Installing cab clearance lights on my 1500

[realmikeg]

I'm getting ready to install some mopar cab lights on my 1500. Gonna have to run my power wire down to the fuse box and use a fuse tap. The location is F79 and is occupied by a 15 amp fuse. Am I going to need to add a fuse to the tap (meaning it would have 2 fuses) and if so, what amp fuse do you think?

 

[Tpearson515]

I'm getting ready to install some mopar cab lights on my 1500. Gonna have to run my power wire down to the fuse box and use a fuse tap. The location is F79 and is occupied by a 15 amp fuse. Am I going to need to add a fuse to the tap (meaning it would have 2 fuses) and if so, what amp fuse do you think?

When I ran power to my mirrors to change them from turns to clearance lights I pulled the PCM up (which just un clips) and found the power out of my clearance light fuse cut into the wire (underneath) soldered and used heat shrink, I can't imagine 5 led clearance bulb lights pulling more than a couple amps, maybe a 5 amp fuse, I guess it will depend on the wattage of the bulbs you are using.

On a side note and someone may be able to chime in on this. Your truck may already have a factory harness in the a pillar for over cab lights, something to keep in mind if you already haven't pulled your headliner down?

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!, something I always thought of doing but never had the time!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[realmikeg]

Thanks for the info and insight from you experience!

Checking down the A pillar was the first thing I did, no harness in there, but the little trap door on the passenger side of the dash has a harness. There aren't any open wire ports nor did i check a diagram for it.

Haven't started any of the work yet, just in the planning phase now. Attending YouTube University and searching the forums before any holes get drilled lol.

 

[realmikeg]

UPDATE: Nothing drilled or installed yet. I've tested the whole light and harness assembly to make sure it works. Using the Auxito LEDs from amazon that most are running.

1. When lead and ground are connected to the battery = lights come on

2. Added fuse tap with 5 amp fuse on top. lead and ground to battery = lights come on

3. Tested fuse F79 (15 amp, for clearance lights). Lights off = no power. Lights on = power

4. Inserted fuse tap. 15 amp on bottom, 5 on top. Grounded to bolt in next to tipm = no lights. Rub ground on (-) battery terminal = lights dimly flicker

I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong but if anyone had some thoughts they would be appreciated

 

[Badger 13]

I'm not sure about your question. What you need to tap into is a power source that is hot when you turn your parking/headlights on. Tap into the load side of the fuse, and find a good ground for the ground wire. I'm surprised that you even have a fuse in F79 since cab lights are not an option on 1500's. Cab lights are very low amp draw, and lower yet if your using LED's. I like to fuse all loads, so if you use a fuse tap, I still would add a fuse to the cab lights, and probably not much bigger than a 5-7amp. Hope that helps.

 

[realmikeg]

Duplicate deleted

 

[realmikeg]

I'm not sure about your question. What you need to tap into is a power source that is hot when you turn your parking/headlights on. Tap into the load side of the fuse, and find a good ground for the ground wire. I'm surprised that you even have a fuse in F79 since cab lights are not an option on 1500's. Cab lights are very low amp draw, and lower yet if your using LED's. I like to fuse all loads, so if you use a fuse tap, I still would add a fuse to the cab lights, and probably not much bigger than a 5-7amp. Hope that helps.

F79 is hot when the headlights are on. My fuse tap has 5 amp fuse, and I put the original 15 amp in the bottom slot.

Aside from not tapping into the harness down the A pillar like on 2500/3500, I believe the fuse tap in F79 is what most have done. My question is what am i doing wrong? Maybe a bad ground spot? but i was grounded to where another ground wire is..

 

[Gary2]

Mine are set up like yours at F79 with 5 amp in the upper and 15 in the lower on my 2017. My ground is attached with the self tapping screw supplied behind the over head console . Never had an issue . My 2014 I attached the hot wire to the parking light wire behind the left headlight , grounded the same as the is 2017 behind the overhead console

 

[Badger 13]

Just a thought, but have you used a test light to determine you have power at the end of your fuse tap ? Another thought would be is to turn the fuse tap around since you want the lights on side ?

 

[WY-Dave]

When adding(tapping) a circuit you should always fuse it. Usually LEDs come on 2 flavors 3w or 5w. Using 5 5w bulbs, that 25w. Amps=watts/volts. 25w/12v=2.083amps

Rub ground on (-) battery terminal = lights dimly flicker, that is pointing to the wiring. With the ground disconnected, measure the voltage at the end of the ground wire with the red lead on the ground wire and the black lead on the neg. battery post.

