60” Tailgate light install

[Thornbird]

I have a 2015 1500 sport, with most of the doodads.
I am trying to install a led tailgate 60” light.
When I hook wires up directly to battery it works as it should
Sequential yellow turning light
Red Brake light
Running light
They all work fine direct to battery

install should be simple, says hook up to 4 way plug on trailer hookups.

but when I do, it doesn’t work right.
Left and right work, but brake doesn’t light up red, it goes into a hazard light instead. Using the turning lights.

is this because of the LED taillights or just how the truck is wired?

is there another way to wire it so it works as it should?
Should I hardwire right into the tail lights? If so how?

 

[crash68]

a four pin trailer doesn't have a dedicated brake light terminal. The left and right turn signal wires is also the brake light(both on at the same time). The third wire is the running lights, the fourth is the ground.
The easy way to wire tailgate light bars is using a trailer wiring adapter like the CURT 56584, that will give you a five flat which also works with a four flat connector.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007EA6WQU/

 

[Thornbird]

How does that change the problem? My tailgate light doesn’t have a backup light so the added extra wire doesn’t help any. I have it connected to a four connector, which has the exact same connectors as this except no backup.

 

[Thornbird]

Does the wiring within the housing unit of the brake light give me this option? Or is the turn signal the brake no matter what?

 

[crash68]

I suggested that Curt connector for ease of installation and possibly future upgrade.
If your using the left and right wires from the trailer wiring and the tailgate bar doesn't work correctly when the brakes are applied, it's a problem with the tailgate light bar. Trailer plug wiring is a standard for all vehicles and trailers. Trailer left and right taillight signals are also the brake lights. There is nothing to change on the vehicle side.


These trucks do have a third brake light wire(Wht/Pur) near the spare tire but there is nothing on your light bar to wire it to that wouldn't cause lighting/electrical malfunctions.

 

[Thornbird]

Is there any wiring that separates brake from turn signal?

 

[Thornbird]

It has run/reverse (it fills in lights one at a time, would use as running, if I hook it up it would be reverse)

it has brake/reverse (it blinks 3 times then stays on as a brake)

the turn signals are sequential but blink once then constant sliding over, but hooked up currently it blinks and slides each time.

hopes this helps.

 

[Thornbird]

Video in link of how it should work (and does when I just hook it to battery.)

C$ 24.31 40％ Off | OKEEN Car LED Pickup Arrow Red LED Flowing Yellow Turn Signal Lamp Scanning Brake LED Light Bar 100cm Reverse Tail Light Strip https://a.aliexpress.com/_dZZ4pku

 

[Thornbird]

Currently wired to 4 pin like this

black -brown
Yellow (there blue) to yellow
Green - green
White (yellow in there diagram) to white
Ok now I noticed their colours aren’t the same listed gotta check to see what each does to see if it’s hooked correctly.

 

[Thornbird]

Yes although it’s not as the ad shows, I have it correctly hooked up

yellow and dark green are turn signals
White to white for brake
Black to brown for ground
Red is backup or driving light

 

[Thornbird]

These trucks do have a third brake light wire(Wht/Pur) near the spare tire but there is nothing on your light bar to wire it to that wouldn't cause lighting/electrical malfunctions.

I might have to try that wire if I can find it, what type of lighting/electrical problems could surface tapping into that white/purple wire?

and is that wire in the harness for 7 pin?

 

[Thornbird]

That wire I just found out is for wiring up a third light on a bed cap. So I think it should work for what I need. I’ll try it and see what happens, when I get a chance.

 

[crash68]

It has run/reverse (it fills in lights one at a time, would use as running, if I hook it up it would be reverse)

it has brake/reverse (it blinks 3 times then stays on as a brake)

the turn signals are sequential but blink once then constant sliding over, but hooked up currently it blinks and slides each time.

hopes this helps.

View attachment 201345

I'm not even sure the person who designed this tailgate bar understands how this thing works. That's more than a four wire trailer hook up and running lights are not the same reverse lights.
You would probably be farther ahead to buy an Opt7 or Putco tailgate light bar, both of which have reverse lighting and have very few reports of failures.

 

[regal81455]

Here's the pin out for the 7pin. Maybe it will help you everything you would normally need to tap would be on this harness but as mentioned it's really strange to have the reverse and taillights tied into one location. On my sequential bar the taillights and reverse were separated like most I would think. Not sure what it means by "accumulated" either... hope this helps.

https://i.postimg.cc/15rf0RzQ/t2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/QM3BcBQh/t3.gif

 

[Thornbird]

Does the turn signals require the brake wire to work?
I just unhooked brake light wire (white) and hooked it to third brake light wire (white/purple) and now I have nothing. So I’m guessing it’s not that simple...

 

[Thornbird]

Here's the pin out for the 7pin. Maybe it will help you everything you would normally need to tap would be on this harness but as mentioned it's really strange to have the reverse and taillights tied into one location. On my sequential bar the taillights and reverse were separated like most I would think. Not sure what it means by "accumulated" either... hope this helps.

https://i.postimg.cc/15rf0RzQ/t2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/QM3BcBQh/t3.gif

I had turn signals, but brake turned them both on and not separate brake.
And mine doesn’t have backup lights. It has one it call running lights. Which I guess is suppose to be like the dimmer lights, I’m going to hook that up as the backup.

 

[Thornbird]

Red - running light
white - brake
yellow-turn
green-turn
black - ground

hooked to battery and ground each does the right thing.
And from what I’m being told you can’t wire it this way, because there isn’t a wire separate for brake?

and as I tried hooking it to the third brake light wire underneath didn’t seem to help, in fact nothing works on bar hooked this way.

I don’t get why the signals don’t work without brake light wire, it’s got ground and power? I’m so confused

 

[Thornbird]

Update:
Connection to third brake light wasn’t good, so now it works, brake works, the only thing that’s annoying now is the blink of red it does before each sequence but not sure I can fix that.
Thanks everyone that helped

 

[Hcamper]

Anyone got suggestions on a good light bar?

 

[regal81455]

This is the one I got. I really like it - you can get amber or red turn signals. I went with the red to match the factory tailights. It's also competitively priced. Install wasn't hard with the curt T-harness adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/TRIPLE-Tailg...eticusa+60"+triple&qid=1586787528&sr=8-8&th=1