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Bed Lights Installed

26K views 98 replies 39 participants last post by  bwkodie1 
#1 ·
I did not do a write up on how I installed and wired my bed lights as it seemed common knowledge at the time, however I have been receiving multiple requests in recent weeks for how exactly I got the job done. So I figured I would offer a write up for anyone interested.

These steps were performed on a 2012 1500 and they should work on other 4th Gen Rams. Please check the color of your truck's wires and the wiring layout to confirm.

Following these steps, your bed lights will be tied to the cargo lights (located in the 3rd brake light assembly). They will illuminate when you unlock the truck and then fade out with the cargo light after about 1 minute. If the lights are required for a longer period of time, simply hit the unlock button again and they will illuminate again. Alternately, you can control the bed lights with the cargo light button located on the dash near the headlight controls for a constant on.

I bought this kit from eBay.
Installed the strips to either side of the bed (wire ends toward the cab) using the 3M tape the strips come with on them.
My Ram has a spray in bed liner and I have had no issues with the 3M tape holding fast to the liner on the underside of the rails.

Fed the wire ends through the driver side hole on the stake post in the bed (it is a pass though about 2/3 up from the bottom of the bed that passes through into the space between the bed and the cab).

Snaked the wires down under the cab and up through the access hole located under the driver side rear passenger seat. (Flip up your driver side rear passenger seat, then open the storage compartment. Under that carpet liner is the access hole I am referring to. You can see it also by looking under the truck.)

Popped the cover off the driver side rear passenger door sill to access the wiring harness. I tapped into the dome lights wire (white w/tan stripe) and grounded the black/ground wire to a nearby frame screw.

Finished product:





 
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#3 ·
[q]Snaked the wires down under the cab and up through the access hole located under the driver side rear passenger seat. (Flip up your driver side rear passenger seat, then open the storage compartment. Under that carpet liner is the access hole I am referring to. You can see it also by looking under the truck.)

Popped the cover off the driver side rear passenger door sill to access the wiring harness. I tapped into the dome lights wire (white w/tan stripe) and grounded the black/ground wire to a nearby frame screw.[/q]

Looks great! I am a little confused with how you go from under the passenger seat storage area to the passenger door sill?

Thanks.
 
#6 ·
I did mine the same way but tapped into the cargo light circuit by adding a relay. Jim there is a gap at the bottom of the storage compartment that goes right into the door sill wire channel. Kai, those bed lights look awesome, :smileup: I'm going to be replacing mine with white ones very soon as the blue ones I used are just not bright enough.
 
#4 ·
Are they blue or white? They look kind of blue from your photos. Can't tell but I would think bluish lights would not light up the bed as well as white ones would.
Anyways, nice write up!
 
#5 ·
Wouldn't that screw your warrenty.
I know any dealer i talk to ,says you're fubar'd on wiring warrenty as soon as you tap into the factory harness.
Also seems mighty complicated,a simple switch at the back that goes to the battery,seems like a better way,and doesn't screw up your wiring warrenty.
 
#8 ·
Hey there. So I followed your post here and bought the kit you listed and installed it today, but they're not really working. Only like 6 lights on one of the strips actually turned on when I tried. Not sure if I got a faulty set or if I did something else wrong. The kit I got came with 4 shorter individual strips which i wired together. Tapped the white/beige wire and turned it on, but only got a few lights and they didn't even seem that bad. I'm thinking I did something wrong because I can't imagine that all 4 of the strips were bad. They also didn't stick to my spray in bed liner. They kept falling down. I can fix that as long as I can get the lights to work. Just wondering if you have any suggestions or things to check. Thanks.
 
#12 ·
This is how I wired mine. Compare this to what you did and see if you can't pinpoint the issue. The eBay seller we purchased from is very good at working with you. LEDs, like everything else, can be defective some times and you can get a bad batch. If your problem isn't fixed after checking the wiring, then contact the seller and see what ideas he has as he did wire them himself. Hope this helps!

