4th gen Ground Lighting (without running boards) for ~$10

[rypajo]

[MENTION=145718]rypajo[/MENTION] agree, way more involved than I cared to do.

Posted the question on Reddit and received this response:

[–]MyNameIsRay 1 point 2 hours ago
I'm guessing you want a single three way switch that controls it all. Middle off, up is "on with domelight" (whether that means off, on with doors, or always on), while down means "always on no matter what domelights do"
Get a relay. 40a 12v 5 pin, as is standard. Pin 85 to chassis ground, pin 30 to +12v power with a fuse. Pin 87 is +12v to the lights, lights will use chassis ground (ring terminal to metal, for example).
Now for the important part:
Pin 86 goes to a the middle pin of a 3-way switch like this one (3 terminals is the part that matters, not the shape/size/design/color).
Top pin is tapped into the +12v line of the dome light, use the instructions you posted to find that. Bottom pin goes to either +12v ignition or +12v constant (depending on whether you want these lights to stay on with the key off or not).
Once wired, when the switch is in the middle "neutral" position, the exterior lights will stay off no matter what. When the switch is up, the exterior lights will do whatever the dome lights do (On, off, or on with door). When the switch is down, the exterior lights will always be on regardless of what the domelights do. If you tap ignition, they'll turn off with the key. If you tap constant, they'll stay on even without a key.



This seems a little more straightforward. I only have to hunt down one wire and the rest is independent.

 

[leftyguns21]

Posted the question on Reddit and received this response:

[–]MyNameIsRay 1 point 2 hours ago
I'm guessing you want a single three way switch that controls it all. Middle off, up is "on with domelight" (whether that means off, on with doors, or always on), while down means "always on no matter what domelights do"
Get a relay. 40a 12v 5 pin, as is standard. Pin 85 to chassis ground, pin 30 to +12v power with a fuse. Pin 87 is +12v to the lights, lights will use chassis ground (ring terminal to metal, for example).
Now for the important part:
Pin 86 goes to a the middle pin of a 3-way switch like this one (3 terminals is the part that matters, not the shape/size/design/color).
Top pin is tapped into the +12v line of the dome light, use the instructions you posted to find that. Bottom pin goes to either +12v ignition or +12v constant (depending on whether you want these lights to stay on with the key off or not).
Once wired, when the switch is in the middle "neutral" position, the exterior lights will stay off no matter what. When the switch is up, the exterior lights will do whatever the dome lights do (On, off, or on with door). When the switch is down, the exterior lights will always be on regardless of what the domelights do. If you tap ignition, they'll turn off with the key. If you tap constant, they'll stay on even without a key.



This seems a little more straightforward. I only have to hunt down one wire and the rest is independent.

I will take a 2nd read of it, but one thing to remember is the Toyota is a grounding vehicle, meaning everything has constant 12v and is triggered when grounded. this part here is where it gets confusing for me Pin 87 is +12v to the lights do you want to hook to 12v or the ground since the ground is what triggers the dome light.
and like article I linked to mentions there is delay timer in these vehicles which could make things tricky. if you try these steps and they work please let rest of us know, they do seem much easier.

 

[Silver_midlife_t4r]

My $10 lights are still holding up after some decent mudding, and nearly getting stuck in about 2' of snow (different occasions).

 

[4runnies]

Here's how the housing will mount. I really didn't want to cut the OEM connection, but finally decided to cut it with about a 2" tail so I could always reuse if I needed to.

View attachment 215650

I have an 08 sport, I still have running boards attached but there is no lights that I’m aware of. Is there wiring in place to add lights to my running boards? Thanks In advance -first post

 

[aSoundofSleep]

I removed the running boards off of my 04 Limited today and had this exact idea as I was unplugging the wiring harness to the lights.

I wonder if anyone has taken apart the factory running board to get at the OE wiring harness? There are lenses with sockets on the running boards with a loomed harness. Could be an easy weather-tight solution, assuming I can easily mount the lens under the truck.