FFRidgeway

OK Guys / Gals,
I've searched the Threads and couldn't find an answer, so now I'll ask everyone.
I have a 2016 F150 XLT FX4, and my fiancée got me the LED brake light / Tail light strip that you mount under the rear tailgate. It came with the usual 4 prong (flat) trailer lighting plug. When I had it plugged into the trailer connection it left the plug opened up for debris and I wanted a cleaner look. When I place the truck in reverse it automatically sensed a trailer behind the truck and disabled the rear parking aide. So I cut the plug, using waterproof (Heat Shrink) butt end connectors and spliced the wiring from the LED strip into the wiring that plugs into the back of the 7/4 pin split factory connection, but it is still sensing a trailer behind the truck.
Is there a way that I will be able to utilize the LED tailgate light strip without it sensing a trailer behind the truck?? Thanks in advance.

Ricktwuhk

Yes. Don't use that wiring. Run a power lead from the battery with a fuse. Posted often.

FFRidgeway

So do I need to run a main power wire (white) or for all 4 wires?

tareed94

You'll want to tap a brake light wire to the brake wire of the bar, tail light for tail wire of bar, reverse for reverse wire of bar, and then ground the other one if I'm thinking correctly. But that doesn't really make sense for turn signals... Not sure what the 4 wires are. Maybe one is each turn, one is reverse, and one is ground?

FFRidgeway

One is Taillight, Right Turn, Left Turn, and ground

tareed94

Gotcha. Tap one of each from a tail light then (just use a little "piggy back" splice) and you're good to go. No more pulling power from the trailer connection, and no more deactivation of the parking sensors in reverse.

FFRidgeway

Wish I would've known before I took all the extra time and care to cut / splice / and heat shrink all the wiring. LOL Thank you, I'll pull it back apart and let you all know how it turns out.

tareed94

Lol. Glad I could help. I did some creative things with wiring on my last truck, like wire the cargo lights to the reverse lights, which required adding a diode to keep the interior lights from coming on as well. Wired leds under the doors to the interior lights so they'd illuminate the ground only when the doors opened. Never got around to the tailgate bar though, but had a solid plan of how I would do it.