Interior Lights without ignition key on '05 Multispace?

[cancunia]

Just wondered if it's possible to get the interior reading lights to work without having the key in 'acc' or on positions? Can't see anything about this in the handbook but it does say the cigar lighter works with the key which is not true on my car.

Thanks

[leftfootleashed]

Just wondered if it's possible to get the interior reading lights to work without having the key in 'acc' or on positions? Can't see anything about this in the handbook but it does say the cigar lighter works with the key which is not true on my car.

Thanks

It should be possible to wire the interior lights to a non-switched feed. It's just a matter of tracing it back to a convenient point to do that, say at the fusebox. Use a multimeter to find a 12V supply with the ignition off and verify what it is with the help of the wiring diagrams. The cigarette lighter would be a good candidate. Unfortunately, the wiring diagrams in the Haynes book (which are generally rubbish IMO) don't even show the interior lights. The handbook might tell you what fuse they're on and you could take it from there.

Of course, with the interior lights added to the cigar lighter (or whatever) circuit, it's going to potentially draw more current than the fuse (and wiring) is rated for (though probably only with all the lights on and something pulling a lot of power from the cigarette lighter, e.g. a compressor). I would err on the side of caution and replace the interior light bulbs with LED equivalents which can be had for pennies on certain online auction sites. These draw much less power and are better anyway because they're less likely to drain your battery, are brighter and longer lasting.

[cancunia]

Yep that's certainly a possibility. In the Multispace the 12v sockets in the back are always live so a bit of alteration would put the reading lights on the same feed.
I was hoping that someone had found an option in Lexia so they could be configured to be live for a period of time. That way they would turn off if left on by mistake.

[Gryffindor]

If you search a certain auction site for "12v delay timer" you'll find lots of small populated PCBs with terminal connections, which give a time-adjustable delayed on/off action. You'd need to put it inside a little project box of course, or hide it within the modutop.

[Gryffindor]

Looking further, most of them only have short delays. I did find one going up to 15 mins, but adding "60m" to the search terms was useful. Have a look at this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153778686649

[Gryffindor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeMuNXZ5jLc

[Civvic]

Just wondered if it's possible to get the interior reading lights to work without having the key in 'acc' or on positions? Can't see anything about this in the handbook but it does say the cigar lighter works with the key which is not true on my car.

Thanks

There are some customisable features that are available in the bsi, the last time I saw follow me home lights for example can be activated using diagnostic machine,  and length of time before automatic fading off interior lights can be changed. In the remote chance that it is so, it could save you from wiring.