DIY Air Dam Lights

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kad

kad

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I'm about to do this to my truck soon. @kad how did you tap into the F79 fuse? I have an add a circuit but I'd rather not go that route if I don't have to...

I added a pin/wire into the TIPM to use the factory circuit.

The F79 circuit is present, fully powered (and with a fuse already in place on my truck) in the TIPM on 1500s but may or may not come out of it depending on trim level:
  • If you have a higher trim truck with the Inverter from the factory, it should be brought all the way into the truck, as it's used as part of the inverter circuit on the dash connection (it tells the outlet to dim it's indicator light when you have the truck's parking lights on). If that's the case for you, then you'll need to tap it either under the TIPM or in the passenger side dash end panel. I do not recommend tapping under the TIPM unless you do a full solder and seal job as the risk of corrosion there is very high.
  • If you don't have the higher trim then the circuit stops in the TIPM but you can add the pin/wire to bring it out.

*On 2500+ models it should be already brought inside regardless of trim level as it's used for the cab lights. It can be tapped behind the passenger dash panel on these trucks.

My truck is a 1500 Express and did not have the inverter so I was able to install a pin/wire in the TIPM to complete the circuit It runs my air dam lights, the running light portion of my Big Rig lights and has been brought inside the cab as part of adding the factory inverter.

I also completed the two unused Heated Seat circuits while I was under there, giving me two ignition controlled 25amp circuits to play with. One runs inside to power the rear seat 12V and USB outlets I added (see link in sig) and the other is as yet unused but will be used under hood to power a front camera project I'm working on.

To add the pin/wire you need to disconnect the battery, then disconnect the 12v+ lead into the TIPM. Lift the TIPM out of it's holder, unplug the appropriate connector from the bottom (there are 5 or 6 big connectors under there), add the pin, then put it all back together. It's not hard, but can be a bit nerve wracking. It's been almost 2 years since I did it, but if you need them I can probably hunt down the connector number, pin position, part numbers, etc. for you.

-K
 

Hemi395

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I added a pin/wire into the TIPM to use the factory circuit.

The F79 circuit is present, fully powered (and with a fuse already in place on my truck) in the TIPM on 1500s but may or may not come out of it depending on trim level:
  • If you have a higher trim truck with the Inverter from the factory, it should be brought all the way into the truck, as it's used as part of the inverter circuit on the dash connection (it tells the outlet to dim it's indicator light when you have the truck's parking lights on). If that's the case for you, then you'll need to tap it either under the TIPM or in the passenger side dash end panel. I do not recommend tapping under the TIPM unless you do a full solder and seal job as the risk of corrosion there is very high.
  • If you don't have the higher trim then the circuit stops in the TIPM but you can add the pin/wire to bring it out.

*On 2500+ models it should be already brought inside regardless of trim level as it's used for the cab lights. It can be tapped behind the passenger dash panel on these trucks.

My truck is a 1500 Express and did not have the inverter so I was able to install a pin/wire in the TIPM to complete the circuit It runs my air dam lights, the running light portion of my Big Rig lights and has been brought inside the cab as part of adding the factory inverter.

I also completed the two unused Heated Seat circuits while I was under there, giving me two ignition controlled 25amp circuits to play with. One runs inside to power the rear seat 12V and USB outlets I added (see link in sig) and the other is as yet unused but will be used under hood to power a front camera project I'm working on.

To add the pin/wire you need to disconnect the battery, then disconnect the 12v+ lead into the TIPM. Lift the TIPM out of it's holder, unplug the appropriate connector from the bottom (there are 5 or 6 big connectors under there), add the pin, then put it all back together. It's not hard, but can be a bit nerve wracking. It's been almost 2 years since I did it, but if you need them I can probably hunt down the connector number, pin position, part numbers, etc. for you.

-K

Wow great info thanks! I have a pretty optioned up BigHorn so it should be inside the cab which is what I may do.

If you can find the PN and connector info that would be awesome:)
 

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Will you be removing the F79 fuse and use a female spade with some type of in line fuse ?
 

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Will you be removing the F79 fuse and use a female spade with some type of in line fuse ?


Not really sure yet. I would love to see a picture of how other folks connected everything under the fuse box... Im confused on the whole pin/wire setup. I really dont want to have to cut and splice into factory wires either.
 

heefageLA

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Will you be removing the F79 fuse and use a female spade with some type of in line fuse ?