 
#10 ·
I did not do a write up on how I installed and wired my bed lights as it seemed common knowledge at the time, however I have been receiving multiple requests in recent weeks for how exactly I got the job done. So I figured I would offer a write up for anyone interested.

These steps were performed on a 2012 1500 and they should work on other 4th Gen Rams. Please check the color of your truck's wires and the wiring layout to confirm.

Following these steps, your bed lights will be tied to the cargo lights (located in the 3rd brake light assembly). They will illuminate when you unlock the truck and then fade out with the cargo light after about 1 minute. If the lights are required for a longer period of time, simply hit the unlock button again and they will illuminate again. Alternately, you can control the bed lights with the cargo light button located on the dash near the headlight controls for a constant on.

I bought this kit from eBay.
Installed the strips to either side of the bed (wire ends toward the cab) using the 3M tape the strips come with on them.
My Ram has a spray in bed liner and I have had no issues with the 3M tape holding fast to the liner on the underside of the rails.

Fed the wire ends through the driver side hole on the stake post in the bed (it is a pass though about 2/3 up from the bottom of the bed that passes through into the space between the bed and the cab).

Snaked the wires down under the cab and up through the access hole located under the driver side rear passenger seat. (Flip up your driver side rear passenger seat, then open the storage compartment. Under that carpet liner is the access hole I am referring to. You can see it also by looking under the truck.)

Popped the cover off the driver side rear passenger door sill to access the wiring harness. I tapped into the dome lights wire (white w/tan stripe) and grounded the black/ground wire to a nearby frame screw.
Good job Kai, Looks good, & Write up is easy to follow.:smileup:

Rep points are in order:rep:
 
#11 ·
I wired up a set of bed lights a couple of weekends ago…. Fortunately, the 2500 Laramie has five Auxiliary Switches, for aftermarket use, and I made one of them my bed light switch. Just had to tap my positive wire into the correct spot under the hood…..
 
#14 ·
like this idea a lot. gonna order a set myself, can't wait! I am a little concerned about the warranty problem potential but i guess if you had an electrical problem you could undo your tap in and they couldn't say anything----
 
#15 ·
Thanks guys :)



My dealer and svc manager have seen everything electrical I've done and say there's no issues or concern about voiding my warranty. If an aftermarket mod is installed correctly (basically, without stripping the factory wiring and doing bare splices), then you should be good to go. :smileup:
 
#18 ·
i ordered last night too! haha, and shipped already.

no electrical knowledge though. how does the t tap in work? and it doesn't say anything on the site about 3m backing tape but it came with?
 
#24 ·
Kai, I got my bed lights installed today.... Looks good.

Thanks again for the info & where to purchase them.

I really do like the idea of the lights working with the remote & or tailgate light switch. :smileup:
 
#26 ·
Hey Ron.. Glad I helped lead you to them and that they worked for you.

I was selling some stuff last week to get money to buy my new puppy and one of the items was a dining set. I loaded the entire set (pedestal style table and five chairs) into my bed and drove about 35 miles to the buyer's house. I LOVED being able to engage my cargo light switch and have the entire bed glow so I could ensure nothing shifted during the drive. Very handy mod, if you ask me. :)

I'm going to have to pull the trigger and just but these already!
If you are on the fence about this mod, do it. You will not be disappointed. And if you are on the fence about buying this set from this eBay seller.. do it! Again.. no disappointment and you will be pleased with the results and output. :smileup:
 
#29 ·
The 3m tape strips that are on the LED strips are working beautifully and sticking just fine to my spray in liner.. haven't had any issues
since I installed over 13 months ago.

If it isn't working for you, you could try other 3m tape or use some automotive type glue and permanently install and mount them under the rails.
 
