How to Add Overhead Console
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Wilsonfive
Junior Member
Hello, I am interested in adding an overhead console with map lights and homelink only, to my 2019 Ram classic, my truck came with no overhead console, no power locks, no power windows, no keyless entry, Ra1 radio. The green connector behind the headlights switch only has two wires from the top, dome lights when the door opens and ground. On the bottom is the same except an additional ground. Pictures attached. I don't have additional wires for the homelink. Is there another place I can access the Lin bus? Can someone help please. 
OnyxDragon87
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Does anyone have one of these that they are willing to part with?
Tahoebronco
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- Hello GA Ram. Tahoebronco here. I too am working on wiring a new overhead console to my 2011 Ram 2500 ST/Tradesman. I've pulled my headliner down and only see power cords going to the center dome light and from the passenger side, power lines for the exterior running cab lights above the windshield.
My overhead light assembly came with a about 6 wire leads and plastic wiring clip for wiring the switchable lights. The plastic clip has 3 receptacles for plugging into the light assembly. I had to install 3 wire leads into the plastic clip. I assumed that the left lead was for the left side and the right lead for right side light, with the center being the ground.
I've tried test the lights by putting the leads on the positive and negative posts of the battery in different configurations and have come up with very different results. Were you successful with your wiring project? Can you offer any tips for me?
I appreciate any help or advice you can offer. If you get this message today, (Sunday 07/07/19 at 1:06 PM PDT), please give me a shout out. I'm trying to put it all together today as my truck is my only ride at the moment.
Thanks again for any help you offer. 
Tahoebronco
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Follow up to my last post on July 7, 2019 above regarding adding the overhead light console:
I was able to complete the project over the long 4th of July weekend. I had to drop the headliner by removing the sun visors and visor anchors, and all of the pillar (A, B, and C) coverings. The middle (B) and rear (C) pillars required
first removing the lower panels to then gain access to the upper half panels. The lower panels have metal snap clips that hold them in place, so they were easy to pop off. Just pull straight out using steady pressure. I found using a plastic pry tool to be very helpful.
The upper panels have 2 hex head screws near the hand grabs that need to be unscrewed. Then the panels can be popped off to loosen, then get pulled down straight to remove from the truck. Please note: at the top of these middle upper panels, they have two long fork like tabs that are used to keep them place. Do not try to pry from the top of the panels near the headliner or you will damage the liner and/or side panels.
At the rear of the headliner there are two coat hooks that need to be removed. Pry the plastic cover open to gain access to the screw that holds them in place. I recommend removing these hooks before removing the C Pillar panels. To gain access to the rear panels, you need to unbolt the rear seat mounting bolts and move the seat forward, which allows access to the rear side panels. I made the mistake of unbolting the rear seat before removing the coat hooks. I was able to move the seat forward and tilt it back to lay down, but had to crawl over the seat to remove the coat hooks.
I would also recommend unbolting the upper exterior tail light at the top of the cab and unhook the wire connectors to the lamp before dropping the headliner. This will prevent putting stress on the wiring harness that is glued to the rear of the headliner. Some truck owner may have a small water leak at that tail light as I did. When I reassembled all the parts at the end of my project, I used a small bead of silicone sealant around the dried out foam seal to better the seal the light.
With headliner dropped down, I was able to work around it without having to pull it all the way out of the cab. I mounted the overhead console mounting bracket by screwing it into the same holes that are used for the sun visor anchor hooks. I found that by first screwing the bracket to the roof it was safely held in place while I reinstalled the headliner in the later stages of this project. When it came time to complete the mounting the of the visor's anchors back in place, I was able to remove one of the screws then put in place the anchor and screw it back into place. This little step helped keep the bracket lined up and easier to re-screw into place.
My biggest challenge was figuring out the wiring for the map lights. My overhead console only has the reading map lights - no garage door or rear slider buttons. The original poster (Sideshow) of this thread had posted pictures of his project but those original pics got deleted over time. On page 6 (and post #53) of this thread, he re-posted some pictures that showed a green electrical box found behind the headlight switch on the dashboard and one of the pics showed the wiring diagram of the electric connector for the wiring harness to the overhead console itself. Looking at the female end of the plug connector, the left slot is the ground, the middle slot is for power to the courtesy lights (turning on the lights when the doors are opened), and the right slot if for full time power for when you want to use the map lights for reading when all the doors are closed. Go to page 6 and see post #53 of this thread to view.
