Naturally, I need to add a camper shell. (You might not, but I do.) Anyway, I'm looking at the shells at a local dealer and I ask about the brake lights on the shell. The dealer tells me they splice into the truck brake lights so that my trailer connectors aren't touched.

However, in the owner's manual, it specifically says "Never connect any trailer lamp wiring to the vehicle's tail lamp wiring..." (page 265 , issue 3). Elsewhere, it says "If you cannot move the gearshift lever out of park (P) position with the ignition in the on position and the brake pedal pressed, a malfunction may have occurred. It is possible that a fuse has blown or your vehicle's brake lamps are not operating properly." (page 178, issue 3).*

These two items make me think that there is more than a little computer wizardry monitoring the brake lights and I'm hesitant to allow them to tap into them.

Those with shells: What's the correct way to wire the shell's stop lamps?

Sorry if this is a total noob or over-worrier question. I did a search but couldn't find specifically this item.

*= Just a note: I might not be able to shift out of park if the brake lamps are out? I guess I should carry spare bulbs?

 

I know on the previous generation, there's a wire to tap into that was under the hood. I don't recall where that is on the new trucks. I'll have to look again when I get out to it after work.

 

The manual most likely states what it does because a real trailer would provide a decent additional draw on the brake light circuit, a truck cap with a small LED brake light does not add much additional draw.


I can tell you on my ARE Z series cap they tap into the brake light circuit of the tail lights and for some reason they tap into both of them and then theres some little module that the tapped into wires from each side goes into and a ground wire then 2 wires come out of that module to the cap brake light. I assumed they would simply pick up a ground and hot off one brake light and run it from that only but that was not the case. I do know that they did not put the wires in wire loom, and they are only attached by a few zip ties in a few locations to hold the wires where routed. I will be adding wire loom and adding more zip ties before winter as I do not want snow and ice building up on the wires and pulling on them. The OEM wires to the taillights are a VERY tiny gauge wire FWIW.

 

The ones I've done, I connected to the 3rd brake light wiring.

 

Where did you pick up that wire?

 

On the '15 there's no wires taped under the hood that I've found like previous model. The 3rd brake light comes from the BCM in the front passenger kick panel. It's connector C2280E Pin 13, brown wire. Seems to run along the passenger side under the door sill plate and up the back pillar to the light.

The module that was mentioned above sounds like something to make it so the cap brake light doesn't flash with the turn signal. Any of the wires tapped at the back of the truck, like the trailer pins or at the rear brake lights, will blink.

 

Interesting. I had contacted ARE and this is what they told me they tell their techs:

"The third brake light wire is located under the driver side kick panel. The wire is violet/white And is part of a harness requiring some factory tape to be (re)moved for access."

Now I'm more confused.

 

From a local distributor answering a specific question from me.
Your truck brake light stays connected. The shells brake light is connected through the brake wire under the dash, you will have a quick disconnect in the rear, so you can remove your shell easily.

HTH

 

Yeah, I'm going to need a QD because I'll take the shell off sometimes. I just wasn't sure where they tap into the wiring for it.

 

I just ordered my shell from a friends shop. While I was there, I had him print the ARE directions. Here ya go!