#32 ·
Wow!
Glad I found this thread! :smiley_thumbs_up:

The Mopar bed lights are $200 AND....check out the 9 page instruction manual to wire them in:

http://moparonlineparts.com/1500-lights-p-2505.html

.
Precisely why I turned to alternate methods! I'm all for paying a decent amount for quality (as we all know you get what you pay for these days), but I knew that there just had to be another option as opposed to the $200 Mopar price tag on this mod. Hope this thread helps you save some bucks as well! :smileup:
 
#33 · (Edited)
^^^ Yep.

Put it this way.....I ordered the lights from your seller on Ebay this morning ! AND, I'm going to T tap into the CHMSL like you did. Not sure why I why I would need to run wires to the fuse block. If you read the Mopar instructions to the end, they end up T-taping into the wires with solder and heat shrink tubing...jeez. I like doing things correctly, but lets face facts....there is no difference in your method.

I'll add rep 4 U...this is great. I hope the wire colors are the same on a short bed regular cab (but I know how to operate a multimeter and will figure it out) ...

thanks again.

.
 
#36 ·
Okay.... So i did this install pretty much the same way on a 2014 SLT. the lights work great as long as the truck isn't running. The cargo light and Bed lights flicker on (the dark indicator stays lit) but the lights go off. If I cycle the switch again, it does the same thing.

The system works fine as long as the truck sin't running. The key fob unlucks my tailgate and turns the lights on perfectly, but if the truck is running either by command start or by key, the lights don't work. Any one else have this problem?
 
#37 ·
You need to look into a resistor for each set of LED strips. Alot of guys either don't care or they have a tonneau cover and don't notice. This is a very common problem for LED's. It is caused by very minute fluctuations in voltage from the alternator. Figure out how many watts your LED's are in total per strip and then you will be able to buy the right resistor. Or you can find a LED strip with them pre-installed.
 
#38 ·
You need to look into a resistor for each set of LED strips. Alot of guys either don't care or they have a tonneau cover and don't notice. This is a very common problem for LED's. It is caused by very minute fluctuations in voltage from the alternator. Figure out how many watts your LED's are in total per strip and then you will be able to buy the right resistor. Or you can find a LED strip with them pre-installed.
So how do I figure that out? I Have no idea what the specifications are on these things lol.
 
#41 · (Edited)
OK I finally got my LED strips mounted and wired up tonight and (with the truck off, didn't try with it running I was too tired & fed up by then)...

When I press the cargo light button on the dash, the factory light and my LED's come on and go right back off - dash indicator stays on as if the lights are on until I press the button again and turn them "off"

Luckily I put a quick disconnect in the circuit so I unhooked the LED's and the factory cargo light functioned normally.

Guess tomorrow I'll recheck the wiring & Ohm everything out.

2015 Crew Cab - used White w/ Tan stripe for positive to LED's and then I ASSUMED the larger black wire in the bundle was the ground.

Mostly just venting but any suggestions are welcome.

ETA: Could this behavior possibly be from sensing a short rather than blowing a fuse? I'm using different lights from the OP and I'm wondering if I introduced a short when I mounted them.
 
#42 ·
Update after a couple hours troubleshooting

1) The large Black wire I tapped was a ground

2) I can connect *either* strip to the wires I ran from the cab and it works just fine. Connect both sets and back to momentary on and then nothing.

3) Both strips connected together (in parallel) to a 12V Jump Box work just fine.

4) Amp draw for each strip by itself is .088A - total draw for both strips in parallel is 0.25A

5) Continuity testing both the + and - lead wires back to ground on both strips show no shorts/faults.

I am about at the limits of my electronics knowledge at this point and I'm still scratching my head on what I could be missing.

Any assistance is appreciated!
 
#44 ·
I had wondered about some sort of current sensing or self resetting breaker instead of a fuse but Google searching & the trucks "Users Guide" hadn't turned anything up.

I sort of thought about that last night. I was going to try just adding a small load via an incandescent bulb and see if it did the same thing (but couldn't find one small enough in my stash) - didn't think about just pulling one of the existing bulbs to lower the load. I'll give that a shot tonight.

Thanks!
 
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