The OP described how he had tapped the an unused hot power lead in the green connector for the reading lights. I followed his instructions (found on page 1 of this thread) to tap the full time power for the reading lights. for the courtesy lamp, I spliced into the power wire going to the center dome light. When one of the doors is opened and the dome light comes on, so does the overhead console lights. For the ground I ran the wire along side the original wiring for the center dome light down to the access panel door and screwed it to the metal framing that supports the dash.
I used about 4 feet of wire for each of the ground, courtesy power, and the full time power. This gave me more than enough slack so that in the future if I have to pull the overhead console down, there will be plenty of excess wiring to allow for easy handling. I also labeled the wires using regular U-Haul paper packing tape folded over the wires for future identification if needed.
Putting the headliner back was fairly easy by reversing the steps to take it down. I found that by installing the coat hooks at the rear and having raised the head rests on the driver's and passenger's seats helped to keep the headliner held in place as I worked the door trims back into place.
I am very happy and pleased to now have much better and functional interior lighting.
I was able to complete the project over the long 4th of July weekend. I had to drop the headliner by removing the sun visors and visor anchors, and all of the pillar (A, B, and C) coverings. The middle (B) and rear (C) pillars required
first removing the lower panels to then gain access to the upper half panels. The lower panels have metal snap clips that hold them in place, so they were easy to pop off. Just pull straight out using steady pressure. I found using a plastic pry tool to be very helpful.
The upper panels have 2 hex head screws near the hand grabs that need to be unscrewed. Then the panels can be popped off to loosen, then get pulled down straight to remove from the truck. Please note: at the top of these middle upper panels, they have two long fork like tabs that are used to keep them place. Do not try to pry from the top of the panels near the headliner or you will damage the liner and/or side panels.
At the rear of the headliner there are two coat hooks that need to be removed. Pry the plastic cover open to gain access to the screw that holds them in place. I recommend removing these hooks before removing the C Pillar panels. To gain access to the rear panels, you need to unbolt the rear seat mounting bolts and move the seat forward, which allows access to the rear side panels. I made the mistake of unbolting the rear seat before removing the coat hooks. I was able to move the seat forward and tilt it back to lay down, but had to crawl over the seat to remove the coat hooks.
I would also recommend unbolting the upper exterior tail light at the top of the cab and unhook the wire connectors to the lamp before dropping the headliner. This will prevent putting stress on the wiring harness that is glued to the rear of the headliner. Some truck owner may have a small water leak at that tail light as I did. When I reassembled all the parts at the end of my project, I used a small bead of silicone sealant around the dried out foam seal to better the seal the light.
With headliner dropped down, I was able to work around it without having to pull it all the way out of the cab. I mounted the overhead console mounting bracket by screwing it into the same holes that are used for the sun visor anchor hooks. I found that by first screwing the bracket to the roof it was safely held in place while I reinstalled the headliner in the later stages of this project. When it came time to complete the mounting the of the visor's anchors back in place, I was able to remove one of the screws then put in place the anchor and screw it back into place. This little step helped keep the bracket lined up and easier to re-screw into place.
My biggest challenge was figuring out the wiring for the map lights. My overhead console only has the reading map lights - no garage door or rear slider buttons. The original poster (Sideshow) of this thread had posted pictures of his project but those original pics got deleted over time. On page 6 (and post #53) of this thread, he re-posted some pictures that showed a green electrical box found behind the headlight switch on the dashboard and one of the pics showed the wiring diagram of the electric connector for the wiring harness to the overhead console itself. Looking at the female end of the plug connector, the left slot is the ground, the middle slot is for power to the courtesy lights (turning on the lights when the doors are opened), and the right slot if for full time power for when you want to use the map lights for reading when all the doors are closed. Go to page 6 and see post #53 of this thread to view.
