Cargo light switch

[crazykid1994]

Has anyone messed with the cargo lights switch to see how it works? I know on the new trucks they have an added switch in the bed to turn on the cargo and bed lights and I’m looking to do something similar to my truck and add in bed lights. I’d like to be able to use the cab button as well as a button in the bed to turn them on or off.


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[zeddy]

^^+1111

I would love to have the switch in the bed. I already have the lights in my bed. It sucks when i'm emptying or loading the bed at night and the lights turns off, i have to either go to the cab or hit my unlock button on the key fob. It would be so nice to have a switch.

I'm sure someone will come up with something.

 

[Rampant]

^^+1111

I would love to have the switch in the bed. I already have the lights in my bed. It sucks when i'm emptying or loading the bed at night and the lights turns off, i have to either go to the cab or hit my unlock button on the key fob. It would be so nice to have a switch.

I'm sure someone will come up with something.

The '18's have it now...

 

[crazykid1994]

The '18's have it now...

That’s the whole reason I started thinking about it it’s convenient. It’s gotta be possible since the 18s have it


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[Rampant]

That’s the whole reason I started thinking about it it’s convenient. It’s gotta be possible since the 18s have it


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You could ***** a switch in there using the existing wiring. The cab switch would have to be the master though. Meaning if that's not on, it's not going to work. If it is on and the new switch is off, it won't work with the remote unlock feature. You may even get a CEL. After the wiring diagrams are readily available, it'd be easy to see how they did it and even order the factory parts.

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[crazykid1994]

You could ***** a switch in there using the existing wiring. The cab switch would have to be the master though. Meaning if that's not on, it's not going to work. If it is on and the new switch is off, it won't work with the remote unlock feature. You may even get a CEL. After the wiring diagrams are readily available, it'd be easy to see how they did it and even order the factory parts.

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Hopefully they make a kit. I may have to look up schematics for the existing to see how it works and try it out


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[stexram]

Need a kit that bypasses the dash switch,
Ram should have had this option long ago.

 

[Deki]

Hopefully they make a kit. I may have to look up schematics for the existing to see how it works and try it out


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Did you ever look into this? I have an 18 and I installed the OEM bed lights and I bought the bed mounted switch separately but I have not wired it up yet as the wiring harness built into the truck doesn't have the same adapter as the switch, although I think I found the wires that it would connect to.

 

[crazykid1994]

Did you ever look into this? I have an 18 and I installed the OEM bed lights and I bought the bed mounted switch separately but I have not wired it up yet as the wiring harness built into the truck doesn't have the same adapter as the switch, although I think I found the wires that it would connect to.

No I did not. If you get it working could you post pictures and info?


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[Kalill Nieto]

+1

Hi everybody. I just create a post asking for color wire and location to connect my bed Led lights.

I wondering if I leave the switch on without the key on they shut off automatly in some time?

 

[justinkyleo]

Digging this up out of curiosity...

So for the '18's, the bed switch just grounds pin 26 in C6 of the bcm. (That was unpopulated in previous years.) Idk if the bed switch is momentary or latching as I haven't actually touched one.
The cargo switch in the headlight switch assembly sends a momentary "signal" to pin 16 in C7 of the bcm. Anybody find out if that signal happens to be as easy as a ground? If so it would be easy to tap that wire, run a single wire back to the bed and ground it with a momentary switch.

If someone feels really adventurous, they could try grounding the pin used on the 18's and see if that makes magic happen.

 

[MarineBSP]

The 2018 bed switch (P/N 68367545AA) is momentary, just like the cargo light switch in the cab.

With your encouragement, I got adventurous. First I tested continuity between pins on the switch itself with Cargo Light button pressed and not pressed. I jumped pin 3 to 6 on the Headlight multi-function switch harness connector. That 'made magic happen', and activated / turned off the cargo lights. I might not have had a clean ground, but pin 6 was at 10.8V versus the driver door latch, closest ground I could easily reach with my VOM leads.

