I've been reading up interior lighting ideas and found a few threads about people wanting to get the map lights to work with the door switches or dome light in 2000 and up 4Runners that have the newer map light.

@R3Z3N posted this diagram, but I'm not sure it's correct. I disassembled my map light and did some testing with a power probe and multi meter and the lights are constantly grounded AND constantly powered with +12V. The +12V goes through the little switches which are SPDT so when you flip the switch voltage (current) flows through the switch, through the bulb, to ground in the bulb's housing. I think the wiring diagram in the EWD is backward for the map light.



I think the switch should be on the other side of the map light bulbs in this diagram.



@weekendclimber posted up some good info, hoping he has input.

@TheDurk also seems to be good with these wiring issues as well.

I do not want to replace my map light with a 2nd gen unit and I figure there has to be a way to get this to work.

The wiring in the actual light has a grey wire going to the common pin on the 3 pin switch (middle pin). This grey wire corresponds to blue with yellow stripe in the connector which we know is the dome light +12V source. A yellow wire comes off pin 1 and goes to the positive side of the bulb socket. The bulb then grounds on the socket itself and the housing is grounded via a black wire with red dots that goes to the 8 pin connector (mine has a sunroof non may be different).

The only way I can think to get the map lights to activate with the doors, is to somehow get +12V to the yellow wire that lights the bulbs but since the doors are ground switched I can't sort it out. There is a light green with black stripe wire that I "think" is ground for the entire system. It goes to the dome and the combination meter.

Anyone ever figure this out? Maybe a relay that is ground switched with constant +12V on one pin and the output to the map light bulbs +12v yellow wire?

I can dig in on this if @TheDurk doesn't beat me to it :-) I'm sure someone has probably figured this out. If not, I think the best way would be a relay off of the front dome that switches ground before the map light switches. Kind of ugly, but would work.

Just so I'm super clear what you're looking for, you want the map lights (M3) to also turn on when the doors open, depending on whether the switch in the dome light (I18) is set to "Door". Let me know if that's not clear.

ONe thing I'd like to just go out and say is that it's sad that I have a FSM on my work computer desktop. There I said it!

^Correct, the switches just close the circuit. However the wiring is not actually tied into the door switches, I just did not want to draw in the logic for how the lights come on with the doors open.

The main point, being for my diagram, tie in to the ground side of the light, but before the switch with a diode such that the lights will turn on individually and with the door, which in this case, you can just ground the new wiring.

I'd like the map lights to come on when any of the passenger doors open (not the rear hatch) but still be able to turn the map lights on/off with the switch when the doors are all closed. Bonus points if this turns off when the dome light switch is in the "OFF" position. I do not want the map lights to come on when the dome is in the "ON" position.

I have the FSM on my work computer too LOL. Been staring at this diagram for 2 days and have the map light sitting on my desk as well haha.

Grabbing the LG-B wire I think is the ground that would tie to all the door switches since that appears to activate the dome light when the switch is on the "DOOR" setting. However with the map light bulbs already being grounded all the time, that won't work.

I had hoped there may be a way to use the 3rd pin on the SPDT switch that activates the map lights. That pin is unused in the factory configuration.

I must be missing something simple. You can't tie in to the ground side of the light, it's an aluminum housing that's grounded. You could tap a strap to it I guess, but then you just have a ground wire. I'm missing how the lights get +12V when the door opens I think?

Like I said I think the FSM EWD is incorrect above, at least physically how it's wired. Logically it's right but the switch should be on the +12V side not the GND side. I'll try to get a photo posted tonight of what it looks like.

Like this:



@R3Z3N , I can't seem to think about if this would need a diode or not.

edit: I see what you're saying about the diode. It would go between the lights.

Too bad the map light switches are on the 12V side of the bulbs. I believe the non-sunroof model is as shown (the ground for the lights is also one of the mounting screws too). I'd have to check on my unit to verify though...

Your request for the ideal light operation is a bit of having your cake and eating it too... You will either get:

- Map lights always turning on with the doors (no matter dome switch position) and never with dome in "ON" position
or
- Map lights always turning on when the dome light is on (whether in door or on positions)

Unless you play some extra trickery with multiple relays, etc.

Swapping 'polarity' of the dome light signal to control the map lights is a simple single relay circuit at least...

-Charlie

A relay was where my mind was headed like @weekendclimber posted above. I'm trying to find a simple online electronic simulator to see how that would work.

Relays are simple.



If there is 12V across 86/85 (polarity doesn't matter), 87 and 30 connect.

weekendclimber's diagram is wrong though - assuming the map light switches are on the 12V side of the bulbs. The relay will never turn on also (the LG-B wire is ground or open circuit, never 12V).

Connect:
85: LG-B (map on with doors no matter what)
*or*
85: Pole of SP3T switch in dome light (map on with dome no matter what)
86: 12V constant (L-Y wire at map light or dome light)
87: 12V constant
30: Map light bulbs through diodes to keep map light switch operation separate

Hopefully that makes sense...

-Charlie

In my GIF, the Diodes for the Map lights are there so that you have independent control of them.

To try it out go here:
Circuit Simulator

and Import from Text, then paste this in to see why the diodes are needed...

Thanks that's actually the sim I was playing with today with the relay so good to know at least I was in a familiar spot LOL. I think yours will work great for switches on the ground side.

@phattyduck - when you say "85: Pole of SP3T switch in dome light (map on with dome no matter what)" does that mean the other pole that's unused on the SPDT switch? I confirmed tonight the other side definitely gets +12V when the map light is switched "off".

I was thinking of connecting it to the pin of the switch that goes to the light. If you connect it to the unused pin, you can omit the diodes, so that is probably better/easier.

-Charlie

Here's a diagram with @phattyduck 's wiring and I agree this is much better. I was assuming that the LG-B would be getting 12v when the dome comes on and I trust his knowledge on whether it is or not. I'm still failing to see why a diode would be necessary on the map lights (M3) though, as we're only grounding them.

One thing to note, both map lights would come on when using the factory on-off switch in this diagram. If you used two relays wired the same, but for pin 30 going to only one of the map light (M3), this would fix that issue.

This is getting close. Couple of things:

- The LB-B wire gets grounded when the doors are open (thus the other side of the relay coil is connected to constant power)
- You can also optionally connect the trigger for the relay to the wire between the dome light bulb and the switch so the map lights turn on whenever the dome light is on.
- You can use diodes instead of a second relay at the map lights to keep the switch operation separate with the OEM map light switches
- The diagram for the map lights is 'upside down' for the sunroof models - so it would be better to draw the connection for the 87 pin to the other side of the switch instead of its own ground.
- The direction you have to place the diodes will depend on the direction of current flow to the map light switches (cathode (marked line) always goes to the lower voltage side). So, towards ground on the non-sunroof models and towards the bulb on the sunroof models.

Yeah, its hard to explain in words, sorry!

-Charlie

This has been a big help and got me pointed in the right direction. I knew a relay would get it done, but just wasn't quite sure the proper orientation. I've run what I think is the best config in the simulator and it works. With a diode on the +12V going from the relay to the map lights you can keep the map lights working independent from each other.

I'm now on the hunt for a "micro" relay that's tiny and will fit up in the map light console easily. Found this one that I think will do the trick. I was hoping there'd be a pigtail to go with it, but looks like it's solder straight to the pins.

Internal Error

I'm obviously going to test the LG-B wire to insure it is grounded when the doors open, but I'm pretty sure it does.

Sharp folks on this forum.