The OP described how he had tapped the an unused hot power lead in the green connector for the reading lights. I followed his instructions (found on page 1 of this thread) to tap the full time power for the reading lights. for the courtesy lamp, I spliced into the power wire going to the center dome light. When one of the doors is opened and the dome light comes on, so does the overhead console lights. For the ground I ran the wire along side the original wiring for the center dome light down to the access panel door and screwed it to the metal framing that supports the dash.
I used about 4 feet of wire for each of the ground, courtesy power, and the full time power. This gave me more than enough slack so that in the future if I have to pull the overhead console down, there will be plenty of excess wiring to allow for easy handling. I also labeled the wires using regular U-Haul paper packing tape folded over the wires for future identification if needed.
Putting the headliner back was fairly easy by reversing the steps to take it down. I found that by installing the coat hooks at the rear and having raised the head rests on the driver's and passenger's seats helped to keep the headliner held in place as I worked the door trims back into place.
I am very happy and pleased to now have much better and functional interior lighting.
Skyjockey
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After about 3 years I finally got mine wired up BUT the delayed dome light function worked on the original light in back and the front map lights worked fine in testing. The next morning I realized the front map lights stayed on? If I leave a door open it functions correctly, if I close door lights stay on??
I never got the answer to what wire to connect to as mine seemed different than what everyone else was showing?
Finally solved the issue though, traded it in for a Warlock !
I never got the answer to what wire to connect to as mine seemed different than what everyone else was showing?
Finally solved the issue though, traded it in for a Warlock !
kegger
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Hey guys. I'm not a huge fan of wiring and to be honest I'm more of a hands on visual learner. I have, in the picture, the upper console. Can someone show me where each wire goes. I have a feeling I know but honestly I'm horrible with things like this. I don't care about the window slider Button or the small console light. All I'm looking for is the two main lights and the compass module to work. Thanks in advance guys.
2012FlameRed1500
Junior Member
You probably have figured this all out by now, but from your above Pic...it should be the 3 wires at the bottom (Blk/Tan - Ground, Yellow/Light Blue - Reading Lamps, Yellow/White - Courtesy lamp).
See the diagram on Post #65 of this thread on how to route those. They should be identified as Pin/wire #'s 11, 12, 13.
For me on the green connector, i just had to tap into wire #11 (Ground), and plug into Pin #12 ( Reading Lamps), as I already had the courtesy lamp and Pin #13 already had the wire for that going to it.
I dont have the compass module, but the diagram for that is on the same post #65.
kegger
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Thanks 2012flamered1500 for the info. Must have missed that page!
Last edited:
MSD1508
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Ok guys I have read all the posts in this thread and thought a novice could install an overhead console with the map lights only. I was wrong! I got the console installed in the headliner okay but the wiring is baffling to me.
I have a 2015 Tradesman with only a center dome light. It is wired to the top of the green plug behind the headlight switch with #ll pin yl/vt wire for door open power and #16 pin black wire for ground. THe bottom of the green plug has #1 pin red fused, #2 pin or/vt linbus, #8 PIN BLK ground, #10 pin yl/lb constant power, #11 pin yl/vt door power for dome light and #16 pin Blk ground.
So I wired the three prong console plug as follows:#1 plug position to #8 pin on green connector for a ground; #2 plug position to splice yl/vt wire going to pin#11 on green connector for door open power; and #3 plug position to # 10 pin on green connector for constant power to be able to switch the map light on and off at will.
What I got was, as I said, baffling.
1. THere is no open door power to either map lights or dome light.
2. With doors closed one map light will switch on dimly but flickers. (low voltage?) I changed out the bulb on the one that does not light but same result, no light when switched on.
3. With the ignition on and truck running the same one map light is constantly on bright and the dome light is constantly on bright as well. They do not turn off when the ignition is off. The two lights remain on. I had to pull the green connector for the lights to turn off.
Any ideas as to my situation? If nothing else the console installed looks good but now have not door light so really going backwards. Thanks for any thoughts.
I have a 2015 Tradesman with only a center dome light. It is wired to the top of the green plug behind the headlight switch with #ll pin yl/vt wire for door open power and #16 pin black wire for ground. THe bottom of the green plug has #1 pin red fused, #2 pin or/vt linbus, #8 PIN BLK ground, #10 pin yl/lb constant power, #11 pin yl/vt door power for dome light and #16 pin Blk ground.
