VERY Hot Dome Light

[hot dome light man]

So, we have a 1994 Grand Prix. The dome light hasn't worked in a few years now, so I decided to check it out. It turns out the bulb does light up and work. There is no break in the filament or whatever. However, it gets VERY hot. By VERY hot, I mean within only a few seconds, it is too hot to touch with your hands, and could easily melt wax and weak plastics.

I have taken out the dome light bulb for now, so the bulb itself doesn't get burnt out, and more importantly not to cause a fire. I tried a Google search and Youtube search for hot dome lights, but not much info for this specific issue. I saw a post somewhere on another forum, where someone mentioned a short circuit, but it was very vague. What should I do? I know it's incandescent, but should it get -that- hot -that- fast? (I've heard about LED lights, but would rather just get this working, if I can.)

[DrRadar]

I would check the voltage in the dome and the bulb resistance, then try to find out what the bulb resistance should be. Assuming the voltage is correct, a resistance that's too large might indicate a weakened filament with a hot spot.

Or buy a new bulb and compare the resistances...or just stick the new bulb in the dome and see if it works.

Oh, and make sure it's the right bulb...

[danielsatur]

Go green, and mount a Solar garden light on your dash, or go with a
less watts bulb.

[tblake]

I agree with the top two, check to make sure the bulb you have is the correct part number and wattage for you specific car. If so, you can step down in wattage.

And as you mentioned switch to LED, they stay cool to the touch after hours of continuous use.

[3100]

do some math and install several LEDs instead.

[danielsatur]

P
--------
E X I

E
-------
I X R


P= watts
E = voltage
R= resistance
I = current

I really like the idea of using LED's to save power, they do make LED Bulbs for the tail lights.

Do a google ''Universal LED dome lights''