After thinking for awhile, im hoping I can add a wire on the underside of the fuse box where the fuse plugs in. On the side AFTER where power goes through the fuse, (if that makes sense), then just use a ground somewhere convenient.

Hoping some other guys chime in on the exact wiring they used...
 

Hemi395

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After thinking for awhile, im hoping I can add a wire on the underside of the fuse box where the fuse plugs in. On the side AFTER where power goes through the fuse, (if that makes sense), then just use a ground somewhere convenient.

Hoping some other guys chime in on the exact wiring they used...
That would certainly be a much cleaner install. I'm not a huge fan of having the Add A Fuse sticking out of the the side of the fuse box.

Maybe alldatadiy.com has some wiring diagrams that would show the correct wire to tap into...
 

heefageLA

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That would certainly be a much cleaner install. I'm not a huge fan of having the Add A Fuse sticking out of the the side of the fuse box.

Maybe alldatadiy.com has some wiring diagrams that would show the correct wire to tap into...


Since I know its the F79 fuse im looking for, I can just lift up my fuse box and find which wires go to that fuse. Im going to use a multi-meter to find out which side of the fuse is powered first by removing the fuse and turning on the running lights. The wire I want is the one NOT powered. That way, my lights will still be using that fused circuit when everything is put together... I hope this makes sense, i know what needs to be done, just not too sure how to get there...
 
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Since I know its the F79 fuse im looking for, I can just lift up my fuse box and find which wires go to that fuse. Im going to use a multi-meter to find out which side of the fuse is powered first by removing the fuse and turning on the running lights. The wire I want is the one NOT powered. That way, my lights will still be using that fused circuit when everything is put together... I hope this makes sense, i know what needs to be done, just not too sure how to get there...

A little detail for you:

The wires are not attached directly to the TIPM. They run into a number of large connectors that then plug into the bottom of the TIPM.

  • The connector you want is the C7 connector. From above, this should be the front right connector.
  • In the C7 connector you want pin 26.
  • If you don't have a 2500+ or a high trim level 1500, there will not be a pin & wire in this slot.
  • If it does have a wire it should be 18 gauge White w/Light Green, at least on a 1500, not sure about wire size/color on a 2500+

As usual, double check before you cut/tap anything and YMMV. The above is based on my 2014 CC and it's wiring diagrams plus the work I did 2 years ago to add the wire in question.

-K

C7.jpg
 

Hemi395

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A little detail for you:

The wires are not attached directly to the TIPM. They run into a number of large connectors that then plug into the bottom of the TIPM.

  • The connector you want is the C7 connector. From above, this should be the front right connector.
  • In the C7 connector you want pin 26.
  • If you don't have a 2500+ or a high trim level 1500, there will not be a pin & wire in this slot.
  • If it does have a wire it should be 18 gauge White w/Light Green, at least on a 1500, not sure about wire size/color on a 2500+

As usual, double check before you cut/tap anything and YMMV. The above is based on my 2014 CC and it's wiring diagrams plus the work I did 2 years ago to add the wire in question.

-K

C7.jpg
GREAT INFO thanks @kad !!
 

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Late to the party, take the outer 3 from each side and wire them to the turn signal and dare someone to say they didn't see your turn signal haha
 
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After 3 years I've had my first failure on one of the Maxxima lights. As far as I can tell, the sealant on the back separated from the wires and allowed moisture in (see pic below). It was a gradual failure with each of the three embedded LED chips failing one at a time, the net effect of which was the light getting steadily dimmer over the course of time.

I got ahold of Maxxima and after verifying that I did not have a local dealer to swap it at, they issued me a paid mailing label and will send out the replacement as soon as the mailing label has been checked in at the post office. I had a spare that I already replaced it with, so the one they send will become my spare.

20200911-154928.jpg

-K
 
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sandawilliams

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After 3 years I've had my first failure on one of the Maxxima lights. As far as I can tell, the sealant on the back separated from the wires and allowed moisture in (see pic below). It was gradual failure with each of the three embedded LED chips failing one at a time, the net effect of which was the light getting steadily dimmer over the course of time.

I got ahold of Maxxima and after verifying that I did not have a local dealer to swap it at, they issued me a paid mailing label and will send out the replacement as soon as the mailing label has been checked in at the post office. I had a spare that I already replaced it with, so the one they send will become my spare.

20200911-154928.jpg

-K

i will keep an eye on mine. With your original write up I installed these and they have been great. I also have a few spares.
 
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