Trunk Light

[113gray]

Hi Group- I made a discovery recently while trying to make my trunk light functional. I figured just a bad bulb (NO), bad switch (NO). Then lots of testing w/ multimeter, access to fusebox & beneath dash wiring to convert a simple bulb change to an afternoon's frustration. Finally traced down problem & solution which were one & the same! TRUNK LIGHT ONLY COMES ON WHEN THE PARK OR HEADLIGHTS ARE ON AT THE SAME TIME. Anybody seen this before? Why would anyone hook it up this way. I have 2 other old MB's & they work normally. Is it because my car is a Euro?   -JP-  '66 230SL Euro (Italian)

[graphic66]

I have a 66 230sl and the trunk lite is wired just like yours, it only comes on when the lights are on. Mine is a US version car.

[Douglas]

JP, i believe the earlier cars are wired like that.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
#018260

[113gray]

Thanks for replies. This is getting more & more interesting as I had assumed someone along the way had wired it for his own (?perceived) need. Your replies have confirmed that is not the case. The "Why" part is still unanswered. (German brain fart?) Did all 113s have this arrangement? How about other MB models of the era?      -JP-

[n/a]

JP

Thanks! I didn't know I even had a trunk light (we call it a boot in Australia) until I read your post. Actually I only found the light actuator switch when I was cleaning the car on the weekend but couldn't get it to work. Now I know why. By the way, as we speak a different language over here, here are some translations:

boot - trunk
bonnet - hood
mudguard or just 'guard - fender
gas - petrol

Mark



1965 230 SL

[Douglas]

what about:

wings = fenders
hood = softop
spanner = wrench

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
#018260

[graphic66]

This switching arrangement along with the 3 way switch on the interior light allow you to open a door or the trunk without a light blazing on in a situation you might not want a light to come on. Also if you were to leave your trunk open for some reason it will not drain the car battery. I thought of rewiring the trunk light to come on every time I opened it and realized it was correct the way it is

[Ray Ortiz]

my '69 280 sl----the light goes on when you open the trunk.  Irrelevant of the rest of the lights or the rest of the car...!

[hands_aus]

JP
My early 250 SL, Australian delivered, is wired the same.
It is original configuration.
Works just great, provides lots of light to the boot at night.

Bob(Brisbane,Australia)

[Albert-230SL]

In fact, I read that early 230 SL were not equipped with an additional trunk/boot/maletero/Kofferraum/...    light, because such space for the luggage is illuminated by the back of the rear lights (they have an small window directed to that place). So it only works when the Park or Headlights of the car are "on".

It seems that later Pagodas continued that guide line!

Regards,

Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432

[113gray]

Well, thanks to all respondents. Obviously, there were wiring deviations available at that time which could not be tolerated on today's production lines. Some of our 113 trunk lights operate as do all others I have encountered in a lifetime of 70 + years, that is, one opens his/her trunk & the light comes on. In this isolated instance however, we see examples of this light being available ONLY when the head- or parking lights are also on. A bad, although interesting, idea as demonstrated by little or no modern survival of such an notion. I enjoyed reading your posts & following your thinking on the subject. That said, it's time to relegate this weird phenominon to bed & to history.   -JP-

[Chad]

My 67 230 is wired like this too, found that out when I discovered there even was a trunk light.

It's odd.

-CD-
1967 230SL, 113.042 10

[69280sl]

My 68 280sl is wired the same way, ie the trunk lite only comes on when head or driving lites are on. It never bothered me as I wouldn't need light in the trunk if it were not dark and the other lights wern't on.

inspectorgm

[bpossel]

Hi JP,

Jumping in late on this one...
My trunk light comes on when I open the trunk, with or w/o the main lights on.  I have a '71 model (6/70 prod date).
Very interesting how they are different!
Bob

bpossel
Memphis, TN.
1971 280SL
1997 E320

[Bob G ✝︎]

Anyone think of carrying a flashlight in thespare tire rap?

Bob Geco

[Cees Klumper]

I do carry a flashlight in the car at all times, a small one in the glove compartment. My trunk light ('69 280 SL. US spec) used to come on when I opened the trunk, whether the lights were switched on or not, until recently the switch gave out. I need to pick up a new one since I was not able to fix the old one.

Bob - in the spare tire cover I keep things like spare exhaust hanger donuts, one liter of oil, a rag, that sort of stuff ...

