positive ground
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=95966
Printed Date: May 15, 2024 at 7:32 PM
Topic: positive ground
Posted By: zachy_je
Subject: positive ground
Date Posted: July 27, 2007 at 6:13 PM
I'm trying to hook up extra lights to my trunk light. The problem is, the trunk light is a positive ground. What I want is to remove the factory trunk light and hook it up so that when I open my trunk, red lights turn on to highlight my system. If anyone knows how to do this, let me know.
Replies:
Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: July 27, 2007 at 6:45 PM
what exactly is a positive ground????????
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Kevin Pierson
Posted By: Mad Scientists
Date Posted: July 28, 2007 at 5:46 PM
Or, more to the point, Year Make and Model? Positive ground automobiles haven't been common for close to 50 years.. Jim
Posted By: zachy_je
Date Posted: July 28, 2007 at 10:01 PM
Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology. I'm driving a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE. Thats all I know is that it's more complicated than just hooking up the lights to the positive side of the trunk light wire.
Posted By: Mad Scientists
Date Posted: July 29, 2007 at 12:36 PM
The positive side of the light probably isn't the switched side.. the negative probably it. This means that positive is hot all the time, and ground is only supplied when the trunk is open. You could wire your lights in parallel with the existing trunk light if you wanted. Jim
Posted By: zachy_je
Date Posted: July 29, 2007 at 3:28 PM
After I typed that message, I tried hooking it up to the ground wire too. That didnt work either? How do I wire it in parallel?
Posted By: sparkie
Date Posted: July 29, 2007 at 9:15 PM
Hook the two wires for your light up to the two wires of the existing trunk light. As long as you are using 12 volt bulbs, you are good to go and don't have to worry about positive or negative. If the red lights aren't 12 volt bulbs, then you need to use a volt meter to identify which is positive and which is ground.
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sparky
Posted By: zachy_je
Date Posted: July 31, 2007 at 11:58 AM
That worked. I was using the chasis as a ground. I just hooked both positive and negative of the lights to the positive and negative of the trunk light and they function as the trunk light would! I appreciate your guys' help! Thank you!
Posted By: ancientlegend
Date Posted: August 28, 2007 at 2:04 PM
How do you tell which wire is positive and which is ground?
Posted By: zachy_je
Date Posted: August 28, 2007 at 9:10 PM
It doesn't matter. They are 12v lights so as long as one is hooked up to positive and the other to ground... it should work. And if it doesn't work, switch them around.
Posted By: KarTuneMan
Date Posted: August 30, 2007 at 12:37 AM
ancientlegend wrote:
How do you tell which wire is positive and which is ground?
With a volt meter. -------------
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