Wiring a wroking lamp to reverse lights: Help needed

[DeadHead86]

I've been looking through the Rave for about an hour now and can seem to find what I'm after.

I'm trying to re-wire one of my rear working lamps to be wired in with my reverse lights. Does anyone know which wire I need to slice into?

 

[Quentin]

Depending on the wattage and type of your work light, I don't think that it will work....... Well not properly anyway if it is a fairly high powered Halogen. It will draw too much current for the cabling to handle and the light will be a very dull.
A 100W Halogen will draw around 7 AMPS.
Look at using a LED or HID work light, they draw far less current, otherwise you might as well rewire that reverse light circuit to hanle the extra load

 

[DeadHead86]

What would be the best option to get it wired up to come on when in reverse?

 

[wheelen disco]

I've got a relay to run mine, I use my reverse lights to trigger it. And I've also tied in another switch so I can turn them on from the dash

 

[DeadHead86]

Thats basically what I'm looking to do wheelen disco, but I'm looking to wire a switch in the rear. Do you mind letting me know what you did and where you tied it into?

 

[Quentin]

Looks like the reverse lights are only on a 10 AMP circuit. Look at either using the heated rear window circuit (30 AMPS) or elec sun roof (30 AMPS).
DO something similar to what wheelin disco did...... relay and a toggle switch.
What size light do you want to run??

 

[ptschram]

There is a header junction inside the rigth rear trim panel. Armed with your trusty test light, you'll be able to find the right wire, it will be the one that's hot when the truck's in reverse.

Some trucks have a higher current wire running back there for trailer brakes (I suspect) it can provide the power for your relay, IIRC.

 

[Quentin]

There is a header junction inside the rigth rear trim panel. Armed with your trusty test light, you'll be able to find the right wire, it will be the one that's hot when the truck's in reverse.

Some trucks have a higher current wire running back there for trailer brakes (I suspect) it can provide the power for your relay, IIRC.

Yup, that's a 20 AMP circuit

 

[DeadHead86]

Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[wheelen disco]

My relay is powered from my accessory in the back

 

[PaulMc0308]

All the wires you need are already there at the back of the car, on your passenger side.

The towing electrics hook-up connector contains a Reverse Lights feed and an Auxiliary live.


The Reverse Lights feed is Green with a Brown trace (GN)

The Auxiliary live is Purple with a Brown trace (PN) and is fed from Fuse 9 (25 Amps) in the engine compartment fuse box.


Use the GN wire to trigger a relay to switch the PN wire, mount the relay at the back of the car behind the RH (passenger) side trim.

You can splice into the wires behind the trim, before they go through the grommet to the towing hook-up -

. .


The first two pictures show the location of the towing hook-up and the wire colours that go to each pin.

The last picture shows the wiring loom behind the RH side trim (with the trim removed), it's annotated 'drivers side' because it's on a RHD vehicle and 'header' refers to the Grey/White earth header bolted to the body (a good place to earth your work lamp and it's relay)

.