Alien Encounter on my '81

[goingballistic]

Wierd stuff maybe someone knows.
My son came out late last fall and said there was an "eerie" green glow under my Vette ( I had blown my heater core at the time and there was radiator fluid under the car). I blew it off, thought he had been drinking. Put the car away for the winter. This spring I pull the car out, start cleaning it up in the garage and he again says "hey that eerie glow is back again under your vette"............now I think maybe I'm not drinking enough!!!!!!
Anyway upon further investigation, I roll under the rear end of the car between the tail pipes and just to the left of the rear license plate on the frame is a little light that's glowing away ( I've been trying to figure out why my battery is dying!)...............I can't for the life of me figure out what this light is for, it's not close enough to the plate to do anything, and seems to serve no purpose, there is nothing there that you would want to illuminate.

Anyone got any idea what this thing is for and why it's there?? I'm assuming it's turned on and off by something ( like a door switch??) but it's always on. Wierd?


Paul.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

A wild stab at the dark:

...I really have no clue... Could the bulb be to illuminate the spare tire? That is the only thing I could think of.
Heidi

 

[goingballistic]

A wild stab at the dark:

...I really have no clue... Could the bulb be to illuminate the spare tire? That is the only thing I could think of.
Heidi

I thought the same thing but there isn't enough light to be of any use and I would think there has to be some way of shutting it off ( I had to remove the bulb to stop the battery from discharging).


P.S "A wild stab at the dark"....... Now THAT was funny.

 

[76okievette]

Two guesses, do you have a trailer hitch, could be a light to indicate whats hot to hook a trailer hitch to.

Could it be the light for the plate that has just fallen out of its holder?

 

[GerryLP]

Ballistic,

The light is standard with the L81's trailering package. I am not sure if other L81's have this or not, but mine does, and all I can think of is the ZN1 trailering option: Heavy Duty radiator (for improved transmission oil cooling), and I am at work, so I don't have my paperwork from Chevrolet to list everything included in the ZN1 package, but I 'll research tonight. Heavy Duty suspension was another requirement (I believe) -this light, however, should go out when the interior lights go out.

I think that Heidi's guess is a good one, and it makes sense. In the middle of the night and having to drop the spare wheel carrier to acces the spare in the dark must be hard to do .

 

[goingballistic]

I never would have thought of the trailer tow package option. I was under the car and didn't see anything that would indicate a tow package so never thought of that nor did the gent I bought the car off say anything about a tow package ( I would have thought that to be a selling point??).

Gerry, if you can dig up that info, I would appreciate it. The door closing turning it off would make sense and now also explains some other stuff from the dome and curteousy lights as well ( I removed them all to try to find this drain problem with the battery).

I trust Heidi's guess being the spare tire thing but seriously, there isn't enough light to be of any use you may as well be blind.

76okie, the light is installed in a holder that is screwed to the rear frame, so no it didn't fall off anything, it's designed that way.

Now curiosity has the best of me.................

 

[goingballistic]

Heidi, I just read Gerry's comment "I think that Heidi's guess is a good one, and it makes sense." and re-thought how you may have taken my little laughing guy.........it wasn't meant maliciously at all...............I thought it funny that you were taking a "stab in the dark" regarding a question about a "light".........sorry if I offended.........I thought you were making a funny.

 

[phxraptor]

You ran over ET and tore off his finger and now it's stuck in your spare carrier

 

[KC-21]

The light is a Courtesy Walkaround light, it is activated by the door switch that activates the interior lights. It is there to give you a little bit of light on dark nights so you can see........ I understand that there is an electronic board somewhere on the car that causes the interior lights, and this light to have a delay before they go out. The piece that controls this particular light is known to go bad and let the light stay on all the time, it can be fixed, but the easiest fix is to remove the bulb.....


Keith

 

[GerryLP]

I never would have thought of the trailer tow package option. I was under the car and didn't see anything that would indicate a tow package so never thought of that nor did the gent I bought the car off say anything about a tow package ( I would have thought that to be a selling point??).

Gerry, if you can dig up that info, I would appreciate it. The door closing turning it off would make sense and now also explains some other stuff from the dome and curteousy lights as well ( I removed them all to try to find this drain problem with the battery)....Now curiosity has the best of me.................

Ballistic,

As I said before, it could be that the little light is standard in the L81's; however, to answer your ZN1 question, the trailering package DID require the FE7 Gymkana suspension and automatic transmission. It came with the thicker radiator (2.68" thick radiator Vs. the 1.58"). The FE7 is best identified by the anti-roll bar in the rear measuring 0.440" in diameter and an 8-leaf steel spring (290 lbs/in rate I believe). The front springs I think are the standard 260 lb/in rate. It also came with "special" shock absorbers, but I replaced those with gas cushioned shocks to soften the ride. Going to college In San Francisco State Univ., the stock schocks made for a harsh ride, but they were great at above 85 MPH (I could not tell at the time how fast I was going above 85 MPH). I also remember having a 70 AMP alternator, but I was too cheap to pay for $50 more for the additional 7 amps, so I got the 63 amp alternator now. I have not found, so far, what option included the 70 amp alternator.

 

[Yoda]

The light is a Courtesy Walkaround light, it is activated by the door switch that activates the interior lights. It is there to give you a little bit of light on dark nights so you can see........ I understand that there is an electronic board somewhere on the car that causes the interior lights, and this light to have a delay before they go out. The piece that controls this particular light is known to go bad and let the light stay on all the time, it can be fixed, but the easiest fix is to remove the bulb.....


Keith

The board is located behind the glove box on the right side, and Keith is 100% correct here

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Heidi, I just read Gerry's comment "I think that Heidi's guess is a good one, and it makes sense." and re-thought how you may have taken my little laughing guy.........it wasn't meant maliciously at all...............I thought it funny that you were taking a "stab in the dark" regarding a question about a "light".........sorry if I offended.........I thought you were making a funny.

No need to apologize at all...I was making a funny. I'm glad you caught it and had a laugh!
Heidi