So I was installing a reverse camera and cut the wire leading to my license plate light. Thinking this might be a good place to hook into for 12 volts of power. Well it didn't work and I cut the wire to close to the harness to splice back together. Now my night time running left tail light is out. The reverse an break light work, just the running light is out. Would cutting the wire leading to the license plate light cause this to happen? How do I fix it? I think need this part.

https://www.trademotion.com/parts/20...ponent=Harness

Or this part.

https://www.trademotion.com/parts/20...License%20lamp



Also where did you guys hook up your power for the reverse camera?

 

I'm not sure what you'll need to do to fix it right off hand, but I have heard people tie into the trailer plug for power, if you have one. They hooked it up to the reverse trailer light so it would only come on when reversing i think.

 

I'm gonna take some pictures after work today and see if that helps you all see what i am talking about.

 

Don't think the license plate light would be a good source unless you only want the camera to operate when your lights are on....

 

Yeah. That thought crossed my mind a few minutes to late. I shouldn't have been working on
It so late. Well I guess we all learn some how.

 

You will only have a 12v hot in the rear if you have a 7 pin trailer harness. I had to run a 12v line from the fuse box. The "add-a-fuse" adapters work great for small add-ons ... as long as they don't draw too much current.

 

Is there DIY post here on the site I could follow? And i have a trailer harness but its the one that piggy backs on the tail lights. I tried connecting to that but could never figure out which was (+) and (-)

 

I didnt do any DIY. Use one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-BP-HH.../dp/B000GKEXK2

It plugs in to an existing fuse in your fuse box, and then adds a hot wire to tap off of. The hard part will be getting it to the back of the truck. I used a flexable casing around the wire, and then ran it all the way to the back. I also have my running light wires going through the same tube, so hard part of getting the wire from the engine bay to underneath the truck was already done.

If your harness is only piggybacked of the tail lights, there is no wire that is hot all the time. A 7 pin harness would be mounted next to the hitch (most of the time atleast) and should have a circular plug. That harness would have the 12v wire you need. If you only have a 4 pin, you will need to run a wire back there.

 

I put one of those cameras in my truck and i taped into the wire going to the driverside back up socket. works great, shift into reverse and the camera comes on and turns off when shifted into other gears.

 

any of you that have one of these care to share a link on where you got yours from? Sounds like a cool mod....