General Technical & Electrical General technical and electrical discussion for the Ford Ranger that does not fit in any other sub-forum.

wiring question.

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Old 06-02-2005
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wiring question.

I was wondering if it is possible to run a wire from the reverse light to the dome light and have it come on when I hit the unlock button on my remote? Thanks.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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if you run the wire right it can be done. if you do it a certain way then your dome light may even come on when you go into reverse so be careful about that.
 
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yeah thats the only problem i cant think of. i would be better to find a wiring diagram and find the wire that turns on the relay for the lights when you unlock, and splice into that wire
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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I can live with my dome light coming on when I put it in reverse.

Wait a minute I miss understood what you were saying , either way I could live with that but why do you want your reverse light to come on with the key pad, just curious ?
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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well think about it though. that means at night when you pop it into reverse you are going to have a hella glare from your dome light.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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I am not going to do this MOD but I don't think it would bother me, but why would anyone want to do this in the first place, there might be a way to accomplish the same goal, like if you want a little light around the truck at night when you unlock the doors you could always mount a small light under the truck some how.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Think about it this way, unless you wire up a relay for it, or find a spot to hook into other than the dome light, any time you turn on your dome light your reverse lights will come on... So if you're reading directions at night and turn on the dome light, oops now the reverse lights are on too.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Originally Posted by winks
Think about it this way, unless you wire up a relay for it, or find a spot to hook into other than the dome light, any time you turn on your dome light your reverse lights will come on... So if you're reading directions at night and turn on the dome light, oops now the reverse lights are on too.
Good point John I didn't think of that.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Or just use a diode. Put the anode end on the dome light, and the cathode end going to the backup lights. When your dome light comes on, your backup lights will also, but when your backup lights are on, the diode will block the flow to the dome. A little cheaper and easier than a relay. Make sure the diode is rated for enough amps for the backup lights.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Originally Posted by Ranger1
I am not going to do this MOD but I don't think it would bother me, but why would anyone want to do this in the first place, there might be a way to accomplish the same goal, like if you want a little light around the truck at night when you unlock the doors you could always mount a small light under the truck some how.
Well I've seen it on other vehicles and thought it would be neat to have if possible. Plus when my wife drives my truck without me at night every little bit of light to keep her safe is worth it to me.

John
I'm dumb when it comes to wiring if you could give me details on how to do it I will give it a try. Thanks.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Okay, have a Radio Shack nearby? I'll give you a part number and instructions. Stand by...
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Alright, it looks like this:



And here's a link to the description:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1661

The part number is 276-1661. There's 4 in a pack and the pack costs $2.49.

The way you use it is this: Look at the picture and you will see one end of the diode has a band on it. That's called the cathode end and will connect to your backup light wire.

The anode end is the "unbanded" end and will connect to the black wire with a light blue stripe on your dome light.

The banded end will have to connect to your reverse light. Now that wire is available under your drivers seat on the big connector that goes through the floor. It's a black wire with a pink stripe and it's the only one like it on the connector. BE CAREFUL: there's also a black/orange and a pink/black wire on that connector which you could get confused by. Make sure you have good light. You may want to remove the drivers seat to get to it easily.

To tie in the diode, I'd just each end to a piece of wire and tape it all up, then tap the wires into the truck harness using tap splices.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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very well done mr. griggs. again you amaze me with your vast knowledge.

hmm...reverse lights and fogs coming on with another accessory, interesting.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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Thanks John your the man. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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with the diode tho, the reverse lights will still come on any time the domelight is on right john? how about additionally using a relay that breaks the connection between the domelight and reverse lights upon ignition? then the domelight would only affect the backup lights when the truck isnt running.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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ooo...hes got a point there mr. griggs.
 
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Old 06-02-2005
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lol! Well, it wasn't in the original spec...

You can dispense with the diode if you want. The relay is more expensive so I was trying to avoid it. But if you must use it, you don't need the diode.

Wire the two wires mentioned in the diode post to the common and normally closed contacts of the relay. The two lights will come on together when the relay is not energized.

Wire one side of the relay coil to ground, and the other side to switched 12 volts and when the key is on, the relay will energize and break the connection between the two light systems.

And that should do it. Sorry for the confusion. I did that at work in a hurry and I was focusing more on arguing with Colin than addressing this, lol.
 
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