Good day all.

In taking my 2KDD in for state inspection, I was told that the 3rd brake light, mounted on my newly added topper, has to be working. The mechanics' remedy was to set an appointment for me for next week to invest roughly $200 to have it wired. I'm thinking, noooo...let's see if I can manage this on my own (with help from forums, hopefully).

So, I double-check and find that both the interior (dome) light and the brake lights ARE functional; so far, so good.

Next, I locate a wire dangling (as in, this is how it came from the assembly line) from A wiring harness at the rear of the truck (just above and off-set to the spare tire). Hopeful, one at a time I connect the wires for both the dome and brake light: nothing. So, yeah...was hoping for a HOT, but got nothing.

So now, I'm trying to figure out where is the nearest HOT and BRAKE wire to which I can make these two connections.

In doing a search on the word "wiring," in the "INDEX" page of the manual for this 2KDD, I do not see an actual wiring diagram. Other online searches have yielded nothing useful.

Any help on this one? Save a guy $200-plus AND gain eternal gratitude?

 

Update 1: I have found that I can run a wire inside the shell and connect to the cab-mounted brake light. It's not the prettiest thing, but since the cab and the shell are so close to each other, and the wire will be running down the inside of the shell, it's an ugliness that I can live with. I am not, however, finding it so easy with the dome light. I just can't think of where there is a HOT (always on, obviously) wire nearby. But if all I can easily manage is the brake light, I'll be happy. After all, that's the only thing that really needs to be done.

 

Wire it in with the cargo light on your third brake light housing. (there is on there, isn't there??)

 

Ditto on the cargo lamp from the third brake light. You can drill a 1/8" hole through the factory lamp (nickel a dozen to later replace) and silicone it for each wire you need to pass through.

 

I think your best bet would be that trailer wiring harness. One of the plugs will be an auxiliary power point, and one will be a brake light point. You'll need to run the wire to the appropriate lights, and ground one side. If the topper has an LED light, you'll want to make sure polarity is correct, if it's not wired up with hot on the correct side it won't work. And, some LEDs will burn out if wired backwards. And, you'll need someone to push the brake on to see if it works. Assuming Dodge keeps the standard for colors (no guarantee,) blue will be Brake, and red will be Charge. They also make this guy in the link below that looks like it plugs directly into the truck's factory harness, and is what I would use to splice in rather than cutting into the truck's wiring.

Anywhere the wiring passes through metal, you'll want to protect it against rubbing. Otherwise you'll be back in 6 months asking about intermittent brake light failure.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-2000-20...4/392125649049

 

Hey all:

Thanks for the responses.

As it happens, I went ahead and ran a wire along the inside the camper/shell and connected it to the hot side of the cab-mounted 3rd brake light. It passed inspection and so I'm good for now. I will keep an eye on it, though, as I simply ran the wire between the lamp housing and the cab, so it's getting pinched a bit. Also, instead of wiring directly into the hot wire, I simply have the wire squeezed between the bulb and the contact. Again, overall a less-than-perfect job, but I think it'll suffice...at least for a while.

I have not powered the dome lamp, although I certainly could've done the exact same thing I did for the brake light...which I may still do. I think it'll depend on for how long the setup for the brake light lasts. If it holds for at least, say, 6 months, I may go ahead and get that done.

Thanks again, y'all, for the help!