DIY: Tow Mirror Puddle Lights

At first I thought it was not possible in the OEM tow mirrors but when that fish wire passed thru I cried a little.
And you definitely have to take that mirror glass out.
I still go out and lock and unlock the doors just to see them turn on.

 

UPDATE: Over a year since installation and my puddle lights have continued to work flawlessly.

 

Excellent write-up! Wish we would've seen it when it came time to do mine lol. One thing we did differently though was in step 6. Instead of trying to snake it through the sharp turns inside the housing we drilled a hole through the bottom portion to make a straight path to the lights. I guess it was a cop out on mental fortitude as we tried to navigate the turns but got fed up and forged our own trail.

 

Thanks. Using information for reverse lights on tow mirrors

 

Vled wiring came with black wire/ stripe black wire( assumed this is RED) Tested it they light up either way.

And did u used a add a fuse? What AMP?

 

@Heath423 did you ever get this mod done? I am thinking about installing puddle lights and connecting them up so that they’ll cut on during entry and when I put the truck in reverse. Not sure if taping into reverse wire and cargo light will mess things up.

 

I did not have to use an add-a-fuse. Just a positap into the cargo light wire.

 

I'm no electrical engineer, but I'm not sure tapping into the cargo light AND reverse wire is a good idea. I'm not sure what would happen if you were to reverse while having your door open. Wouldn't that send both currents in the puddle lights? I don't do it that often, but have done it to check clearance and whatnot.

 

I only tied into the cargo circuit with a positap. Works great with no issues. I'm not sure I would try wiring into both circuits as you mentioned.

 

Great write up... @VTYOTA have you given any thought into getting your power source from the footwell lamp wires..

then the lights would fade on and off and not just abruptly turn off.

here’s a video of my running board lights for an example
https://youtu.be/Q5VmAUuNGnE

 

I like that idea. I also like the fact that I can use the cargo light switch to turn them on and off. Decisions decisions. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

Hey guys so dumb question but for my 2020 I tried using the foot light on the driver side (tap the blue wire) and the puddle lights wouldn't turn off. Now I'm going to try the cargo light but which color is it for 2020 with Keyfob? Pink or brown? Funny part about tapping that blue wire is it would shut off the foot light but my tester was still showing power coming in which would keep the puddle lights on.

 

I don’t recommend EVER going by wire color unless you have the exact same year and trim, or know exactly which wire you have by since other deduction (like tracing it fully back to the source). It has been my experience reviewing the EWDs on these trucks that it is fairly common to have minor changes made to some of the wire colors during production changes, or to see different colors based on the trim options from one truck to the next (such as if you have auto-up windows or not). And when there are bigger changes (such as the addition of the TSS stuff in 2018), then that can even change connector numbering, shapes, locations, and pin-outs as well as changing colors (all of which did happen in 2018, and again in 2020 with the CarPlay/Entune3.0 stereo).

Hit my signature (in my profile if you’re on a mobile device) and go to the EWD thread. Download the getting started document to review how to use the info, and then download the specific EWD documents for your model year. Grab the circuit pdf to find the cargo light switch pin outs and the footwell light ones, and grab the positions pdf for info on where to find all the different referenced connectors.

and good luck! Looks like a slick mod.

 

Appreciate the info. Will definitely try what you said.

 

@RainMan_PNW so I downloaded everything from your page on how to read the diagram to getting the diagram I need. Just one question the link I clicked was a 2020 but it says 2017. Is that fine ?

 

Wiring colors are different on a 2020.

 

Sorry - missed your tag.
did you pull down this file?
https://www.tundras.com/attachments/2021-tundra-ewd-em27m0u-2-0-system-circuit_2018-21-pdf.531490/

That is specific to 2018-2021 trucks (it says "From Aug 2017 Production" which is when Model Year 2018 started to roll off the line). Because there are no other diagrams that supersede that (unlike the audio system, which has different diagrams for the 2020/2021 trucks), then that diagram is applicable up through 2021.
The "Interior Light" circuit starts on page 255 of that document.

 

Hey Bro yes that's the one I pulled. I ended up getting help from a buddy who's an electrician and he schooled me on new tech LOL. So I ended up tapping into both a Hot wire & Ground wire and I was able to make the lights function with the interior lights. So I'm good to go now. I still downloaded everything you sent me and have been reading up here and there so I can get a little more familiar with how to read these diagrams. Appreciate the time and help. Hope you have a great weekend.

 

Good deal. Yes, there are a few doctors that require to grab both hot and ground for proper function… such as the interior dimming function

 

I’ve confused myself reading the EWD, I have a 2021 TRD sport and I’m all done with the install except tapping the power wire. I want them to fade in and out with the interior lights but I’m not sure what wires I need to tap into. Does anyone know for sure?

 

I just finished installing mine last night. I tapped pin 28 on connector 3K which is a pink wire. For ground I did it just like the OP. The lights fade in and out when locking or unlocking but don’t come on when approaching the vehicle.

 

I ended up pulling out that little worthless foot light on the driver side and directly tapping into those lights (blue and white wires)
And now the puddle lights fade in and out with the interior lights, come on when I hit unlock, and turn on when I walk up to the truck which is nice

 

Nice, I’ll have to change mine thanks!

 

I'm planning to attempt this on the OEM tow mirrors. I have the lights for em but this thread has made me second guess the difficulty of fishing the wires through so I'm trying to find a day to spend all day doing that.

 

It’s really not that bad. The driver side rubber sleeve fought me a little, passenger side was a breeze. Take your time and start talking nicely to your fishing wire lol.

 

@AGSport hell yeah haha, what did you use for a fishing wire? i was considering a coat hanger type of wire so it would be relatively flexible

 

I have a roll of steel wire in the garage. I think it’s 20ga. Lowe’s or Home Depot should have it.

 

You want something thin and flexible, but still stiff enough to push through tight areas. I found some wire at Tractor Supply that is used for small electric fence projects for things like dog kennels. Thin, flexible, but rigid enough to push through tight spots. This is not a rush job, so take your time and you will be successful. Check all connections and test the lights before reassembly as you will not want to have to take everything off again when something doesn't work.

 

I used safety wire and folded it over a few times as a wire guide.

here’s a horrible blurry pic after install was completed

 

Update: Over 2 years since install and still works perfectly.