Console to led strip mod

[Longtalltechsan]

I just got a 2017 Expedition XLT and I have switched the interior lights to led. I’d love to have a brighter light in the console as it is pretty dark in there. I’m capable when it comes to electrical work but by no means a journeyman. Can I get a 12v led strip light and tap into the 2 wires that feed the interior console light between the front seats? Is it that simple? I’d prefer to use this light as the source since it’s right there. I haven’t seen much at all on this. I have seen some just use the 12v plug but I want to have a clean look and hardwire it. Thanks in advance.


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[Yupster Dog]

Do you have a multimeter?
Find what fuse those light are on and see what size it is. Turn on all the lights(and everything else on that fuse) and see how many amps it is pulling. Find out how many amps/milliamps the LED pulls. And finally the wire you want to splice into needs to be bigger or at least same size as the wires coming off the LED.
If you do it, turn everything on for a while and check the wire where you spliced it and make sure it is not getting hot.
This is not a guarantee going to work but you should at least meet the stipulations above to even try.

 

[Dannyboy11222]

You should be able to tap into any 12v accessory without any issues... All the wire does is supplies the voltage... Just make sure your accessing an accessories wire that is controlled when you open and close the door, ground the wire to a ground and your good... The led should turn on and off with the interior light... If you want a more complex set up like the light in the glove box, you will need a push switch inside the center console, its easy to do, you just have to figure out where to mount the switch inside the console, find any accessories wire tap into that and your good to go..... I'd like to see photos once you get the upgrade done.. Good luck...

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[Longtalltechsan]

Got it. Thanks guys. The console already has a switch that turns the light off when the lid is closed so that will be nice. I’ll check voltage of everything to make sure I’m good.


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[Yupster Dog]

I’ll check voltage of everything to make sure I’m good.

Check the AMPS not voltage

 

[Longtalltechsan]

Little update. I got the light strip. I just tested it and touched the wires to the contacts and it lights up nicely. I’m going to dig out my multimeter and run the tests mentioned earlier and figure out a good way to mount this thing. I’m thinking I’m probably going to have to take apart the console to access the space between the console interior and exterior walls so I can make a clean tap and run the wiring for it. Otherwise if all goes well, it should be fairly simple. The console disassembly may be a little involved though. It may not get done for a few days. I’ll update and try to remember to take photos and post them. Thanks for all the help.


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[Longtalltechsan]

Ok I got the LED strip light installed. I didn’t use the multimeter correctly and when I went to test the amps of the existing bulb I popped the fuse. Unfortunately I didn’t have any spares so I had to go get some. Got home and inserted the new fuse and made sure I didn’t mess up anything else. Which I didn’t. So I took the fuse back out and then accessed the wires in the console. I took the lid off and then the cover behind the lid that has the 2 cup holders in it. Once I did this, all the wires between the interior of the console and the back it were accessible. The most difficult part was getting the 12v power supply wire adapter unplugged. After it was out of the way it made working in there much easier.

I found where I wanted to run the wire from the LED’s into the back and drilled a small hole about 1/8” in diameter just big enough to feed the wires through. Its in the upper back left corner just under the lip of the console. From there, I cut the existing bulb off and wired up the new LED’s and then put the fuse back in and the lights worked. I took the fuse back out and made a good connection of the wires with butt connectors then taped everything up and mounted the strip under the lip along the driver’s side of the console.

Then I put the fuse back in everything was good. I tinkered with the light and the switch that turns it off when the lid is closed. I left the light on for awhile and made sure nothing was heating up. All was good so I put everything back together. I made a little video of me hitting the switch and the light in the console. This was during daytime so it isn’t nearly as bright as at night. I forgot to take photos of everything else I did. Overall I am satisfied with how it turned out and it illuminates the console much better than the stock bulb. I need to put the original bulb back in to cover the hole but its a little tricky getting it in there. Thanks for yall’s input and help!

Edit, for some reason it isn’t letting me post a link to the video. I’ll work on that.

https://imgur.com/gallery/wHNmuw2

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[Dannyboy11222]

Happy to help, I'm glad it worked out!

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