SOLUTION: 4th gen Personal (aka Map) Light mod - Toyota

rando · 11-17-2004, 03:49 PM

The narrative below describes how I mod'd my map lights to change their behavior, when switched, from ON/OFF to ON/DOOR. A new switch can easily be added to extend this solution to provide ON/(OFF/DOOR) functionality. This is a continuation of this thread with a more appropriate title so people can find it.

If you make this modifcation to your truck you may damage your body ECU, start your truck on fire, or otherwise cause damage or injury to people, property, or the universe. The modification described worked for me but I cannot guarantee that it is safe or that it will work for you. By reading beyond this point, you agree to proceed at your own risk and accept full liability for your actions and their consequences. The information provided here is for informational purposes only. I do not endorse this modication nor recommend that ANYONE actually perform what is described.

With the personal light assembly (a.k.a. map lights, sun glass holder, homelink, etc) removed from the truck, I removed the two map light switches. These slide out at either end of the assembly. Each switch is a two position SPDT type with 3 female contacts -- 1 contact is unused. What I did was tap the unused contact on each switch and wire it to the body ECU ILE circuit. This allows me to switch each of the map lights between ON and DOOR mode. When in DOOR mode, they now behave exactly the same as the back seat or storage area lights in DOOR mode.

The first thing I did was add an ILE circuit extension to the personal light area. The easiest place to tap ILE is behind the driver's dash/door pillar (two screws). The roof wire bundle runs through there. Within that bundle is a white with blue stripes 3-wire ribbon. The center wire in that ribbon is ILE. Alternatively, the same wire can be tapped at connector 1A pin 8 located at the driver's side fuse panel. Either way I would have had to remove the pillar cover so it made more sense to just tap it in there instead of at the fuse block. I ran a length of wire from the tap point back to the personal light area (with connectors on both ends so that I can easily remove everything if needed). First fish the wire foward towards the rearview mirror, then over to the pillar, then tuck it back under the headliner.

Next I needed to tap the personal light switches. This is easy because the switches plug in/out of the assembly. I used a short strand of 18G wire for each switch. One end of each wire is stripped back about 1/4 inch and pushed up into the unused switch contact. The switch is then plugged back in to the peronsal light assembly. I took some care to route the new wires such that they could not wiggle loose from the switch. I don't want them popping out and starting a fire, damaging my ECU or blowing a fuse. I should probably glue these down just to make sure they never move. The other end of the wires are joined to together into a connector that plugs into the new ILE circuit I added above.

That's it. When switched to what was previously OFF mode, my map lights now turn on/off automatically with the rest of the interior lights. When switched to ON mode, they come on as long as the dome relay is active (original behavior). I don't really need an OFF mode but to add one I would just need to put an ON/OFF switch in series with the new ILE circuit. This new switch would be labeled DOOR/OFF and would work in conjuction with the built-in map light switches to provide an ON/(DOOR/OFF) capability.

The biggest risk of this modification is that ILE circuit is now sinking the additional current from the map lights. Though everything appears to be working fine, it's possible that this may lead to premature body ECU failure or even a fire. Since the ILE circuit is protected externally by the 10A dome light fuse I assume (but can't be sure) that this circuit is safe. Adding the map lights adds about 1A to this circuit, probably still substantially less than 10A total. Then again, looking at the size of the ILE wire, it's hard to imagine that 10A can flow through there for very long -- who knows? A safer solution would involve a couple of transistors.

PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

rando · 11-17-2004, 05:06 PM

maplight switch (removed) -- 2 pins on the assembly side, 3 pin holes on the switch

rando · 11-17-2004, 05:08 PM

mod'd assembly -- notice the wire routing to keep things clean and secure

AK602 · 11-17-2004, 05:17 PM

SWEET IDEA, SOUNDS LIKE ONE I WOULD LIKE,
I MAY JUST TRY IT MYSELF. THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT USE IT FOR A DOOR LIGHT YOU COULD JUST HAVE IT WITH A SWITCH ON A KEYED IGNITION LINE TO HAVE BOTH LIGHTS COME ON.
PRETTY COOL.

