Technically it's not recontenting since a rear dome light was never present
on the Contour (though it was on the Mystique). Regardless, it's an easy
mod for anyone looking for more light in the rear passenger area. The parts
you'll need are:
rear lamp assy - F5RY-13776-A
three splice lock connectors or wire nuts
The rear lamp comes with spade contacts. If you want a factory installation
or don't know how to solder, you can use the harness (F6RZ-14335-BD). I
chose not to because the wires are hidden and it's easy without the harness.
The switch has three positions, delay, on, and off, just like the front.
First you need to do is cut a hole in the headliner. To see where to make
the cut, you'll need to partially drop the headliner by removing the two
mushroom-lock fastners in the back. Ease it down and take a look at the
roof; you will see a rectangular 1.5x3.5 inch hole in the metal. That is
where the lamp mounts. Use an x-acto knife and carefully cut the headliner.
Be careful, as a new headliner is expensive. The cuts don't have to be
pretty; the lamp will cover it up.
The lamp will draw power from the front lamp. To expose the wires, pull on
the inner lamp assembly, NOT the outer bezel. That piece is screwed into
roof (philips) and won't come out without breaking something. The lamp assy
should pop right out. There are three wires, an orange one (12V), and two
black ones. The two black ones are in a T-shaped connector. The horizontal
one is the 12-sec delay ground, the vertical is always-on ground.
Back to the rear assy, there are three corresponding connectors. The orange
wire connects to the contact closest to the lamp. The other two are
interchangeable; connect them however you see fit. Solder three pieces of
wire to the contacts, about 3.5 feet long. Be sure to label the wires. Tie
them together and find a clothes hanger. You'll need it to run the wires
through the headliner to the front. This is probably the most PITA part.
After you get the wires to the front (congratulations!) use the splice lock
connectors to wire everything together. Test your connections, make sure
the switch works the way you want it to. Pop everything back in place, and
you're done. Took me 30 minutes to do, not very difficult at all. Total
cost, $20 for the lamp and connectors.
Things you need to watch out for: One, the fiberglass in the headliner. Bad
to get in your eyes, very irritating if it gets stuck in your skin. Safety
glasses are advisable when cutting the hole. Two, watch the electricals.
Close the doors and make sure the lights are off before crimping or
soldering. 12V won't kill you (heh), but you could blow a fuse if you short
something.
-Louis
louisw@mail.utexas.edu
