Courtesy/Puddle lights and blickers on my mirror never worked. Finally got around to taking them apart to see if I was getting voltage. Strange thing is I measure 5V at the puddle lights when my doors are open (I think it should be 12V). AND the connector to the puddle lights does not match what I see online. Pictures below. So my main question is - Has anyone seen this type of puddle light? Is it from Dodge or is it the result of previous owner buying aftermarket tow mirrors? I would like to get them working, but my guess is that something is not right here.

 

You don't mention what year your Ram is, so it's hard to guess if it would have LED puddle lamps or not. Also, without a photo of the mirrors, it's further difficult to guess whether or not they are OEM or possibly aftermarket. Are you able to provide a photo of the mirrors as well as a photo of the bulb part of the puddle lamp? If the puddle lamp uses a white LED, 5 volts would be quite reasonable.

-Rod

 

Truck is 2011 SLT. From the VIN number build sheet I know it came with Tow mirrors, but the build sheet did not specify "exterior mirrors courtesy lamps" which is what I am told by the internet tells you if the puddle lights were factory or not.
Below is picture of the mirrors. I am not sure what you mean by a picture of the bulb part of the puddle lamp (I think the first picture in original post shows that).
I also included a picture of what seem to be the "standard" wiring connectors for the puddle lamps. When I look at parts websites, those that show connectors all show this type. So my concern is that I am not able to find a replacement puddle light. (of course, I could wire them in, would not be hard, but if possible I would like to find a pair that plugs in to the connector I have).

 

By "bulb part" I meant the actual part that makes light, under the damaged lens. That would help determine if the puddle lamp you have is an LED bulb or incandescent. If LED, having 5 VDC to it would not seem unreasonable. If incandescent, then 5V would likely be low.

Your mirrors do look like the OEM towing mirrors, and the bulb assembly that you show in the original post appears pretty consistent with a stock puddle lamp. The black puddle lamp assembly you show in you most recent post does NOT appear to be OEM. But you're correct, the OEM puddle lamp for 2011 doesn't seem to have an inline connector but rather spade terminals. I'm not quite sure what to tell you other than to plan to get out the soldering iron. Or maybe someone replaced the stock mirrors with less expensive but visually similar towing mirrors from Trail Ridge.

-Rod

 

Rod, Thanks for the input. I am ok to solder. My main concern was that if I am only getting 5V, I may to all the work of cutting the connector and soldering in and then they do not light up. Glad to hear that you think 5V will be enough for LED lights to work. So much is 12V on vehicles, I was not sure if 5V was more of a phantom reading than real voltage. But I checked both sides and they both get 5V. Also the turn signals do not function at all. My thought was to get puddles working first, and then move on to the turn signals.

 

5V wouldn't be unreasonable for LED bulbs, but 12V wouldn't be unreasonable either. The LEDs can have current limiting resistor to address either source voltage. But 5V would not be sufficient to light a standard automotive incandescent bulb. It is odd that the turn signals on the mirrors don't work either. If you have a way of loading the 5V line with around 20 mA and confirming it's still 5V that could help confirm that it's not just a phantom reading due to a corroded connection somewhere.

-Rod

 

OK so I bought new puddles and turn signals. Since the connectors are different, I had to cut wires and solder/heat shrink. I tested the puddle lights before installing with a 9V battery and they were bright. I plugged them in to the truck and they are DIM. like really dim. They do light up, and it turns on and off like it should (when I unlock it comes on. When I lock it comes on for a few seconds and then turns off, ect). But I am 100% sure that the 5V is too low to get the lights anywhere close to where they should be. They barely lights up the upper door and no light at all gets to the ground (testing in the dark obviously). So... I am stumped. Why would the truck be putting out 5V instead of 12V?
I had the same thought as Rod that it could be phantom voltage on the meter, but since the LEDs do light up and turn off as expected, I am confident it is a real 5V signal.
Any one have ideas on what could cause this?
Any one have source for an LED that would be sufficiently bright at 5V only?

For the turn signals, I got no voltage on the meter and no light output at all on the new lights.

 

Are you comfortable removing the door panel and checking for voltage at the connector for the mirror assembly?

-Rod

 

Ehhh. I am comfortable doing it, just not sure if I want to put in the effort for it. My concern is that my truck may not have been "flashed"/programmed for the turn signal mirrors. So my understanding is I either need to use the ALFA app or bring it to a dealer to check that. But yea If I do end up with time to take off the door, I will definintely check for voltage at the connection point.

Question about the blinker voltage. Would a normal multimeter be able to pick of the flashed of voltage for the flashing blinker? Or is there a way to turn those signal lights on constant instead of just flashing?

 

Even an inexpensive, slow multimeter should have a sampling rate of a few times per second, so yes, it should be able to pick up the turn signal voltage. Will it necessarily read the true peak voltage, maybe not. But if you have a more well-respected brand of multimeter and use the peak hold function you should get a pretty accurate reading.

-Rod