Quick wiring solution for 3rd brake light on a topper

2005 w tow option. Heading out in a trip and I only have this option available to wiring in my 3rd brake light. Can this work as a brake function ONLY or will this make the light function as a blinker/brake/ parking lights?

 

It won't work. The Taco has separate brake and turn signals. You need to tap into the brake light wire in 1 of the tail lights. The trailer connector has combined brake and turn signals.

 

You dont need any turn signal function on the topper though right? It's just a brake light

 

Yes no turn signals just need the brake function. I have an actual topper harness that got delayed in the mail and dont have access to any others means to wire it. Just had this laying around. Dont know if I will get pulled over for not having a functional 3rd brake light on this. Thank you for the help

 

Try it and report back

 

I have never had the topper light hooked up on mine in 5 years. You won't get pulled over for it not illuminating.

 

Ok thank you. Just wasn’t sure. Traveling to California

 

Pigpens right, it shouldn't get you ticketed. I like mine working just for better visibility.

Are the wires exposed up under the topper? Just grab power and ground and go down to the taillight housing. You can tuck the wires behind the rubber seal

 

Only 2 wires are exposed red and black for the brake. No dome light wiring

 

As stated, I doubt you would be ticketed for this on a single trip but it's possible. It's pretty easy to tap into the taillight harness. You just need to feed the wire to where the harness on the topper can reach your tapped wires.

You could temporarily use some butt connectors to get it functioning while your harness comes in. O did a rigid chase light a few months back and tapped into running, brake, and reverse lights from the taillight harness.

 

Thank you everyfor the quick responses. I will just leave it as is until my harness comes in

 

Hi there, newbie here. Ill be trying to install my rigid chase light later this week, just wondering where did u connect yours and what switch did u use? Di you use different switch for the strobe and courtesy light? Which one did u tap it in to. Appreciate it. Thanks.

 

I pulled the driver side tail light and used the harness attached to the light assembly as my sources. You can see where the wires go but it may help to cycle the various modes to know which wires control which function. I tapped into them and soldered all my connections. The only switch I used was from my existing bed lights I have installed which I just tapped into.

It's funny your asking this, I live near the coast and I'm pretty sure I need to upgrade to sealed switch and relay box for my bedlights. My bedlights just stopped working, but the chaselight was working fine.

 

Thank u

 

I used the 4 wire connector like you show in the original post to hook up my topper. I hooked the brake signal wire to the brake light wire in the left taillight and I hooked the interior light for the topper to the running light wire in the rear taillight. I cut the extra wire off and called it good. Works great.

 

Picked up a SnugTop (Rebel?) w/ third brake light + overhead interior light

thing has a 3-wire plug dangling from the rear left corner, anyone know why/how to hook it up?
Peeling back the insulation I see 2 wires into 1, leading me to believe it may originally be a 4-wire

I'm guessing the best way is to have constant power available to the dome light (key off)
and power to the 3rd brake light + signal from tail lights/brake
maybe a ground to chassis
power, I'm not sure if that should route to battery, or tap in closer; I've heard places are against selling kits to tap in closer, for fear of starting a fire from overloading a thin wire not designed to power more/extra components

guy I bought the shell from, came on the truck from previous owner
and whatever plugged into the 3 pin, was coming out of a hole drilled in the inner bedside; not sure where it routed to beyond that

haven't seen anyone else's shell come with a 3-wire from posts I've found. Not sure if SnugTop comes like that factory
I'll post an actual pic when I get a chance
the harness from the shell looks clean leading me to believe it either did come that way, or whoever made it took their time