pep boys.. they have them for 3.49 for the pair.. I saw them there the other day
 
RE: Under Hood Light

If you get one rigged up for the 2nd gen, please post pics and instructions cause I want one.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

Thanks for passing on that link.

Sorry to hear you don't have an under hood light. If your hood has the bump on the driver's side with two holes (may be underneath insulation if not visible), that is where the Gen1 switch is attached. You could use the Ford replacement part listed above, and it would just snap into the two holes showing.

Just to run down the order of parts. It light bulb (912), switch #1U5A-15602-AA (original no longer available), wire from switch to hot connection (the Ford wire part to the switch is a square and round to hot, I don't have the number handy but will look up if needed), and connecting near fire wall. The hot connection is on the same series as the interior lights. You know how they stay on for awhile and go off when either the ignition is started or after a period of time.

The light does help for checking oil. It's not really bright enough for anything serious, otherwise I guess the hood would melt.

Thanks again.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

Hey Viol8or,
The easiest thing for you to do is to take a small headed flat tipped screwdriver and pop your old switch apart. There's a tiny little brass connector that clips over one of the terminals and puts a spring tension on a brass tube that contains a ball bearing that rolls back and forth, switching the light on off as the hood is raised, lowered. That little brass connector slips off the terminal (as mine did) causing the switch to fail. I just clipped mine back on and it works perfectly. In retrospect, I wish I'd have used a little super glue on it. Be careful when popping the switch apart. I lost my grip and all the innards went flying across the room.

Here's another anomoly. I bought another switch from a guy parting out his '94. Altho the switch looked identical to mine, it lacked the brass tube with the rolling ball.(mercury switch) The little clip previously mentioned simply bent down to a 90% angle making contact with the terminal below it. So it's an on/off via the slide switch only. Also, the female plug pattern is reversed from the '93, so I would have had to grind off the relief from the male connector to get it to fit in the switch.

For anyone looking for the light mount location, I noticed that when the hood is nearly closed, the light is DIRECTLY above the engine oil dip stick. How convenient.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

BTW, if you decide NOT to use your old switch don't throw it away... send it to me. I'll mount it on the other side, have TWO under hood light switches and Trixie eating out of the palm of my hand.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

Sorry, it's too late. I went ahead and bought the Ford replacement light and installed it. It not quite as brite and has no on/off switch, but it's workable. The old one is long gone.
 
RE: Under Hood Light

Bummer. What does Ford want for the replacement switch? One auto wrecker replied to my query with a price of $75 for a used switch. I figured Ford would be retailing it at $150. - So the light you just purchased utilizes a mercury switch? 'On' when the hood is raised?
 
RE: Under Hood Light

The light switch #1U5A-15602-AA (original no longer available), including the bulb, was under $9 at a Ford dealer. It's a mechanical switch that works automatically when the hood is raised, just like on my Taurus and Mountaineer. It's just a bare bulb. This part fits right into the holes in the hood and utilizes the same wire.

I think you would agree that the light quality is not worth much more than $10 on the original switch.
 
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