-----

A video on YouTube shows that the instructions for a 2019 DT sends the extra lead from the switch to pin 16 in C7 of the BCM – versus sending the third lead to pin 26 of C6 on 2018 models. Any existing wire in pin 16 of C7 is to be removed and replaced by the new lead. And if there is a wire into pin 5 of C1, it is also to be removed and replaced by the hot lead for the new style bed lights, versus being jumpered to the existing wire for 2018. So it seems this mimics the headlight switch assembly cargo light button on a 2018 exactly – but with removal of those existing leads, the logic is not transparent. The Cargo Light button in the cab must not go to C7 pin 16 anymore, or it would be left out of the circuit by this procedure. BCM programming for the 2019 DT must differ from the 2018’s.

What I decided to do: On my 2018 Laramie, the BCM is VERY hard to access without removing an amp and some other stuff – your truck build may differ, but I decided not to waste time and risk messing up a nearly new truck. Since jumping pins 6 and 3 on the Headlight multi-switch is what the cabin cargo light switch does, I am wiring my momentary Bed Switch with two leads back wired to those two pins at the switch connector. I will tap the power lead for the CHMSL Cargo Light to send power to the Bed Lights, using the OE harness ground that I received with the Bed Lights. In case this creates any issue with total current draw, I will convert the Cargo Lights to LED. This way the Bed Switch should mimic factory behavior and I can leave the BCM undisturbed.

I'll update this once finished in a day or two.

 

[Jimmy07]

The 2018 bed switch (P/N 68367545AA) is momentary, just like the cargo light switch in the cab.

With your encouragement, I got adventurous. First I tested continuity between pins on the switch itself with Cargo Light button pressed and not pressed. I jumped pin 3 to 6 on the Headlight multi-function switch harness connector. That 'made magic happen', and activated / turned off the cargo lights. I might not have had a clean ground, but pin 6 was at 10.8V versus the driver door latch, closest ground I could easily reach with my VOM leads.

-----

A video on YouTube shows that the instructions for a 2019 DT sends the extra lead from the switch to pin 16 in C7 of the BCM – versus sending the third lead to pin 26 of C6 on 2018 models. Any existing wire in pin 16 of C7 is to be removed and replaced by the new lead. And if there is a wire into pin 5 of C1, it is also to be removed and replaced by the hot lead for the new style bed lights, versus being jumpered to the existing wire for 2018. So it seems this mimics the headlight switch assembly cargo light button on a 2018 exactly – but with removal of those existing leads, the logic is not transparent. The Cargo Light button in the cab must not go to C7 pin 16 anymore, or it would be left out of the circuit by this procedure. BCM programming for the 2019 DT must differ from the 2018’s.

What I decided to do: On my 2018 Laramie, the BCM is VERY hard to access without removing an amp and some other stuff – your truck build may differ, but I decided not to waste time and risk messing up a nearly new truck. Since jumping pins 6 and 3 on the Headlight multi-switch is what the cabin cargo light switch does, I am wiring my momentary Bed Switch with two leads back wired to those two pins at the switch connector. I will tap the power lead for the CHMSL Cargo Light to send power to the Bed Lights, using the OE harness ground that I received with the Bed Lights. In case this creates any issue with total current draw, I will convert the Cargo Lights to LED. This way the Bed Switch should mimic factory behavior and I can leave the BCM undisturbed.

I'll update this once finished in a day or two.

Do you not have the existing connectors under the bed to plug the kit into? Since you have a 2018, the light connectors and switch connector *should* already be there. Or are you just trying to wire them in a way to avoid adding the sales code? The reason the kit instructions have you removing pins from the BCM is because it’s for multiple years, so they remove any question of whether or not the wiring is present by having the installer use the supplied wiring no matter what.

 

[Mpgrimm2]

My 18 Ram 1500 Laramie CC doesn't have the connectors for the bed lighting. May just be the the 17-18 2500's.

M² Mods.

 

[crazykid1994]

My 2017 express did not have the connectors. I just tapped the cargo power and put a relay

 

[Njdan30]

Anyone know what pin to connect to for the bed switch? Is it c6 pin 26? I have a 2020 1500 classic warlock been looking and reading and getting more confused over something simple lol. Thanks in advance