AK602 · 11-17-2004, 05:34 PM

SWEET IDEA, SOUNDS LIKE ONE I WOULD LIKE,
I MAY JUST TRY IT MYSELF. THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT USE IT FOR A DOOR LIGHT YOU COULD JUST HAVE IT WITH A SWITCH ON A KEYED IGNITION LINE TO HAVE BOTH LIGHTS COME ON.
PRETTY COOL.

rando · 11-17-2004, 06:24 PM

tapping ILE circuit behind pillar -- you can't see it in the picture but the wire to tap is the middle wire of the 3-wire ribbon cable in the roof wire bundle. Don't ask me why Toyota used a ribbon cable in there#@%?

rando · 11-17-2004, 06:26 PM

new ILE circuit exiting headliner at maplight opening (OEM wire bundle on left, ILE on right) -- notice the protective covering I added to the wires

Luxury · 11-17-2004, 06:36 PM

Damit rando, you are truely the electrical king around these parts, but you make me scared ****less to try any of them. I picture my truck on fire at the same time as the ECU crashing! Wus up Toyota? These things sound easy enough and should have been that way from the factory.

rando · 11-17-2004, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ToyotaDoodz
I still have my non-Homelink module that I replaced with the Homellink version that I can test with and get my feet wet.

That's exactly what I did.

rando · 11-17-2004, 06:47 PM

The fade function is implemented by the ILE circuit and thus they fade in/out just like the other lights.

rando · 11-17-2004, 06:55 PM

video showing map lights fading in/out and manual operation
edit: It's 4.3MB zip'd ... apparently too big -- sorry no video.

pbm317 · 11-18-2004, 02:24 AM

Would a simple swap of the Unit in the GX470 allow the lights to light up when the door is open?? I know they work like that on the GX... or is that wiring not in place on our trucks?

Kmvreter · 11-18-2004, 02:26 PM

Perfect project. Now to find the time ... then explain why the truck burned!

rando · 11-18-2004, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pbm317
Would a simple swap of the Unit in the GX470 allow the lights to light up when the door is open?? I know they work like that on the GX... or is that wiring not in place on our trucks?

I don't think the GX470 unit will fix the problem by itself. You'll probably still need to run the ILE wire (assuming the GX470 unit works similarly to my mod).

rando · 11-28-2004, 12:33 PM

Quote:

dice wrote on 11-28-2004 01:15 AM:
Hey Rando,

I was curious if you could help me out with a few details before I took on this mod.

First, how did you tap the ILE wire in the driver's door pillar? Did you just use one of those wire clip things or did you actually have to cut the wire?

I used a T-Tap connector to tap the wire -- no cutting.

Quote:

Secondly, is it easy to pull the wires apart in the 3-wire ribbon that has the ILE wire?

I used a razor to seperate the ribbon wires. There is enough space between them that I was able to do it without leaving any of the wires bare. I just needed to split them back enough to slip in the T-tap. If you don't want to do it this way, the ribbon terminates at a connector in the driver's area fuse panel. It's on the top right if you're looking at the fuses. It's the only ribbon so it shouldn't be hard to spot. If you tap it there you might not need to use a razor to seperate the wires -- it's up to you.

Quote:

And lastly, did you use 18 gauge wire for everything?

I used 18G.

Quote:

Thanks Rando. This is seriously an amazing mod and walkthrough. You never seem to cease to amaze us!

Paradise

Thanks and good luck. Remember, proceed at your own risk. It's been working fine (so far) for me but I truly cannot say the long term impact of this on the Body ECU / ILE circuit.