And for S&Gs once all figured out, turn the lights off and leave the meter in the middle (completing the circuit) and put the meter on amps. The turn the lights on, this will give you a reading of the amp draw. You can use this to see if 3 5w bulbs. Alot of times this is the difference between regular and "Super Bright" LEDs.

 

[realmikeg]

Mine are set up like yours at F79 with 5 amp in the upper and 15 in the lower on my 2017. My ground is attached with the self tapping screw supplied behind the over head console . Never had an issue . My 2014 I attached the hot wire to the parking light wire behind the left headlight , grounded the same as the is 2017 behind the overhead console

Using the included self tapping screw somewhere under the headliner or I saw a youtube where the guy used the ground for the sunroof where my two plans of attack for install.

Only being able to only get the lights to turn on by touching the + and - to the battery terminals has me a little frustrated. I wanted to use the tap and a random ground to test before taking down the headliner and drilling holes.

When you tapped the parking light it didn't throw a canbus error on your dash?

 

[realmikeg]

Just a thought, but have you used a test light to determine you have power at the end of your fuse tap ? Another thought would be is to turn the fuse tap around since you want the lights on side ?

I've used a multi meter on the 15 amp fuse in F79 by itself and while having the tap wired in, all good both ways. However, with the tap in place the 5 amp fuse has no power.. But if I put the wires on the + and - terminals of the battery (power going through the tap) the lights come on

 

[Badger 13]

It sounds like your doing everything right, but this seems to be a "mystery". Hopefully someone else can chime in and give some advice. Maybe you could fuse tap into the trailer light fuse and see how that works. It should give you what you need, power to the cab lights when the light switch is activated.

 

[realmikeg]

It sounds like your doing everything right, but this seems to be a "mystery". Hopefully someone else can chime in and give some advice. Maybe you could fuse tap into the trailer light fuse and see how that works. It should give you what you need, power to the cab lights when the light switch is activated.

Is it possible that the wiring harness itself could be backwards?

My truck doesn't have the red shroud over the + battery terminal. I'm seeing another truck that is making me to believe the only way I was getting the lights on was by putting my green lead and fused wire to the - terminal and the ring ground wire on the + terminal. Meanwhile, while I was doing it, I was thinking it was lead to + and ground to -

To test this theory (because we just got 18" of snow), I grabbed a 24v drill battery. Again, the lights only come on when the ringed ground wire is in the + and the fused lead wire in the -

 

[Badger 13]

Anything is possible, but I doubt it. So what your saying is you can "fuse" the green ground wire to power, and put the power wire to ground and the lights work ? And this is a Mopar cab light kit ? Being a Mopar cab light kit, my green ring terminal was the ground, and the other wire was the power.

 

[realmikeg]

Being a Mopar cab light kit, my green ring terminal was the ground, and the other wire was the power.

Ya, I got the mopar kit and I put the fuse tap on the green wire.

 

[Badger 13]

I wish I could remember on my kit, but I thought the ground ring terminal was on the green ? By any chance did you add the ring terminal onto the black wire ? The other thing I noticed, are the bulbs LED ?

 

[Badger 13]

I'll see if I can find my original install sheet later and see if there is info on that. If those are LED's, some are polarity sensitive and you could try turning them 180 degrees and see if that works.

 

[realmikeg]

Wow! You're the man! I had all the polarities the same way but backwards, so the lights all came on with my wiring backwards. Now that I switched them around, they come on with the green with to the positive and the black to the negative. I am 1000% certain these with work tapped into F79 now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Gary2]

Using the included self tapping screw somewhere under the headliner or I saw a youtube where the guy used the ground for the sunroof where my two plans of attack for install.

Only being able to only get the lights to turn on by touching the + and - to the battery terminals has me a little frustrated. I wanted to use the tap and a random ground to test before taking down the headliner and drilling holes.

When you tapped the parking light it didn't throw a canbus error on your dash?

No I have never had an issue with any of the 6 sets I installed in the Rams which started with a 1999, while the headliner was lowered and the over head console was removed I just ran the self tapping screw up behind the overhead console. That way I had room to get the screw gun on it . Like I said I have never had an issue of any kind with any of them . Normally I just located the drivers side parking light wire and tapped into it other than the 17 which I went like you to the F79 . Come to think of it I usually used one of those washers with the teeth in it between the wire and the metal part of the cab to help get a good ground .


I posted with out reading the posts in between when you quoted me . Glad to see ya got the best of it .