7 Pin Trailer Connector Kit?

Hello all. I recently purchased a 2014 Tacoma AC, TRD Sport, 4x4, V6, and AT (my first truck ever). Been reading a lot on Tacoma World, and now experiencing "info and ideas overload." I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions, but right now working on something I've not found an answer to yet.

The truck has the factory Tow Package, but they also Port installed option "4P 7 Pin to 4 Pin Adapter," and it has no 7 pin trailer connector, just a 4 pin. Anyone know of a 7 pin connector and wiring harness that will simply plug into the existing wiring connectors (under the back of the truck) and provide both trailer connectors?

I found this one on Amazon, but it appears to be for a Tundra; didn't find one for Tacoma. Was wondering whether the Tacoma uses the same wiring harnesses.

$41 Hopkins Towing Solutions 43395 Plug-In Simple Vehicle to Trailer Wiring Kit

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BE7WN4/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I32KYDKXDR8DTX&colid=X4B0CMZI4Y6N&psc=0

Thanks for any assistance.

 

I bought a 7 pin to 4 pin adaptor at tractor supply years ago and it still works fine

 

Are you sure you have the factory tow package? I've NEVER heard of a 4-pin trailer connection coming as an OEM option from Toyota on any 2'nd gen Tacomas.

 

Well, I requested the Vehicle Specifications from Toyota, supplying my VIN. It shows Factory installed "TO V6 Tow Package" along with the above mentioned Port installed "4P 7 Pin to 4 Pin Adapter." The truck has trans and oil coolers, and heavy-duty alternator. I'm looking to have BOTH connectors.

 

Got it.

Toyota shows an OEM 4-pin to 7-pin $15 option for the Land Cruiser. This could be a pretty clean looking solution.
With some digging you should be able to get the part number.

 

If you can, post a picture of your rear bumper and hitch setup. Leave your license plate out of the pic for safety reasons. (A rag or paper works great) I'm thinking you might have a 7 too 4 adapter plugged into your 7 pin.

 

Here's a couple pics. The first one shows the hitch. A little to the left of the hitch is a bracket with 2 bolts, I believe that's a mount point for a 7-pin connector bracket. A little further left of that is the 4-pin connector; it's wire tied to the frame.

This pic is looking straight up under the back of the truck. The multi-colored wire bundle runs to the 4-pin connector. The other end goes to a "black box" which I would think is an adapter to combine separate signal and brake lights to single lights on a trailer.
The connector near the bottom is a 7-pin (maybe more; hard to see) with nothing plugged into it.
There are two pairs of wires running from the black box to the tail light assemblies. This makes me think the 4-pin connector harness is some after-market piece, rather than a factory set, making this setup even more mysterious.
There is no 7-pin connector anywhere to be found.

(Sorry, posting this pic made it rotate 90 degrees clockwise.)

 

That's not Toyota wiring. Looks like a generic adapter maybe from U-Haul.

 

BTW, the reason is the factory set up (part number is 82169-04010) is really expensive ($250). But it just bolts to the bracket and clicks into the harness, no tapping taillights or any of that.

https://www.toyotaparts.metro-toyota.com/82169-04010.html

 

i got a generic one from auto zone, cut a hole through the steel bumper and plugged it in. It had both the 4 pin and the 7 pin. worked like a charm. and I didnt have to add any more wires. everything plugged right into what was already there

 

i'd check with @gunny1005 on this. Might be a better price thru him.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too. So I don't really know what the port-installed 7-pin to 4-pin adapter was for, unless it was later replaced with this harness.

So do I have any chance of finding a kit that will easily plug in and provide both connectors? There's an RV dealer nearby that installs hitches and connectors, but I'd bet they'd be pretty expensive; like to avoid that.

 

I have the factory harness and I just plug this into it when I need a 4 pin.

 

BTW, do you need an actual 7 pin? Those 3 extra pins are the connections for brakes, aux +12V (to charge a battery) and running lights.

If all you need is the plug they make 4-to-7 adapters but if you need the 3 extra circuits to be functional then it's probably going to be cleanest to add the factory harness.

Otherwise you have to figure out how to tap in and wire them up. Which seems silly when Toyota already did that and put them all into nice connectors for you.

 

Judging by this pic. I'd say a trailer came unhitched from the truck at some point in its life which probably took out the original 7 pin.

 

The only "port" that particular plug and harness was installed in was somebody's car port. The factory 7 pin plug and harness appears to have gone missing for some reason.

 

We rent a pop-up camper once or twice a year. Even though it doesn't have brakes or it's own battery, it has a 7-pin connector. We've been pulling it with my wife's Subaru, which has only a 4-pin connector. I had to make an adapter to hook up the trailer lights because no one around here sells one. I figured with the truck, it'd be nice to have both connectors permanently installed, and wired correctly should I ever need to pull a trailer with brakes.

 

So I go to the local RV store to get the parts to make an adapter to at least have lights through a 7-pin connection. They now have two pre-made adapters (the same place that told me 2 years ago that no company they know of makes such an adapter; guess they do now.) Both adapter models simply plug into an existing 4-pin, to provide light circuits to a 7-pin. One for $18 is simply that - plug into the 4-pin and go. Another one, for about $36, does the same, but is a bit better built, includes a mounting bracket for the 7-pin, and also includes a 4-pin connector so you can just leave it plugged into your existing 4-pin. Such an adapter will work for me, at least until such time as I need to pull something that has it's own brakes and/or battery.

Thanks all for the ideas!

 

If I just want to replace the rusted mounting bracket, how do I remove the connector? I see the harness connector above the bumper support, and I see the bolts connected to the plate. But how do you remove the socket from the plate? Does it twist apart?

 

Did you ever figure this out?

Bernie