On my 1996 Ram 1500, all the components are there to add the fog lights...the two holes in the front fender skirt ...the two relays and 15AMP fuse...in the power box on the driver's side fender under the hood...the fog light wire harness connector tucked under the bumper...the blank knockout on the dash next to the overdrive switch...etc.
It looks like it was setup from the factory so the dealer could quickly install fog lights as an option.
So, my question is this: Shouldn't there be a factory wire harness connector for the dash switch tucked away somewhere behind the Overdrive switch/blank fog switch plate near the cup holder on the dash?
Just seems logical...that if the factory provided the relays, fuses, harnesses etc...the fog light system, as a dealer install, would have been a "plug & play" option without the need to run extra wiring. Can anyone direct me to another thread or shed some "light" on this?
I read the excellent MJones fog light post...but he's calling for field retrofit wiring from the under-hood power box to the dash switch...seems like all that wiring would be there...or why would the factory bother to put in the relays and fuse and then run wiring back to the cab?
Thanks,
Kevin

 

See my post in the foglight thread.

 

Thanks HeyYou...I'll do a little more diggin'!
So, if I understand you correctly, I'm looking for a gray, six pin female connector, that is probably "tied back" somewhere near the adjacent OverDrive connector wire harness? That makes sense...since one of those six wires must be connected to the OD switch for a normally open contact to illuminate the foglight indicator(on/off) lamp on the fog light switch button/face.
Have you actually found this connector? How deep is it buried in there? Throw me a bone here!
How much of the dashboard do I have to disassemble to find it? I've got the switch, and the factory fog light bracket assemblies(left and right) w/ lenses/lamps, adjusters etc...that mount in the ABS under bumper skirt.
So the only thing I'm missing is the final leg of harness from the factory fog light connector under the bumper/radiator core support... to the lights!
Is that "last leg" harness a proprietary Dodge deal or a generic "over-the-counter" set of connectors?
Kevin

 

No idea. I am going to guess your dash is still pretty much intact? Otherwise, it would probably be easy to find.

Keep in mind, this is a *should be* moment. No guarantees that the connector is actually in there. (though, it would make sense that it was....... but that doesn't really mean much either.)

 

Thanks Hey You!
But, I'm a bit confused...which is nothing new!
In your post you were helpfully descriptive about the color and configuration of the connector for the fog lights...you said:
"The connector should indeed be there. May just be stashed somewhere...... It's a gray, six pin connector. "
You apparently have actually seen this connector. Can you elaborate a bit on how and where you ran across it? My dash is completely in tact, and as you can imagine, I don't want to tear apart any more of it than is necessary.
Thanks,
Kevin

 

I'm trying to find that wire/connector, too. If you happen to see it, please let me know where you found it. I'm going to check my truck again to see if I can find it. I've pulled the front section of my dash off and have not found it so far.

 

Mine was plugged into the back of my fog light switch.... yeah, I cheated.

Seems that dodge used pretty much the same wiring harness on all their trucks, regardless of what options it had. Most folks have found the plugs for power mirrors/windows/locks/etc in their standard locations. For the pre-98 trucks, the fog lamp switch sits right next to the O/D Off switch.... so, back behind there somewhere. Pull the bezel, and the switch panel, and look around with a bright light. Can't be too far away. If you don't find it, there is a chance that it really isn't there, and you will have to scrounge one from the junkyard....

 

I haven't found it yet, but I haven't given up on it. So far, it wasn't in the vicinity of the O/D switch wiring. On another topic, when I swapped standard side view mirrors for power towing mirrors, all of the wiring was there inside the doors to make that swap a plug and play affair.

 

OK....Thanks HeyYou & AtomicDog. We'll keep looking! It might be helpful to follow/trace the wires from the relays in the power/fuse/relay center (PFRC) under the hood to the firewall...if in fact the harness is there. Also the schematic, which I have somewhere, might give us a clue about how many and what color the wires are? I'm still scratching my head though about why there are Two fog relays in the PFRC ? Maybe one for each light? Or maybe it has something to do with selective switching in conjunction with the headlight Hi/Low beam On/Off settings? We'll keep digging...but it seems like a Dodge/Chrysler dealer Technician out here somewhere must have has "optioned" these into the trucks...at some point.

 

The switch harness comes from various splices under the dash. At least one of which is at the fuse block in the side of the dash.

Grab the 96 service manual from the faq section here, wiring diagrams are in there, along with connector pinouts that will tell you what color wires you are looking for.