If you have a camper shell with its own center high mounted stop light (CHMSL) how did you wire it in?

I have a 1996 Ram 1500 4x2 5.9 with the tow package. Is there a wire in the stock tow harness that is strictly brake lights only? If I piggyback off the drivers-side rear taillight "major" + "ground" I get a hyper-blinking CHMSL when the left turn signal is on.

Logic box? Anyone tried one of these?

thanks,
Chris

 

Trailer harness probably had individual wires for left and right brake lights, as a fair few of them are also the turn signals........ You could try tapping off the CHMSL already on the truck.....

 

thanks for the input

wiring from the cab's CHMSL is going to be my last resort just b/c that will require some intricate wire routing IIRC

I just called the local Austin camper shell company here in south austin. He is telling me trucks from 1992+ have a capped CHMSL wire (white with yellow stripe) somewhere underneath the truck near the tow harness - I just got under there and all the wires in the tow harness are being used from what I see. And, I don't have a white wire with yellow stripe down there either. I will stop by their store in a few hours if I can't figure this out sooner.

and ps....Do all fiberglass camper shells have a weird smell to them?

thx

 

Is it a new camper or used?

A new fiberglass camper will have some funky smells to it because of all of the new materials used to build it.

If it's a used camper does it have a holding tank or tanks? If so grab some tank deodorizer @ the RV place and add it to the tanks, You could also flush the tanks as well, you never now whats been left in them.

A couple of ceder pieces of wood placed in the camper works good to get rid of smells as well.


Does the camper have the round plug for wiring on it? If yes buy a long cord that goes from the back of the trucks trailer plug up to the camper plug. This should give you power from the truck and all your exterior lights.

 

this forum was a great help

I like the cedar idea - this is a camper shell and it was used - sort of a musty smell

found the wiring diagram on this forum for the 1996 dodge tow harness - again there is NO "brake only" wire

there is an extra "capped" CHMSL wire on later 2nd gen trucks from what I found out at the local camper shell store - but not on my truck

So I bought a $10.00 logic box - the logic box determines if its getting a blinking signal or brake light signal and works accordingly - it has three wires
one lead to the drivers side taillight 'major'
one lead to the passenger taillight 'major'
one lead to the power side of the CHMSL on my camper lid
the ground wire from the CHMSL on the camper lid piggybacks off the ground wire on the drivers side taillight

the dome light inside the camper lid is wired to the drivers taillight 'minor' and 'ground' - it is switchable dome light. If I want the dome light on I have to turn on the parking lights and then switch the dome light on - not a big deal for me to have to do this - the only other way to run the 12v dome light in the camper lid would be running a wire all the way to the cab

typed this fast, but hope it helps the next person out there,
-Chris

 

For your dome light I would run the wire directly to the battery so you can turn it on/off whenever you want.

For the third brake light, I would run the wire to your factory thrid brake light... Just install a quick release coupler for when you take the camper off.

Any pics? Is it an actual rv camper or just a bed topper style camper?

Ive always liked the look of the snugtop style camper that slopes down in the back on a lifted truck, ive always thought it matched the lines of a 2nd gen pretty well.

 

My truck had a CHMSL wire by the spare tire. Thats what I used for my topper