11-17-2004, 03:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	SOLUTION: 4th gen Personal (aka Map) Light mod The narrative below describes how I mod'd my map lights to change their behavior, when switched, from ON/OFF to ON/DOOR. A new switch can easily be added to extend this solution to provide ON/(OFF/DOOR) functionality. This is a continuation of this thread with a more appropriate title so people can find it. If you make this modifcation to your truck you may damage your body ECU, start your truck on fire, or otherwise cause damage or injury to people, property, or the universe. The modification described worked for me but I cannot guarantee that it is safe or that it will work for you. By reading beyond this point, you agree to proceed at your own risk and accept full liability for your actions and their consequences. The information provided here is for informational purposes only. I do not endorse this modication nor recommend that ANYONE actually perform what is described. With the personal light assembly (a.k.a. map lights, sun glass holder, homelink, etc) removed from the truck, I removed the two map light switches. These slide out at either end of the assembly. Each switch is a two position SPDT type with 3 female contacts -- 1 contact is unused. What I did was tap the unused contact on each switch and wire it to the body ECU ILE circuit. This allows me to switch each of the map lights between ON and DOOR mode. When in DOOR mode, they now behave exactly the same as the back seat or storage area lights in DOOR mode. The first thing I did was add an ILE circuit extension to the personal light area. The easiest place to tap ILE is behind the driver's dash/door pillar (two screws). The roof wire bundle runs through there. Within that bundle is a white with blue stripes 3-wire ribbon. The center wire in that ribbon is ILE. Alternatively, the same wire can be tapped at connector 1A pin 8 located at the driver's side fuse panel. Either way I would have had to remove the pillar cover so it made more sense to just tap it in there instead of at the fuse block. I ran a length of wire from the tap point back to the personal light area (with connectors on both ends so that I can easily remove everything if needed). First fish the wire foward towards the rearview mirror, then over to the pillar, then tuck it back under the headliner. Next I needed to tap the personal light switches. This is easy because the switches plug in/out of the assembly. I used a short strand of 18G wire for each switch. One end of each wire is stripped back about 1/4 inch and pushed up into the unused switch contact. The switch is then plugged back in to the peronsal light assembly. I took some care to route the new wires such that they could not wiggle loose from the switch. I don't want them popping out and starting a fire, damaging my ECU or blowing a fuse. I should probably glue these down just to make sure they never move. The other end of the wires are joined to together into a connector that plugs into the new ILE circuit I added above. That's it. When switched to what was previously OFF mode, my map lights now turn on/off automatically with the rest of the interior lights. When switched to ON mode, they come on as long as the dome relay is active (original behavior). I don't really need an OFF mode but to add one I would just need to put an ON/OFF switch in series with the new ILE circuit. This new switch would be labeled DOOR/OFF and would work in conjuction with the built-in map light switches to provide an ON/(DOOR/OFF) capability. The biggest risk of this modification is that ILE circuit is now sinking the additional current from the map lights. Though everything appears to be working fine, it's possible that this may lead to premature body ECU failure or even a fire. Since the ILE circuit is protected externally by the 10A dome light fuse I assume (but can't be sure) that this circuit is safe. Adding the map lights adds about 1A to this circuit, probably still substantially less than 10A total. Then again, looking at the size of the ILE wire, it's hard to imagine that 10A can flow through there for very long -- who knows? A safer solution would involve a couple of transistors. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!! __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix Last edited by rando; 06-02-2007 at 12:29 AM.

11-17-2004, 05:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	maplight switch (removed) -- 2 pins on the assembly side, 3 pin holes on the switch Attached Images __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix Last edited by rando; 11-17-2004 at 05:11 PM.

11-17-2004, 05:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	mod'd assembly -- notice the wire routing to keep things clean and secure Attached Images __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix Last edited by rando; 11-17-2004 at 05:19 PM.

11-17-2004, 05:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
AK602 Black Limited in SI NY Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Staten Island, New York Posts: 265	SWEET IDEA, SOUNDS LIKE ONE I WOULD LIKE, I MAY JUST TRY IT MYSELF. THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT USE IT FOR A DOOR LIGHT YOU COULD JUST HAVE IT WITH A SWITCH ON A KEYED IGNITION LINE TO HAVE BOTH LIGHTS COME ON. PRETTY COOL. __________________ 2004 Black Limited......Debadged - "awesome"......K & N Drop in......TRD Dual Exhaust......Navigation......XREAS With air suspn......Tint to match front windows......Rear Hitch Step......Roady XM Sat Radio......Front Bumper Sport Trim......Toyota Bug Spoiler......Toyota Rain Guards......Sylvania Silver Star Low Beam & Fogs......OBX Pedal Covers......MUTH Signal Mirrors......265/70/17 Revo's ......2 inch EZ Lift front lift http://www.extremetrucktoys.com/fj_lift.htm ......Fire and Ice LED Tailgate Light Bar.....USA Spec Ipod Adapter..... MY OTHERS 1990 Toyota Supra Turbo --- SOLD 2005 Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide --- "Live To Ride" 2005 Toyota Highlander Limited - My Wifes Toy

11-17-2004, 05:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
AK602 Black Limited in SI NY Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Staten Island, New York Posts: 265	SWEET IDEA, SOUNDS LIKE ONE I WOULD LIKE, I MAY JUST TRY IT MYSELF. THATS THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE COME FROM THE FACTORY, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT USE IT FOR A DOOR LIGHT YOU COULD JUST HAVE IT WITH A SWITCH ON A KEYED IGNITION LINE TO HAVE BOTH LIGHTS COME ON. PRETTY COOL. __________________ 2004 Black Limited......Debadged - "awesome"......K & N Drop in......TRD Dual Exhaust......Navigation......XREAS With air suspn......Tint to match front windows......Rear Hitch Step......Roady XM Sat Radio......Front Bumper Sport Trim......Toyota Bug Spoiler......Toyota Rain Guards......Sylvania Silver Star Low Beam & Fogs......OBX Pedal Covers......MUTH Signal Mirrors......265/70/17 Revo's ......2 inch EZ Lift front lift http://www.extremetrucktoys.com/fj_lift.htm ......Fire and Ice LED Tailgate Light Bar.....USA Spec Ipod Adapter..... MY OTHERS 1990 Toyota Supra Turbo --- SOLD 2005 Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide --- "Live To Ride" 2005 Toyota Highlander Limited - My Wifes Toy