So I wired the three prong console plug as follows:#1 plug position to #8 pin on green connector for a ground; #2 plug position to splice yl/vt wire going to pin#11 on green connector for door open power; and #3 plug position to # 10 pin on green connector for constant power to be able to switch the map light on and off at will.
What I got was, as I said, baffling.
1. THere is no open door power to either map lights or dome light.
2. With doors closed one map light will switch on dimly but flickers. (low voltage?) I changed out the bulb on the one that does not light but same result, no light when switched on.
3. With the ignition on and truck running the same one map light is constantly on bright and the dome light is constantly on bright as well. They do not turn off when the ignition is off. The two lights remain on. I had to pull the green connector for the lights to turn off.
Any ideas as to my situation? If nothing else the console installed looks good but now have not door light so really going backwards. Thanks for any thoughts.
TC III
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Did you figure this out? I have the same question on my 2018 Tradesman 2500. I've attached a picture of my green connector and I'm trying to figure out how to connect the (3) pigtail wires from the console to the green connector. I'm just doing the map lights. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Last edited:
Jibbs
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Did you figure this out? I have the same question on my 2018 Tradesman 2500. I've attached a picture of my green connector and I'm trying to figure out how to connect the (3) pigtail wires from the console to the green connector. I'm just doing the map lights. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
All you have to do in that situation for lights is tap into # 10 (baby blue and green) & 11 (yellow & violet) and run the ground to metal.
Jibbs
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I just finished installing mine, FINALLY! I got the kit and took off my visor nearly a year ago and then got spooked by the wiring. But in the end it was so stinking easy and they work perfectly! Only missing the compass module and cup holder light plugs as I haven’t been able to source either of those plugs yet!
RTom
Member
I purchased an overhead console of eBay from a 2016 Bighorn that had the homelink and power slider switch (plan on installing that at a later date). The console came with a complete harness too which was nice but had some extra plugs that I don't have in my 2015 Tradesman.
I also added the manual non-dimming mic'd rear view mirror and the harness for it (with the plugs for the clearance lights for future)
In a bighorn does this light go in the headliner at the back of the cab (vs the light I have in the center of the headliner in my tradesman?
Does anyone know what this plug is for? It runs along the passenger side A pillar - the plug that comes out of the top goes to the antenna on the roof.
I also added the manual non-dimming mic'd rear view mirror and the harness for it (with the plugs for the clearance lights for future)
In a bighorn does this light go in the headliner at the back of the cab (vs the light I have in the center of the headliner in my tradesman?
Does anyone know what this plug is for? It runs along the passenger side A pillar - the plug that comes out of the top goes to the antenna on the roof.
Last edited:
RTom
Member
This plug was on the harness at the back of the cab (near the rear 3rd brake light plug and the overhead light).
Does anyone know what this goes to?
This harness also came with speakers on each side. I unplugged them since I wasn't sure where they went or if even mounting them would enable them to work with my radio.
Final product pic with mirror + console. I still need to try to get the homelink synced with my garage door openers.
View attachment 183411
Does anyone know what this goes to?
This harness also came with speakers on each side. I unplugged them since I wasn't sure where they went or if even mounting them would enable them to work with my radio.
Final product pic with mirror + console. I still need to try to get the homelink synced with my garage door openers.
View attachment 183411
RTom
Member
My pics are showing up all wonky - pic of the mirror + console
This is the console I started with. It has plus for the illuminated sun visors (on my to do list), speakers (tbd where they go/if I can use them) plus a couple other plugs I still need to identify.
This is the console I started with. It has plus for the illuminated sun visors (on my to do list), speakers (tbd where they go/if I can use them) plus a couple other plugs I still need to identify.
Last edited:
mjf6175
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Rdriver
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Where does the led cup holder lamp get its ground from? I know its not the same ground as the other lights which run down the drivers a pillar to the green plug behind the headlight switch. My cup holder light has power (green/white) wire from passenger c pillar, but no clue on the ground. I bough my overhead console off ebay with complete harness and everything else is working.
RAMbow
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Question....about to install my console in my 2015 tradesman but i dont have schematics and want to know where i can best tap into for just the reading lights 3 wires. Below is my current green connector on driver side dash panel. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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