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[Mike Hughes]

Wiring courtesy lights under the hood and trunk lid to only operate when at least the parking lamps are on is fairly common practice in Europe.  I have a Merkur (U.S. version of a 1980's vintage German Ford Sierra) in which the under hod lamp only lights up when the parking lamps are on.

The trunk lamp only bacame available on 230SLs sometime in 1966.  If you have the black plastic plunger on the decklid adjacent to the latch, the bulb is good, and the lamp DOESN't light up when the parking lamps are switched on, look closely at the wiring near the driver's side trunk hinge.  The wires are subjected to excessive bending and flexing each time the trunk is opened and may have severed themselves due to the stress over the years.

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)

[JamesL]

Mmm

Interesting. I have a new bulb but my trunk light comes on not at all - headlights or not.

[Naj ✝︎]

quote:Originally posted by Tosh

Mmm

Interesting. I have a new bulb but my trunk light comes on not at all - headlights or not.

Check the actual wires in the harness along the trunk hinge. They fatigue and break after all that usage.

I see the suggestion is already there in the post below!!

naj

[KevinC]

My 230 SL's trunk light only comes on with the lights on, too. My brother has two Chevrolets from the 60's. A '62 Impala 409 Sport coupe and a '66 Chevelle SuperSport (this car he's owned since new). Its the same with these cars as well. He claims that vehicles of the era were all this way. The thought being that the light in the trnk wasn't needed if there was sunlight outside! In addition, the easiest line to tap into was the one to the tailights which of course is only "live" when the headlights were on.

[JamesL]

OK - I have voltage at the hinge and I have voltage at the connection TO the socket/switch

I have no voltage through the socket/switch. It looks like it's been wet at some point. The push switch sits directly below the bulb socket and alongside that is what looks like a relay box into which the (2 inches of) cables are secured. That "box" looks like it's riveted to the rest of the assembly

It's now someone tells me that these (110 825 00 41) are NLA  

[Naj ✝︎]

quote:Originally posted by Tosh

OK - I have voltage at the hinge and I have voltage at the connection TO the socket/switch

I have no voltage through the socket/switch. It looks like it's been wet at some point. The push switch sits directly below the bulb socket and alongside that is what looks like a relay box into which the (2 inches of) cables are secured. That "box" looks like it's riveted to the rest of the assembly

It's now someone tells me that these (110 825 00 41) are NLA  

Tosh,
These lamps are used in many other models: 107,114,115,108 etc.

Check with Dave Collins (retrodave111@aol.com)

naj

[JamesL]

Thanks naj

Would like to get it up and running before Brooklands. A trunk light will be crucial.... :oops:

[scoot]

Regarding the trunk light only coming on when the parking lights are on, while I don't like this it does make sense in the cars with the early tail lights.  In addition to the trunk light there is also the parking light that shines back into the trunk through the translucent portion of the back tail light assemblies -- if MB is going to use the parking lights as trunk lights it seems logical that any additional trunk lighting would also only occur when the parking lights are on.  So my question is on later cars that don't have the parking light -> trunk lighting is there additional trunk lighting that is actuated by a switch, and is the trunk lighting still wired to only work when the car lights are on?

[JamesL]

Curiouser and Curioser

As mentioned... power at the hinge and then power at the light socket but not through the light socket.

Then I went from there, with power to socket through the live but not through the neutral - ran my voltmeter red at socket, black at hinge for full 12v but no voltage if both at the socket

So I ran a secondary cable, tested the socket end and all was well - indeed I even had light. I am awaiting the new socket

Then I tested it again and suddenly have no power at the hinge...

The fuse board looks fine and all lights etc work as they should. I wondered if there's some sort of cut-off switch - based on time the circuit is open but seemingly not. Is there a separate fuse for this light anywhere?

edit:

AHA!!!

Between the connectors at the hinge and the "trunk wiring loom" where all the cables join near the antenna the cables were wrapped in insulation tape. I unwrapped it and found that the neutral was whole (but the sheath was split) and the positive had another torpedo connector - so two of them in the space of 3 inches.... - which had come disconnected

Re-fix everything, re-wrap it and lo... I have power at the (non-working) socket

huzzah - a small victory! :mrgreen:  Oh, and naj, dave has a socket. SLS/Mervyn at Jacksons don't.