A challenge for the 4th gen owners.

[ScottAW]

Lets create a write up or how-to on modifying the interior map lights to come on with the other two dome lights when you open your doors and such. I find it odd that they don't come this way from the factory, as they add a substantial amount of light.

So, would the best method of attack be working around the fue panel? Should a new wire be run to the dome light wire, providing another positive wire to power the lights? I'm a mechanical engineering by background, and am not best suited to figuring out the best way to do this. But I'm sure a lot of owners would be interested in doing a simple mod like this.

 

[TechWrench]

Though I personally don't see the need for this mod (IMHO), in order to keep the map lights functioning as designed (push on, push off) one would have to supply a separate power source to the lamps which is switched by the door open circuit. I would guess that the extra load of the two map light lamps would have to be considered when tieing it in. I'm not an electrical engineer either, so I would wonder about the need for some type of circuit protection if you want to turn the map lights on manually and someone opens the door at the same time?

 

[ScottAW]

Glenville, NY? I'm a stone's throw from you, over in Clifton Park.

My thoughts were the same with the door open/switch on combination. If I recall my electrical science correctly, I don't think it matters since you would be supplying two positive leads across the lamps and to ground. But I think where it can make a difference is if the two positive leads have a different loads on them, which would allow a positive lead with a strong potential to possibly provide electrons to the less positive lead. But, it's been a while. I'll have to ask the electrical guys at work.

 

[NoDak]

couldnt you put an inline one-way resistor to compensate for any backfeed?

 

[o9stealth5]

You guys are so high tech. I would just tap the map light wires (+/-) and run wires to the dome light wires (they should all be in 1 bundle going down a pillar somewhere). Then I would just pretend like I dont know how much current is running or how much resistance there is or any of that stuff. Oh and hope that nothing melts or catches fire.

 

[TechWrench]

AND, make sure your insurance premiums have been paid......:

 

[rando]

one-way resistor

aka diode?

 

[rando]

I believe it can be done with only minor wiring changes (and perhaps a couple of diodes).. I'll look at the wiring diagram when I get home and post a potential solution (with standard liability disclaimer ).

I'm probably not going to actually do this mod since it will almost certainly require the removal of the headliner.


As a lame work-around, if you remember to turn your map lights on before you leave the car, they will come on automatically when you open the door. Just be sure to turn them off before driving. In California, it's illegal to drive with the map/dome lights on.

 

[ScottAW]

I believe it can be done with only minor wiring changes (and perhaps a couple of diodes).. I'll look at the wiring diagram when I get home and post a potential solution (with standard liability disclaimer ).

I'm probably not going to actually do this mod since it will almost certainly require the removal of the headliner.


As a lame work-around, if you remember to turn your map lights on before you leave the car, they will come on automatically when you open the door. Just be sure to turn them off before driving. In California, it's illegal to drive with the map/dome lights on.

Rando - That'd be cool if you can take a look at the wiring diagram. I don't think it would be neccesary to take off the headliner. There must be a group of wires coming down the A-pillar, we can probably tap into the wires near the left kicker panel or fuse box area if we know which wire it is.

....on second thought, a new power lead would have to be run to power the lights off the relay for the other dome lights. Unless you just left the switch on and killed the ignition power going to those switches and instead powered them soley off the dome light wire.

 

[NoDak]

aka diode?

i hate when i do that

you are correct, its diode, not resistor.

 

[rando]

you are correct, its diode, not resistor.

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it
is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It
isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.
-- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

 

[rando]

If you don't want to touch your headliner, then your options are limited. The problem is that the Personal Lights (map lights) have an internal 2 position switch (ON and OFF). When they are in the OFF position, they never come on. When they are in the ON position, they are controlled by the Body ECU through the Dome Relay.

The Interior Light and Luggage Compartment Lights each have 3 position switch. When they are switched OFF, they never come on. When they are switch ON, they are controlled by the Body ECU through the Dome Relay. When they are switched to DOOR, they are controlled by the Body ECU directly AND through the Dome relay.

One thing you could do is change the operation of the personal lights so that it switches between ON and DOOR mode. To do this though, you'd need to modify the switch to provide an output to the current OFF position. This may be trivial, impossible, or something in between depending on the design of the switch. Assuming you can do this, the new wire would connect to pin 8 (white wire) of the 20 pin junction connector 1A at the Driver Side Junction Block (the fuse panel in the lower dash).

Another (ON and DOOR) solution would be to tap between the switch and the bulb. You'd then hook this up to the same pin as above but this time through a diode. The diode would prevent the other lights from coming on when you switched the the Personal Light to the ON position.

The easiest (but least functional) solution is to disconnect pin 12 (white wire with black stripe) at 1A and splice it into pin 8. This would make the Personal Light switches switch between DOOR and OFF modes. You'd have no way to force the lights ON. Regardless, this can be done entirely from the fuse panel opening in the lower dash.

Extending the solution above, you could add a two position switch to toggle between pin 8 (DOOR) and 12 (ON). The built in switch would toggle between OFF and DOOR/ON.

There are several other possibilities.

All of the solutions above suffer from the same potential risk. Each of them results in additional current flowing through the Interior Light Enable (ILE) pin of the Body ECU. As designed, there are only 3 lights on that pin (Interior Light, Luggage Light, and Key cylindar Light). The solutions above add the Peronsal Light. I cannot say or not if the ILE pin can handle the additional current.

If you make these mods you may fry your Body ECU, start your car on fire, or even destroy the universe. You do this at your own risk and accept full liability for the consequences. I have not attempted any of these changes and can neither confirm nor deny if they actually work as described.

 

[ScottAW]

That last option looks interesting.


Any idea what size fuse is on the current ILE line? That would probably give some indication of the circuits capability.

 

[rando]

Solution is in the following thread.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6738