Electrical Help!!

[William_89]

So I spent the better part of the day installing some LED strips just below the door jamb so they shine on the step bars when the door is opened or unlocked with key fob. I cannot for the life of me find a solution to make them work properly. If I tap into the puddle lamp fuse they stay on constantly until I unplug them. Also tried the interior light fuse as well. It seems like every fuse on the interior box is always energized. Anybody got any ideas to make them work?

 

[star-art]

What year is your truck? The fuses you are tapping are always hot. Depending on the year, the circuit is controlled by an electronic switch (FET) inside the Smart Junction Box (aka Body Control Module).

I did the exact same thing you are attempting in our Grand Marquis. But, I didn't want the lights coming on unless I actually opened the door. I tapped the interior light circuit for power and then grounded the LED strip through the Door Ajar Switch for each individual door. To avoid interfering with any other circuits, I used diodes to isolate the LED strips that I added.

You should determine the current draw of your LED strip before adding it to an existing circuit. Individual LED lights don't draw much power, but depending on the length and type of LEDs the strip types can draw a good bit of current.

 

[William_89]

It’s an 09 Eddie Bauer. I’d like the strips to come on with the puddle lamps in the mirrors. The strips aren’t super bright and only have about 8 leds in them each. What would be the best route to take for a venture like this? Or should I scrap the 4 hours of work?

 

[crector080862]

I'm sure this all of our lights both the puddle lights and interior lights run through some form of a relay she might try to tap into one of them

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[star-art]

In 2009, the Puddle Lamps are powered by Pin 12 of C2280C of the Smart Junction Box. There's an FET inside that controls the circuit (not a relay). You might be OK tapping into this, but be aware of adding too much additional current draw. (The manufacturer won't use any thicker wire than is absolutely necessary, so there isn't a large amount of spare current "capacity" in the existing wiring.)

The puddle lamps are regular halogen bulbs. It's just a guess, but they might draw about 1A each. If you replace them with LEDs that draw less current, there would be no issue adding more current to the circuit. If the overall current draw is the same, you are almost guaranteed not to have problems.

You may be perfectly OK adding on, it's just a wise idea to always be cautious and know exactly what you're doing to avoid causing any potential for circuit overload.

 

[William_89]

In 2009, the Puddle Lamps are powered by Pin 12 of C2280C of the Smart Junction Box. There's an FET inside that controls the circuit (not a relay). You might be OK tapping into this, but be aware of adding too much additional current draw. (The manufacturer won't use any thicker wire than is absolutely necessary, so there isn't a large amount of spare current "capacity" in the existing wiring.)

The puddle lamps are regular halogen bulbs. It's just a guess, but they might draw about 1A each. If you replace them with LEDs that draw less current, there would be no issue adding more current to the circuit. If the overall current draw is the same, you are almost guaranteed not to have problems.

You may be perfectly OK adding on, it's just a wise idea to always be cautious and know exactly what you're doing to avoid causing any potential for circuit overload.

Where is the smart junction box located exactly? And am I just tapping power from “pin 12 of C2280C” and grounding elsewhere? Excuse my ignorance. All the explaining u can do is super helpful.

 

[William_89]

Ok so little more googling. Smart junction box “aka fuse box lol”. But still not sure on the C2280C connector and how to tell which pin would be number 12. And just FYI if it helps, I’ve replaced the puddle lamps with leds and every other bulb inside with leds as well.

 

[star-art]

You're in luck that I not only have a 2009 wiring manual, I also have a complete spare SJB to take pictures of. Will post as soon as I can. . .

 

[William_89]

You're in luck that I not only have a 2009 wiring manual, I also have a complete spare SJB to take pictures of. Will post as soon as I can. . .

You are da man!

 

[star-art]

I never tried to access the SJB in my 2009 (now traded in and gone). But, I know it's behind the right kick panel. Unfortunately, the connector you need to access is one where the wires aren't easy to get to. The wire you are looking for is Violet, but I know from experience the colors tend to fade with age and it can sometimes be difficult to tell exactly which wire is which.

PS Looks like it's an 18-gauge wire so adding some LED strips to the circuit likely won't be an issue (especially if your replacement puddle lamps draw less current than the original lamps).

 

[William_89]

I never tried to access the SJB in my 2009 (now traded in and gone). But, I know it's behind the right kick panel. Unfortunately, the connector you need to access is one where the wires aren't easy to get to. The wire you are looking for is Violet, but I know from experience the colors tend to fade with age and it can sometimes be difficult to tell exactly which wire is which.

PS Looks like it's an 18-gauge wire so adding some LED strips to the circuit likely won't be an issue (especially if your replacement puddle lamps draw less current than the original lamps).

View attachment 25706 View attachment 25707

So can I just unplug that whole connector, tap into #12 and hook it back up? I think I found a suitable ground already right at the bottom of the dash, I was just touching the negative wires to it earlier and the lights would come on with power.

 

[star-art]

You should unplug the connector mainly to protect the SJB circuitry while you're working on it. Remember this is a solid-state device. You'll need to ID and tap the correct violet wire (that can be tricky because there's more than one, although the incorrect wires should have a colored stripe on them). I really hate wire taps (they can sometimes be unreliable), but many people find them convenient so they won't stop using them anytime soon. I prefer to cut and solder my splices, but getting enough access to the wire in question can sometimes make that extremely difficult. Be careful and good luck!

 

[William_89]

I’m gonna try and finish this after work today. Reckon I’ll need to take the cables off the battery or will I be fine since I’m unplugging that harness from the fuse panel?

 

[star-art]

No need to disconnect the battery for something like this. . .

 

[William_89]

Success!! That worked like a charm. Only option because of the cramped space was a wire tap. Seems to be working perfectly

 

[William_89]

Garage door closed with no lights on in here. Work good IMO.

 

[star-art]

That looks nice! Sure hope they are waterproof. I installed mine on the bottom of the door panels (again, not on an Expy but in a car). They worked great and were well protected from the elements. I hope to do the same thing for my truck eventually but I haven't checked yet to see if there's room for them under the door panels.

PS Current draw for each LED strip lamp was just 52mA.

 

[William_89]

Package says IP65 so we’ll see lol. They got pretty wet last night (driving home in heavy rain) and still work today.

 

[star-art]

I used water-resistant LED strip (encased in clear silicone). The weak point comes when you cut them to length and wire them up. You need to seal up those connections very well. I used clear silicone for that and then installed them inside extruded aluminum housings. I still regard these custom lamps as "water resistant" though and not "water proof."

PS To better help people using the search function, you might consider changing the title of this thread if you can. Maybe something like "Custom running board LED approach lights" or whatever.

 

[William_89]

I like the clear silicone idea. I’ll grab some tomorrow while I’m out and cover both ends with it. Thanks for the tip