Wiring Problem - Aux reverse lights w/ switch override

Okay so first time poster but have been cruising TW for a few months now since i purchased my Taco last summer. I have looked around to see if anyone already had this same problem, but could not find a clear answer. I'm sure the solution is a no brainer... most likely i am wiring this completely wrong.

So - the mod i am trying to figure out:

I have LED reverse lights that i've installed below the bumper. I want the LED lights to turn on anytime that i throw the truck in reverse for crazy amounts of light when backing up.

First step was i found the hot wire for the tail lamp circuit and tapped into that wire, then ran a dedicated ground wire direct from the battery back to the LED lights. It worked perfectly!

Then i got to thinking, man I sure would love to be able to turn the LED lights on at anytime. So what i did was install a rocker switch, connected to the battery, and ran a new line back to the tail lamp circuit to feed the lights when my truck was on or off, in drive or park. I used a small LED switch that i had lying around, and it worked perfectly - no problems.

THEN i decided to order a rocker switch that was made to look stock and fit perfectly in one of my blank spots on the dash. I went ahead and wired everything up and now i am having a problem where when i put my truck in reverse, it sends the signal backwards to my rocker switch and lights the switch up. What's even crazier - If i have the truck in Drive, and hit the rocker switch, it will turn on the lights just fine but it actually sends the signal to the "gear indicator" on the dash itself and will light up the "R" at the same time that the green "D" is lit! So this is frustrating me! I want the switch to work independently from when i put the truck in reverse. I have NO idea why it worked fine when i had the temporary switch installed and now its bad with the permanent switch. I'm pretty sure i wired it up exactly the same as the first switch...

Anyway, i've included a quick little drawing of how i wired it up. I can see how either power source is backfeeding the other, but i cant figure out how to do it properly. I was thinking about a reverse relay or something that would break the feed from the switch when the truck was in reverse?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Is the new switch an led or a bulb?

 

You need to wire them seperately. You are running a hot wire to a hot wire and a ground to a ground wire. Just run power from switch directly to lights. But you really need a relay.
http://m.cherokeeforum.com/showthread.php?t=54271&styleid=16

 

The new switch is a bulb... the old switch was an LED. Is that why the two are acting different?

 

Great, thank you. Do you think i need a relay even though i'm using LED lights? I've even switched out the stock reverse bulbs to LED so they dont draw as much... the relay is there to protect the switch from burning up, right?

 

A diode would fix that.

 

I have run across a diode as i have been searching for a solution... i have never worked with one and don't know how to install it. Are you able to explain where it would go/what i would need to connect?

 

Its simple. You just need to put it inline with the signal wire to the tail light. There is an arrow on the diode with the direction for current to flow, you want it flowing toward the tail lights. What it does is pretty much act like a check valve, only lets current flow one way.

 

Any advice on where to buy? Are there different sizes similar to fuses and such? I googled diodes and a bunch of different applications came up, didn't see anything helpful for automotive right off the bat but i didn't look very long. Id prefer to buy at a local auto store but i've never seen a diode in one before... maybe i just never noticed?

 

Rocker switch provides GROUND, in this one:

This allows you to run them without a diode. Only use this on LED reverse lights.
Hitting the rocker switches from the original reverse power, to your aux power source, WITHOUT backfeeding. Don't run too many amps, or you'll blow the reverse circuit's fuse.

 

Awesome, thank you!