My runner is my camping RV. One of the coolest things about the rear hatch is it acts like a rain cover while getting stuff out from the back. I realized how great this was after our rainy spring camping trips this year

you can stay totally dry standing under the open door




After dark, I realized how nice it would be to have an overhead light in my rain shelter roof (cargo door). So I invented what I think is a brand new Mod. The cargo door light.

First I ran a new circuit from my extra distribution box under the hood:
SELF CRITIC: I want to replace this with a water tight box in the future. This one is a cheapo "auto store" box, but I am way broke right now. I am sure it won't last very long.




For $10 I bought a stock cargo light from a junkyard. Then I remove the rear panel from the cargo door. When removing it pull from the bottom and pop the snaps loose, then slide the panel up, as it has a lip that hooks over the top of the bottom part of the window opening. I cut a hole in the middle of the panel to fit the cargo light




I don't have pictures, but I ran a wire from the dis. box under the hood under the door plates at the floor, up the side by the back seats and under the panels at the side of the cargo area to the existing rear cargo light. From there I was able to fish the wire through the grommets at an existing wire connecting between the body of the rig and the door. The cargo door metal does not work as a ground, so in the next photo you can see me fishing a second wire through.




To get the wires through the rubber and keep a water tight seal, I taped them to a small screwdriver and pushed it through




here it is with the wires in and the grommets back in place




I wrapped all the wires in a flexible wire sheathing. Now it looks stock and the wires are protected.

Above the grommet area, I drilled a whole underneath the weatherstripping for the back window.
SELF CRITIC: Any good electrical work would provide edge protection when penetrating metal. There should be a grommet here to keep the wire sheathing from being cut by the metal. I am hoping there won't be much movement or vibration as the wires are held in place by the weather stripping when re-installed. I good be wrong, but this was not an easy part of the mod...so it is what it is.




With the door panel removed and the weather stripping pulled out, I fished the wires behind the stripping and out into the area behind the door panel. You can see the dangling wire in the right of this photo




I connected the wire to the "ON" prong on the junkyard light





I connected the ground wire to the grounding screw at the existing cargo light (photo) and did the same to the new one in the door.




I screwed the light into place and snapped on the cover.




Here is a (crummy) night photo of the illumination given by only the stock cargo light. (I am not a good photographer).




Here is a photo with both lights on.



I am really excited about this mod, and can't wait to try it out on my next camping trip.

one thought I have is that the dog or cargo may accidentally turn the switch on while closed and driving. I have a thought for the future of using a push button switch (located between the door and the body) in the power wire to the light such that when the door is closed the circuit is open and the light cannot be turned on. Only when you open the door does the push button switch close the circuit and allow you to turn it on manually. I have no interest in it coming on automatically when you open the door, but I want it disabled when the door is closed. Since this is wire directly to the battery and can be used without the car on, I do not want it to be left on when the door is closed and drain the battery. The hard part with this would be getting the button set at the right height so the door closure will push the switch just enough and not two much so that it crushes the switch.

I hope you liked this thread/mod. Since I had the wire and and other random screws and stuff this mod cost me a whopping $10 and a fair bit of my time. I am very excited about it for the functionality it will give me in my RV 4runner, but also because I think it is a brand spanking new mod that has never been posted before (maybe never even done before). I could be wrong, but I am very proud.

a good idea, thanks for posting all your instructions and pics. I'll be doing something like what you did. Just wish I could find a 4Runner in a local wrecking yard - hard to get a T4R. Only newer vehicles tend to be GM, Ford, Dodge One suggestion for the problem you noted - if you tapped your source wire into the existing stock rear light, then it would only get power when the door is open. I'll bet that circuit can easily handle the little extra draw. Also would reduce the wire run to get power, it's right there where you hooked ground

That's right, you could have tapped you source from the on position of the rear dome light as it always gets power. Great idea, might give it a try... Thanks

You could also put in some Oznium LEDs for more light output.

Yeah...I thought about that, but I am scared to death of messing with the electronics of these new fancy computerized vehicles. Any electrical add-ons I do I always run new circuits so I don't screw something up. Good idea for someone more comfortable with working on cars. I am a total DIY rookie when it comes to this stuff!!

New brighter bulbs are definitely on my list of wants, but I am so broke that the $10 for the light was a stretch already...one step at a time...

Thanks for the comments. I tried really hard to make this a good, informative thread with lots of pics of the process. (trying to do a write-up like the pros do, lol!)

Awesome mod! Anyone think you could tap into the power supply for the rear power window? I think this mod would be especially useful when mounting up a trailer at night. Nice work CSL!

Another idea, tap a wire from the "on" position on the rear dome light and run it to the same place on your new switch.
TADA!!!!
You now have an automatic light when you open the door!

I'd be happy if my regular hatch light worked.

sweet mod! now someone needs to come up with a handle to open the hatch from the inside. ive been stuck a couple times and climbing over the seat in ski boots is pretty challanging!

if you aren't comfortable taping into the factory electronics, then just install a mercury switch inline w/ the ground wire.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=060-275

or stop by a local car audio shop, they should have them available for hood/trunk monitoring during alarm installs.

wait a minute....we have rear cargo lights on our 3rd Gen Runners? brb...

SNAPZ!!! there it was to the "off" position. i have never looked up there. cool.

lol

how long have you owned the thing?

I guess its not that bad, I didnt even notice the dome light for the passenger compartment until the second day I owned it... I thought it was so stupid how there wasn't one, that I had to manually turn it on (confused with map light lol)

going on 1 year in july. i think i havnt noticed it cause it's the wifes rig (for now). i only do the maintenance on it when it needs it.

which dome light are you talking about that you have to turn on manually?

Another thread, back from the dead!

The wife and hairy children and I often go camping and I think this mod is a great idea!

I have access to 12v clusters of LEDS:
NC LED - LED Module, LED Tube, LED Canopy lighting, Power supply, LED Sign Module, LED LED Bar, LED Lighting, SMPS
(I bought them locally in Houston for about 13 bucks for 5 clusters)

And with one cluster only drawing 60mA, I have no worries tapping into the power for the existing cargo light (or for that mater the rear 12v cig outlet). I'm going to install its own switch up near the top edge (near the OE light) and recess the light behind the little access panel on the cargo door. I'm going to use shielded spade connectors, as these lights also come in red and I'm worried about killing my night vision-- I'll be able to swap with different colors if the white is too much. Now all I need to do if find a way to mount them-- I'm thinking Velcro tabs after I dremel the opening. Any other suggestions?

I'll post pics when I get it done!