MOD - LED Bed Lighting Connected to Cargo Light / Bed Light Circuit

Would you also know if these would work instead of those t-taps that are normally used?

https://www.wago.com/us/wire-splicing-connectors/splicing-connector/p/222-413

Most people say not to use the vampire clips and I am not a great at soldering. I've only read good things about these wago connectors.

 

I'm not an electrician but these look like they are intended for AC wiring use and not automotive.

You'll need a tap since the green wire is very thin (22g from the look of it) and I didn't want to chance my usual strip and solder operation. Tap has been in for 2 years now and still works great. I wouldn't worry about using a wire tap.

 

Sorry in advance for bringing this up a year later.

I've got my mattgecko lights wired to a switch now but I'd like to set them up as above. Can I leave the ground wire where it is under the bed or do I need to run one into the cab and ground it there?

Thanks!

 

This is the post that will live on forever! AND... I'm installing another set today for someone else's truck so I need my own post as a reference!

You shouldn't have any trouble with grounding them under the bed, the frame is the common ground anyway. If you think about it that's what I did by placing the ring tongue to the chassis bolt. You should be fine. Matt Gecko lights rock!

 

Haha that's awesome! Do you use the green wire for all of the power or just as a switch and run the power for the lights right off the battery?

 

I used the green wire to power the lights directly. However, the current draw for the "OEM" (they're not) lights is a lot lower than the Matt Gecko setup. To be safe, if I was in your shoes I'd use the green wire to trigger a relay and power the lights directly from a higher amperage power source. That green wire is pretty thin and I can't imagine it would carry very much current.

 

does anyone have any recommendations on how to run the wires from the bed into the cabin? i started this project today using some Amazon LED strip lights found here:

$19 AUTUNEER 60" LED Truck Bed Lights, 2PCS White Truck Bed LED (Light Emitting Diode) Lighting Fixtures, Waterproof Truck Bed Lighting Bar Switch Fuse Splitter Cable for RV SUV Vans Cargo Boats

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZGNDTC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

...but it started to get dark and rainy on me. i managed to attach both strips under the rails with the wires aiming towards the tailgate. i intended on tapping the 7-pin trailer hitch adapter, but i'd rather do it this way so i'm able to use it with the car off. since they're already stuck onto the railing, would i then have to run the wires through the slit between the tailgate and bed, route it underneath the truck somehow, and then up a hole/gasket?? i just don't know where there are access points into the cabin. thank you in advanced!!

 

There are grommets under both driver and passenger seats that already run wires from underneath the truck into the cab. It's a simple matter to undo the existing electrical tape and push wires through the grommet and into the cab under the carpet. You'll need to pull the front kick panel and plastic door channel cover as well to be able to get at the grommet. It's actually quite simple.

 

@mrkabc you wouldn’t happen to have any more info on that connector you tapped?

 

Sure, what would you like to know?

 

Ideally the part number but anything that will lead me to the part number, not sure what to call it right now so a search would be useless. I’d much rather make a jumper to tie into rather than a t tap

 

How would one go about doing this? I'm great at following instructions but am a complete dummy when it comes to figuring out anything electrical on my own. Probably safe to say many of us are. Haha. Thanks!

Im surprised this thread doesn't get more traffic, seeming as your method is the cleanest method of wiring up bed lights.

 

Look at this thing, there are a lot of wires in it. You really would be working too hard to make a jumper. It's literally just the one green wire (+) that you need to tap into. Trust me, I'm not a fan of wire taps either, but in this case I added one since I felt the wire was too thin to strip and solder like I normally do. Here's the plug:



Here's what the final product looks like - we are looking at the driver's side kick panel (it's off). Brake pedal would be in the upper right hand part of the pic, driver's door is to the left. You can see the red wire along the floor of the cab, that's the (+) hot wire from the bed light kit going up to the blue female spade connector clipped into the tap.


Note the upper center of the pic shows OEM wire taps! If it's good enough for Toyota, it's good enough for me.

 

I'd recommend Googling the proper usage of a relay. In theory, it should look like this:

However, if you are not comfortable with wiring up your own relays I'd highly recommend having someone familiar with 12v car wiring assist you. Too bad you are in AZ, you are a drive for me or I'd help you out!

 

I would pay you in cash/beer/pizza to wire it up.

Based off what I've seen/read I feel comfortable enough to do this. The only thing I'm unsure about is where to tap the 86 pin. Would it still be okay to tap the green wire like you did? Or would I tap directly behind cargo switch in the dash? Thanks!

 

I did this yesterday evening - worked great! Used led strips down the sides instead but wired the same. Thanks for the tip

 

Did you wire the bed lights to the cargo switch?

 

Yeah, I did. Using a t tap on the middle green wire @mrkabc pointed out. I ran the wires through a rubber drain plug type thing underneath the carpet immediately in front of the drivers seat.

Then I ran the wires along the frame tucked up out of the way in some wire loom. Ran the wire through the left front drain hole in the bed and connected everything up right there. Oh, and I did enlarge the drain hole in the bed since the gauge wire I used was large enough to block a significant part of the hole.

 

Without a relay?

 

Yeah, the led strip lights I have are a pretty low draw so I chose to use the green wire as my power source and depend on the relay built into the cargo light switch.

My lights are lower amperage and watts than the factory lights so figured why not...