Cargo light switch shows voltage when light is off.

Trying to get my rock lights to function as puddle lights using the cargo lamp.

Have this resource.

Purple wire from the off door on switch looks perfect for that purpose...

But when I hit it with my multimeter, it shows voltage when the light is OFF. When the light is on, there's no voltage.

I can wire a relay on the NC end... but that would also mean my relay would be energized 23.5 hrs a day. Drawing a few milliamps all day everyday.

If I were to go out of town for a while or something, I could come home to a dead battery.

Am I wrong for thinking that's less than ideal? Am I missing something?

 

What is the "Off door on switch"?
I can try to pull some diagrams and see what's going on.
But I need to know what switch you are talking about first.

 

This guy

Purple wire shows voltage when light is off, voltage drops to zero when the light is on.

 

It will show voltage.
The voltage is coming in from the CL Fuse, through the Relay and to the purple wire.
The Purple wire is grounded by the ECM. Until the ECM grounds the purple wire, it will show 12v.

 

Any idea on how to best utilize that fact to trigger my relay and turn on my rock lights?

Maybe if I found the wire going to the light itself, that would be a better way to trigger the relay. A light green wire coming from the CARGO-LP relay by the diagram.

 

Found it. 2nd relay from the top behind the left switch cluster. Light green wire.

 

Pardon my input @TnShooter . The Cargo Lamp relay itself is just to the left of the Fuse/Junction box, it will be the second one down. My order is the Mirror Heater relay, then the Cargo Lamp and then the Seat heater relay. @GreensHardware could use it as his relay to power the lights simply by grounding the Vilot/Purple wire and finding the wire that should go to the actual cargo light.

EDIT: Looks like its all done with after all.