Tow hitch wiring questions? Help!

hey guys. I have a 2.7 4x4 Tacoma that did NOT come with a tow package. Today I added a tow hitch and that’s it, no wiring. The reason I did not add wiring is because I found an unused female plug under my tailgate, within a foot from where the blank insert is next to my license plate (which would house the 7 pin / 4 pin plug if I had a tow package (see photos please!). Is this unused female plug possibly tow wiring?

If so I plan on buying the 7 pin / 4 pin plug to replace my blank plug. If that turns out to be tow wiring, what type of harness/pigtail/cable would I need to order to connect the back of the 7 pin/ 4 pin thing to the unused female plug? I’m sorry if my terminology is off; this is all new to me. Does anyone have experience with adding wiring to these Tacoma’s that come without tow packages? Id love for someone to let me know what I need to do to get the wiring working. Or possibly send me some links of what I need to buy in order to get this going!

 

I believe that tow package includes wiring and the hitch itself, so I would be surprised if those wires were for towing. Free bump to the top, maybe someone else can verify for sure

 

So you mean you don’t see those wires being for a tow plug (or whatever it’s called) considering mine did not come with a tow package? If not then what do you think that female plug that’s unused is for? It’s awfully close to the plug area

 

It might be. Some stuff Toyota prewires on all the trucks otherwise they would have 5000 different wiring harnesses

 

I'm not positive, but I think that's the BSM and back up sensor plug...

 

Yes.
I think @Bertw192 is onto something

 

Ok so if @Bertw192 is correct, then I would need a complete wiring for my towing from front to back. Good to know. I’m hoping I can still order the insert that’s is in the Tacoma’s with the tow package and use that, and hopefully have somebody be able to connect to it for me. I sure am wishful that it was towing related but if it turns out to be bsm that’s crummy!

 

Ok... I've been tagged enough. I'll go take a pic of mine... hang tight.

 

Trailer harness (blue and green wire) pass by the plugs and go forward towards the cab... pretty sure you're out of luck OP... not an easy fix.

Edit: as stated previously, I think those plugs are the backup camera and BSM

 

I recently added a tow hitch to my SR. The wiring was not included on my 17. I ordered the curt wiring harness and ran it front to back. Works great. However, I also wanted to use the 7/4 pin mount in the bumper. The curt harness is a 4 pin. I ordered the same part you show but that part will not allow for a 4pin connection. It was only designed for the oem harness so I retured it. Hope this saves you some time.

 

Although I don’t enjoy reading your answer, I totally appreciate the effort and you taking that pic for me. Looks like I need to pay for hitch wiring, and hopefully they can wire it into that adapter that I plan to buy on Amazon (the one in the photo I shared). I’m sure that would work. Do you see me running into any problems doing that? There’s GOT to be a way to wire it and have it attach to Toyota’s standard plug

 

That shouldn't be an issue. After all, the Toyota wiring harness is just wires in a flex conduit. There's no trickery going on. It might not be as "clean" in the end, but if you take your time and do it properly, it can be.

The only issue you'll have compared to the factory tow package is the lack of trans cooler... but you can fix that too.

 

Hmmmm okay so since you have experience in this, what would you recommend I do? Can I order a different wiring set up that would fit with the OEM 7/4 plug? Or am I basically SOL

 

Any garage can do the job in an hour or two, just make sure that they run the wires where they are not gonna get torn off the first time you go over a branch.

 

With the 2.7, you really don’t need the 7 pin as trailers that big are outside the towing capacity of the 2.7 (3500 lbs). You just need the 4 pin which I believe you can just tap off the rear brake light.

 

Yes, I really hope that can work out. I’m sure if I ordered the right parts and handed them to a competent individual they’d figure it out. As far as the trans cooler, for the occasional 2 jet skis or a tear drop trailer would I need a trans cooler?

 

Ok good point, but I really would like to change out that blank plug for the 7/4. Would it be stupid to change it out and add just the 4, or if I’m going with a 7/4 should I just do both anyways?

 

I wasn't able to find an easy solution for the connection. The harness and converter box was an easy install only requiring that I remove the tail lights to add the wiring. After scratching my head I decided to cut out a hole in the dummy cap that was on the bumper. I then fed the 4 pin connector thru a hole cut to size. Looks pretty good. I don't tow often so the look and functionality are fine with me.

 

I have a ScanGuage to monitor temperatures while towing. I would get that before adding coolers for occasional light towing.

 

I'm certainly no expert, but if you tow within the capacity of your particular rig, you should be golden. If you're pulling your jetski trailer over a mountain pass, just keep the limit in mind and go easy on the girl.