Tailgate light mod

[krupnation]

i went with this one, its posted under the liftgate thread..it has held up well, has taken a beating and at night before I ride my mtb, the red light function works good to keep my eyes acclimated to the dark, and provide light, it also lights enough area around the rear for tail gating afterwords! Much more than the LED strips do..and I didnt cut any large holes...just a small one for the wire..
Series 16 Maputo LED Multi-Purpose Light

Nice. I like both of these mods. For someone who camps a lot like myself, these will come in handy...did you get that LED light through Defender? That's rad, I sell product to them for the marine industry.

 

[norcal2]

here is a pic of the light on, wasnt to dark out but i think you can see...it is bright..i didnt do the red but it is a bit more subtle..

 

[JD914]

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but has anybody done this mod, but tapped directly into the existing cargo light, so that its switch controls both? In other words, I want to add a hatch light, but be able to control it with the stock trunk light so that both will turn on together when I open the door, or both will turn off when I flip one switch.

Thanks a lot!

JD

 

[Whitebeauty]

Thats cool. I actually did something like that except with a strip all the way across the gate . If your interested or anybody else is let me know these are actually fairly priced including shipping.

 

[Whitebeauty]

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but has anybody done this mod, but tapped directly into the existing cargo light, so that its switch controls both? In other words, I want to add a hatch light, but be able to control it with the stock trunk light so that both will turn on together when I open the door, or both will turn off when I flip one switch.

Thanks a lot!

JD

Most definetly Pm me. I'll square you away!

 

[joshik]

It's Easter so time to resurrect this thread

So I'm probably way behind with everyone in this mod. It's been prob 9 years and I haven't done this.

This mod looks great and I LOVE the OEM look of the OPs install.

I have the light housings and LEDs and going to run the wires today or tomorrow. My rear dome light is different as it is the one with the rear passenger entertainment IR headphone tx/rx. I think the prev owner moved it from the rear seats to the cargo area....?

As of now, I don't care to have a separate on/off/door switch. I'd like it to just function off the switch that is already there.

Here is a picture of the oem unit. I used a test light to test the leads and found out to be as follows:

You think it would be ok to solder connections directly to the metal strips as indicated with the stars (maybe male connector ends)? That way it the connections will be after the switch and be controlled by the oem switch. Any issues with too many lights running on the switch? I'm going to switch out this housing lights with LEDs as well. The new hatch lights will be LEDs too.

 

[ElectroBoy]

You think it would be ok to solder connections directly to the metal strips as indicated with the stars (maybe male connector ends)? That way it the connections will be after the switch and be controlled by the oem switch. Any issues with too many lights running on the switch? I'm going to switch out this housing lights with LEDs as well. The new hatch lights will be LEDs too.

No. You will not be able to solder to those metals strips. The heat needed to melt the solder on them would be so great that the plastic would melt first. It would be better to try attaching/soldering to the metal tabs that hold the festoon bulb. Or try one of these festoon adapters you sometimes get in LED kits. You could solder to the wires for your new circuit as well as replace the existing fixture bulb with a flat panel LED. It’s kind of a delicate and crowded operation but it can be done. Be mindful of strain relief and tack the wires with glue or epoxy so nothing vibrates loose.
Good luck.

 

[joshik]

Thanks for the info! I'll check out that festoon adapter. Also, the metal tabs that hold the festoon bulb is the same metal. It literally is just apart of the same strip. Lol

Other than possibly melting the plastic, any other issues?

 

[ElectroBoy]

Thanks for the info! I'll check out that festoon adapter. Also, the metal tabs that hold the festoon bulb is the same metal. It literally is just apart of the same strip. Lol

Other than possibly melting the plastic, any other issues?

If you’re using LEDs with total current about the same as one festoon bulb there’s no problem electrically. You just have to make really good soldered connections. Also, when you run the wires back to the tailgate consider using a soft flexible cable sheath to protect the wires.

Another idea is to drill a small hole into the tabs (below the existing hole) sandpaper around it to clean off any coating, clean with isopropyl alcohol, insert a stranded wire, twist the ends tight, and solder it. If you use a heat sink (like an alligator clip) between it and where it first touches plastic that might protect it from heat damage. But you’ll have to use a really hot soldering iron with a clean tinned tip and heat the metal to melt the solder. Do not just heat the wire and blob on the solder. It has to flow onto the metal tab. Don’t move the wire until it cools. A good solder joint will be smooth and shiny.

Edit: BTW, here’s a link to my 5th gen hatch light mod where I installed flat plasma LEDs and an example of what the festoon adapter looks like in use.
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3027951-post33679.html

PS: Let us know how it all works out.

 

[joshik]

I finished the mod last night.

I couldn't find my soldering iron so I attached a male end connector to the light fixture. It may not look as clean as a soldered connection but this works. I can easily disconnect it and you will never see it. It solid and plenty good for LED lights.

I ordered these:

but they won't be here for a few days. So, I tweaked some crimpable male ends for now.

Not a good example of brightness

I may cut the plastic more so it can sit flush in the future.

I'm going to do this to my wife's Sienna as the trunk area has one dinky light in the lower corner.

 

[ElectroBoy]

I finished the mod last night.

I couldn't find my soldering iron so I attached a male end connector to the light fixture. It may not look as clean as a soldered connection but this works. I can easily disconnect it and you will never see it. It solid and plenty good for LED lights.

Looks good. A mechanical connection will work as long as it stays snug. Once you get the connections tightened with the tabs in position so there’s no interference when you install the fixture in the headliner, you might consider dabbing a small blob of epoxy around them to help hold them in place. Ideally you could use a conductive silver filled epoxy if you had it.

 

[joshik]

Looks good. A mechanical connection will work as long as it stays snug. Once you get the connections tightened with the tabs in position so there’s no interference when you install the fixture in the headliner, you might consider dabbing a small blob of epoxy around them to help hold them in place. Ideally you could use a conductive silver filled epoxy if you had it.

Oh nice, good idea on the epoxy. I'll do that when I replace the male ends with the real thing next week.

 

[KeepingMy_ShirtOn]

Where does one buy this AWG wire from a OTC shoppe?

 

[joshik]

Where does one buy this AWG wire from a OTC shoppe?

You can buy over the counter at most auto parts stores like Autozone, Oreily's, etc.

Home improvement stores may have them too but they tend to be the solid wire stuff for homes. They may have stranded.

I like to stay away from the copper coated tin stuff.

 

[KeepingMy_ShirtOn]

Hi, I'm adding one LED light to the liftgate and i'm confused about the ribbon. I'm electrically ignorant and don't know what exactly to tap into as its all one color. Also, since i'm just adding one low powered light i shouldn't need to add a relay correct?