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11-17-2004, 06:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	tapping ILE circuit behind pillar -- you can't see it in the picture but the wire to tap is the middle wire of the 3-wire ribbon cable in the roof wire bundle. Don't ask me why Toyota used a ribbon cable in there#@%? Attached Images __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix Last edited by rando; 11-17-2004 at 07:05 PM.

11-17-2004, 06:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	new ILE circuit exiting headliner at maplight opening (OEM wire bundle on left, ILE on right) -- notice the protective covering I added to the wires Attached Images __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix

11-17-2004, 06:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
Luxury aka Mod Whore Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,519	Damit rando, you are truely the electrical king around these parts, but you make me scared **less to try any of them. I picture my truck on fire at the same time as the ECU crashing! Wus up Toyota? These things sound easy enough and should have been that way from the factory. __________________ Dec '04 4ROTM: '03 Limited V8 Nav Black:** Grey Leather, Side Airbags, Spoiler, Moonroof, 6-disc Changer, Wireless Headphones, Tow Tongue/pin, First Aid, Pocket Cargo Net, Flat Cargo Net, Double-decker Cargo, Cargo Cover, Floor Mats, Sulfur TSB, Moonroof TSB, Seat Rattle TSB, Body Mount TSB, Debadged, JDM Chrome Handle Covers, Hitch Cover Brake Light, Hitch/Trailer Locks, Tow Wire Converter, 4-wire Extension, Coat Bar, Sylvania Silverstar Highs/Lows/Fogs, JDM Chrome Tail Light Trim, Hilux Surf Trash Stash, Front Side Tint, Moonroof Tint, Custom Black & Chrome Liscense Plate Frame, 12V Cooler/Heater, Microfiber Cleaning/Dusting Cloths, Yakima Snow/Surf Rack System, T&H Chrome Bull Bar, Custom Mesh Front Emblem, All-Weather Mats, Xtreme Cargo Mat, Cargo Logic Tote, OBX Pedals, Valor Exhaust Tip, Stainless Door Sills, Driver's Roof Handle, DRLs, Hilux Surf Brushed Aluminum Rear Bumper Guard, JDM Switch Blank Coin & Pen Holders, Maglite Swivel Belt-Clip Mount, Kleenex Armrest, Warn Shackle Hitch Receiver, Blind Spot Mirrors, T4R.ORG Sticker, Vinyl Headlight Eyelids, Toyota Hat, Toyota Mug, & Portable AC/DC Power Jumpstarter Compressor Light Combo.

11-17-2004, 06:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	The fade function is implemented by the ILE circuit and thus they fade in/out just like the other lights. __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix

11-17-2004, 06:55 PM	#11 (permalink)
rando Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 1,081	video showing map lights fading in/out and manual operation edit: It's 4.3MB zip'd ... apparently too big -- sorry no video. __________________ '04 SR5 4x4 V8 Titanium/Stone - 2/1/04 Mods: Homelink+x10, RS3200+, Auto Headlights, Compass Mirror, CarPC, DRL, PDF Manuals, Auto Map Lights, MGCLT Relay Saver Future Mods: 115V Inverter, Leather, Trip Computer Fix Last edited by rando; 11-27-2004 at 03:14 PM.

11-18-2004, 02:24 AM	#12 (permalink)
pbm317 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Seattle/Chicago Posts: 140	Would a simple swap of the Unit in the GX470 allow the lights to light up when the door is open?? I know they work like that on the GX... or is that wiring not in place on our trucks? __________________ 2003 Toyota 4Runner Sport V8 4WD - Titanium/Black

11-18-2004, 02:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
Kmvreter Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,173	Excellent... Perfect project. Now to find the time ... then explain why the truck burned! __________________ __________________ '04 SR5 V6 4x4 Galactic Grey Mica. Delivered 03/17/2004. Link to my mod list in posts 7, 8 & 9 of this thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/21354-diy-mods-post-write-ups-here.html ____________ [__/[_[_\____\,_ L---L-L-L--0==0 `(o)_---(o)_--)_)`......... ``````````````````````` The battle begins at the end of your driveway... Game On! "Car!"*

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