Constant Power Wire in Tail Light Assembly

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

smanenti

smanenti

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Posts
24
Reaction score
7
Ram Year
2015
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Hey there. Just got some LED pod lights to illuminate the bed of my truck. Want to wire them to an on/off switch by tapping into a constant power (and ground) in the tail light assembly of my 2015 RAM 1500. Anyone know which color wires I need to tap into it by chance?c9c6f3565baf2d616901923f80e7a797.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 
Magna

Magna

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2015
Posts
165
Reaction score
67
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7 Hemi
I got a set of bed LEDs as well. I actually tapped into the tail light power and ground so that I have to have the tail lights on to use the bed lights...that way they don't accidentally get left on (tail lights go off automatically after 10 minutes if you leave them on).


This signature is AWESOME!!!
 
S

smoothee

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Posts
1,321
Reaction score
684
Location
St. John's, NL
Ram Year
2011
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I'm pretty sure there isn't a constant power source on the tail lights (can be tested easy enough though if you have a multimeter).

A lot of guys, myself included, have tapped into the 7 pin trailer harness for power. And I'd recommend grounding to frame. Some people have had issues using the 7 pin gnd.

I'd throw some electrical tape on those couple of exposed wires on your connector too.
 
R.L.K.

R.L.K.

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2013
Posts
12,803
Reaction score
12,500
Location
Bristol , Tn.
Ram Year
2014 4X4 QC Express 6 speed auto 355 differentials
Engine
5.7 Hemi
smoothee said:
I'm pretty sure there isn't a constant power source on the tail lights (can be tested easy enough though if you have a multimeter).

A lot of guys, myself included, have tapped into the 7 pin trailer harness for power. And I'd recommend grounding to frame. Some people have had issues using the 7 pin gnd.

I'd throw some electrical tape on those couple of exposed wires on your connector too.
Click to expand...
This is what I did for my bed lights , the 7 pin is easy to disassemble to obtain a constant 12vdc hot and ground . The large red wire is hot even without the fob in the ignition . I put a 1 amp in line fuse , I also established a chassis ground and mounted my on/off switch in the bed up high behind the drivers tail light assy . I'll post up some pics if I can find them .

Well I must've deleted my detailed pics of the disassembled connector , chassis ground and switch install but here are a few or the results .

1a5603807f4c2cb7f48c9ce4aab7b809.jpg2d32461c0a5a2efa5c2f3b9422668dec.jpgc2c6c613f7bbb0b4b56fabf085d551ea.jpg8b59edf861273ff55688e0b18b732dab.jpg
 
Last edited:
S

smoothee

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Posts
1,321
Reaction score
684
Location
St. John's, NL
Ram Year
2011
Engine
Hemi 5.7
^yup, exactly what I did too, except put my switch pass side.
 

Attachments

  • 20151124_012159.jpg
    20151124_012159.jpg
    95.8 KB · Views: 178
OP
OP
smanenti

smanenti

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Posts
24
Reaction score
7
Ram Year
2015
Engine
Hemi 5.7
824e8822dcc559873bcb53180c5258eb.jpg

Thanks guys! I wasn't getting notifications that responses where coming into this thread even though I created it. Hence the delayed thank you. I ended up tapping into the 7-pin too (and taped up the wires in the taillight).

Also, I got VERY lucky in that I tucked my push button switch up near the drivers side taillight. Now, whenever I open the tailgate, the switch trips and my lights go on. The go off when I close the gate. Couldn't be better.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 
OP
OP
smanenti

smanenti

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Posts
24
Reaction score
7
Ram Year
2015
Engine
Hemi 5.7
smoothee said:
^yup, exactly what I did too, except put my switch pass side.
Click to expand...
Did you have any problems getting your swing box to latch cleanly? Mine won't align properly to save my life. Therefore I try like mad to never have to swing it out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 
T

turboguy327

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Posts
67
Reaction score
40
Oznium sells a IR switch. It's what I use. It's wired to power and a relay is triggered when the tailgate comes down and goes off when the tailgate is shut.
 
S

smoothee

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Posts
1,321
Reaction score
684
Location
St. John's, NL
Ram Year
2011
Engine
Hemi 5.7
smanenti said:
Did you have any problems getting your swing box to latch cleanly? Mine won't align properly to save my life. Therefore I try like mad to never have to swing it out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

No problems at all with it latching. Couple of things I'm not impressed with though are a large crack that I assume happened during the cold temperatures last winter and the bracket is rusting like an anchor. I see there's a newer looking model out, not sure if it's any better.

Nice job on the lights, good idea with the switch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dave Haddon
Power wire Help
Replies
9
Views
646
Dave Haddon
Dave Haddon
B
Help with tail light replacement
Replies
5
Views
608
Cableman
Cableman
L
2016 1500 tail light wiring diagram
Replies
2
Views
669
GTyankee
GTyankee
2
2014 Dodge Ram Laramie 3500 Left tail light?
Replies
0
Views
638
2014 Larameee
2
Dave Haddon
Trailer plug power
Replies
6
Views
586
Dave Haddon
Dave Haddon

Latest posts

Members online

... and 15 more.
Total: 1,324 (members: 65, guests: 1,259)
Robots: 1,845

Forum statistics

Threads
195,633
Posts
2,872,767
Members
156,462
Latest member
Ram_R0d

Share this page

Top