Need Advice on Putco Light Bar Installation

A few months ago, I installed a Softopper on my 2021 TRD Off-Road. It was a great decision for me and I’m glad I did it—perfect for my needs. The only issue with it (for me) was that it blocks the third brake light at the back of the cab. The solution I settled on for that (even thought it’s not an exact replacement) was to install one of the Putco Blade led light bars that fits between the bottom of the tailgate and the top of the rear bumper. I had seen them on other trucks and believe they actually do a better job of alerting someone that you are braking than even a traditional third brake light can do. Plus I like the additional illumination they provide when in reverse.

Anyway, I’m scared to touch anything electrical on my truck. Too much going on in modern cars for a hack like me mess with. So, I decided to have the light installed at a local truck accessory shop that I know has a good reputation—they have been in business for over 30 years, etc.

Now, normally I over think and over research things, but in this case, I just went down to the shop, got them to order the Putco light and scheduled an installation. Within few days, the light had arrived and was installed. And, it absolutely does what I wanted it to do—make me feel better about someone slamming into me from behind.

BUT, the next morning, I got curious and wanted to see what they did to install it. I guess I was thinking that there would be some sort of connector that tied into the rear of the seven-pin trailer light connector (which I now know that this exact thing exists), but what I found is that they used Scotchloks to connect/splice the wires from the Putco light to the wires coming out of the back of the seven-pin connector, and then just wrapped all that up with electrical tape. That said, this is exactly what I discovered is contained in the installation instructions from Putco, so they didn’t really do anything wrong. Although I do wish they’d have told me that Putco sells a quick connect that goes on the back of the seven-pin connector and doesn’t require splicing into any wires—I would have definitely gone that route.

I did undo their tape job because it was obvious they had only wrapped everything in a big bundle, and I would have preferred that each Scotchlok connection be wrapped individually. And so, I wrapped each connection and then rewrapped everything in a tight bundle. And while I am pretty comfortable that it is going to be fine, I still thought I’d get some feedback from those of you on here who know a lot more than I do about this sort of stuff. I can’t go back and undo what was done—that is water under the bridge. But, if you have any thoughts of how I could improve upon the way it is now—to keep me from having any problems down the road—I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance. Next time I will do what I normally do and research it thoroughly. If I had done that I would have walked in there telling them to use the quick connect from Putco. But again, that’s water under the bridge now. (And I am probably over thinking it anyway.) But again, I’d appreciate other opinions.

 

Yikes. That sucks. Scotchloks can break strands, but as long as you don't see any issues, I would leave it. If you really want to back it out, you could take the Scotchloks out, add some tinning and waterproof coating to the wires and install that connector that you mentioned.

The only other concern would be water getting in an corroding the wires. It might be worth getting in there with something like Liquid Tape?
https://plastidip.com/our-products/liquid-tape/

I teed mine into the LH tail light with a soldered joint that I then waterproofed. I have a quick disconnect on there as the light strip is attached to my Softopper.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I didn't mention that my biggest concern is not that the light quits working, but that I cause problems upstream somewhere with the electrical system. Again, I have no idea what I am talking about, but that's the whole reason I didn't want to do it myself in the first place. If you have any thoughts on that (or if anyone else does), I'd love to hear them.

 

I wouldn't expect problems upstream. More likely down stream when using the trailer connector. This would be rare, but it would be my concern with that splice method in a place that has a lot of vibration.

 

That is sort of what I was thinking, but I'm interested in hearing from others. Regarding your suggestion about Liquid Tape, would you do that with the Scotchloks in place? Just to seal around them?

 

There are a lot of electrical wizzes here. You'll get more feedback for sure.

Yep. If you don't want to mess with the existing Scotchloks, then I would personally goop them up.

 

Thanks... wish it had been done a different way to begin with, but I can't change that now. I'll be interested in hearing what others have to say, but I may do exactly what you are suggesting. Again, my main concern is with problems upstream, but it sounds like that may not be a real concern.

You've helped me with something else on here before (can't remember what it was)... thanks for being helpful to folks you don't even know.

 

You're welcome!

I'm happy to help.


I imagine the only way to have issues upstream is if the Scotchloks failed and the wires grounded on other metal parts or wires. That seems very unlikely.

 

Yeah... as I said, each connection is now wrapped individually and then everything is wrapped tightly in a bundle. It would be hard for that to happen. If I do undo everything and use some Liquid Tape, it'd be almost impossible.

 

Would definitely still be interested if anyone else has thoughts or suggestions on this.

 

@tonered thanks again for your help. After thinking about it, I can't stand the idea of those Scotchloks and the big mound of electrical tape riding around under my truck. Best case scenario, the Scotchloks corrode over time and fail at some point and I'll have to repair it the right way then. (No need to wait on that when I can be proactive and do it the right way now.) But there is also a chance it corrodes some of the truck's wiring and I obviously don't want that. So I am going to take them out and wire the light in using some butt connectors and heat shrink. And then cover it all back up with some loom conduit.

Again, I wish they would have mentioned the connector that plugs into the back of the 7-pin so I wouldn't have to tap or splice into any factory wiring (except for the reverse light). But, at this point it doesn't make sense to use that connector anyway because the 4-pin connector on the Putco light has been cut off which means I'd just have to splice all that together.

Anyway, take care and thanks again.

 

You're welcome!

That sounds like a solid plan.

I recently tried marine connectors for the first time. They are pretty cool, with the waterproof adhesive that seals when you heat shrink them.

 

Project complete. Looks and works great. Glad I reworked it. Confident it will last for a long while.

 

Nice!

It like the sounds of that.