2017 / lariat / 502a package

wondering if it is possible to somehow enable the bed lights whenever the remote tailgate release is activated? Realize there is a button inside and in the bed, but more often than not I have found myself approaching the bed in the dark and have fishing gear in the back. Would be nice to have the bed lights turn on when the tailgate release button is activated.

anyone know of a way to do this?

Thanks in advance!

 

That's a really good one.

It does light up when vehicle is unlocked, however no unlock is required to open the locked gate if Intelligent key is near.
Next best option is to use the bed light (assuming your vehicle is equipped). I've rolled up to my truck at night with a mountain bike and first thing is to open the gate, it is still dark.
In that case, I will use the bed lights until I get the doors unlocked or open.

 

Maybe tap into the lights that come on when unlocking the truck (running lights or overhead cargo lamp)? It would be great if this was a "from the factory" setup/ option. Should not be hard to have the in-bed lights come on (like the overhead cargo lamp) when the truck is unlocked and have them behave as other lights (time out, off when locking ,etc.) while maintaining the ability to control independently with the bed switch.

Hopefully Ford lurks here and would take into consideration with their iterative changes from year to year.

 

May have mis-named the lights. Trying to get the BED LIGHTS to be activated when the remote tailgate is activated. Much in the same way that a regular vehicles trunk light comes on when you open the trunk.

edited to post and changed from cargo lights to bed lights.

thank you

 

Gotcha.

I also missed the part where you were remote opening the gate.
I guess all I can offer, and is what you probably do, is to unlock first to light up the cargo light (above the rear window) then the double-press for tailgate release.
I rarely use the gate remote buttons, so was thinking that when you approach with the fob in your pocket you can still open gate without touching the fob.

I haven't heard of the lights being wired up like you're asking, but would be a neat features that could be enabled/disabled per user....like through the dash menu settings. I have turned off my rain sensing wipers, seems like a good idea to enable/disable the bed lights.

 

You have to do a wiring change to get it to do what you want. One idea would be to install a door switch of some kind on the tailgate and wire it around the bed light switch or remove the bed light switch. Have the best of both worlds, tailgate opens lights comes on, or reach inside and turn the bed lights on with the switch.

 

interestingly following this.

 

You might be able to bridge the both circuits using some diodes. You could bridge the button circuit to the lights circuit so that the button in effect drops the tailgate, and thru the diode, sends power to light up the bed lights at the same time. Someone on here posted a similar project of bridging the cab cargo lights (third brake light location) to come on with the reverse lights using diodes.

 

As long as you realize the button in the bed of the truck does not control the bed lights directly. When you press the bed light button, all that does is put a request to the BCM to turn on the bed lights. The BCM then turns on the bed lights.

 

What I think you could do is use a type of reed switch. I would tap the reed switch in to the button in the bed and place that part behind the tail light closest to the tailgate as possible. I then would put the other side of the reed switch the magnetic side inside the tailgate as close as possible to the reed switch. Once the tailgate opens it would be like pressing the button. I just don’t know if once you closed the tailgate if it would shut them back off. I’m just thinking out loud at 4 AM. But maybe a proof of concept.