Tow mirror reverse light power

dewey962 · Mar 3, 2016

Hey all,

I just bought some of the new 2015 tow mirrors with the clearance lights and reverse lights and am going to install them on my 2012. My question is where can I tap in to power the reverse lights on the mirrors. They are prewired for this, I just want to know where in the cab can I tap in for power. I see there's a reverse wire in the BCM but from what I read it's the switch circuit for the back up cameras and the such. Can I use this to power the LED lights in the mirrors or would this be too much draw on the circuit? I want them to function the same a the tail light reverse i.e. reverse, lock/unlock etc. Anyone else done this mod yet?

19trax95 · Mar 3, 2016

I have the same mirrors on my 01 and I just spliced the power for the mirrors into the reverse wire at the bcm.

I would think that if the wire your taking about has power when you shift to reverse, it should be fine to use.

The little leds don't draw alot of power.

dewey962 · Mar 3, 2016

Awesome thanks. Did you just use a T-tap?

19trax95 · Mar 3, 2016

I soldered them and them coated with with liquid tape.

But a t tap should work fine. I don't like crimp connectors or any splice connectors. I always solder stuff if possible.

dewey962 · Mar 9, 2016

Got them installed and they're awesome!! BUT they're not quite exactly how I wanted them. The reverse lights do come on when I shift into reverse, however, I would also like then to come on when I unlock my doors at night like the reverse in the tail lights do, kind of like a puddle light. Where else can I get the power to do this without having to run a wire back to the tail lights. Anything under the hood? I know, I'm being picky

19trax95 · Mar 9, 2016

I'd just use a diode and tap into the dome lights. Should be fairly simple.

The diode will prevent the dome lights from coming on when the reverse lights are on, but allow them to light when the domes are on

priceless07 · Mar 21, 2016

19trax95 said:
I'd just use a diode and tap into the dome lights. Should be fairly simple.

The diode will prevent the dome lights from coming on when the reverse lights are on, but allow them to light when the domes are on

What kind of diode would you use for that? I'm thinking about putting these mirrors on my '07 NBS. I'm currently working on installing flush mount LED pods in the rear bumper. They'll be powered by a switch and by the reverse lights. What kind of diode would I need to use so that the reverse lights don't come on (only the LED pods come on) when I flip the switch?

priceless07 · Mar 21, 2016

dewey962 said:
Got them installed and they're awesome!! BUT they're not quite exactly how I wanted them. The reverse lights do come on when I shift into reverse, however, I would also like then to come on when I unlock my doors at night like the reverse in the tail lights do, kind of like a puddle light. Where else can I get the power to do this without having to run a wire back to the tail lights. Anything under the hood? I know, I'm being picky

Do you have any pictures of the new mirrors on your truck??? I'd love to see how they look on our body style!

Dmanj · Mar 22, 2016

priceless07 said:
19trax95 said:

I'd just use a diode and tap into the dome lights. Should be fairly simple.

The diode will prevent the dome lights from coming on when the reverse lights are on, but allow them to light when the domes are on

Click to expand...

What kind of diode would you use for that? I'm thinking about putting these mirrors on my '07 NBS. I'm currently working on installing flush mount LED pods in the rear bumper. They'll be powered by a switch and by the reverse lights. What kind of diode would I need to use so that the reverse lights don't come on (only the LED pods come on) when I flip the switch?

For your pods, I'd use a relay. Wire your switch to select what you want to trigger the relay, either always on or on with reverse lights.

For the mirrors a shottky diode would be a good choice as it will have a smaller voltage drop compared to a standard pn rectifier diode.

priceless07 · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks Dmanj! I'm still deciding if I even want to wire in the switch or not. I wonder if I'll ever use them when I'm not backing up. I'm also not crazy about putting aftermarket switches everywhere on the truck. I'd like to find a discrete location to put it around the back bumper or tailgate.

Revel-z71 · Mar 22, 2016

This was my 2012 before I sold it and I just tapped into the trailer reverse light fuse under the hood in the main fuse block and they worked great if my reverse lights were on the LEDs were on

dewey962 · Mar 22, 2016

Which fuse under the hood did you tap into? Any pictures would be awesome

Revel-z71 · Mar 22, 2016

dewey962 said:
Which fuse under the hood did you tap into? Any pictures would be awesome

I wish I had a pic but I already sold the truck here is what I could come up with it's the center 10amp fuse and I used a replacement fuse similar to this one. if you look just above and to the left of the break peddle there is a black box just behind that there is a grommet in the firewall with one very small wire going through it that's where I ran the wire through at I am sure you can get a fuse like this at your local auto parts store

Dmanj · Mar 22, 2016

You can also tap into that box beside the brake pedal.

dewey962 · Mar 22, 2016

priceless07 said:
dewey962 said:

Got them installed and they're awesome!! BUT they're not quite exactly how I wanted them. The reverse lights do come on when I shift into reverse, however, I would also like then to come on when I unlock my doors at night like the reverse in the tail lights do, kind of like a puddle light. Where else can I get the power to do this without having to run a wire back to the tail lights. Anything under the hood? I know, I'm being picky

Click to expand...

Do you have any pictures of the new mirrors on your truck??? I'd love to see how they look on our body style!

dewey962 · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks for the wiring info. I tapped into the BCM connection but the lights don't come on when you unlock the doors at night. Hopefully this does the trick.

priceless07 · Mar 22, 2016

I noticed on the 2015 mirrors they have 4 bolts instead of 3. Is there already a hole for the 4th bolt to fit in on the door or did you have to cut that bolt off?

Revel-z71 · Mar 22, 2016

priceless07 said:
I noticed on the 2015 mirrors they have 4 bolts instead of 3. Is there already a hole for the 4th bolt to fit in on the door or did you have to cut that bolt off?

Yes the oem mirrors do have a 4th bolt but the won't even work on 08-13. Those are aftermarket mirrors. If you have a 14+ and want oem mirrors there is a thread on here how to make them work. That's what I plan on doing once I find a set for a reasonable price

Tow mirror reverse light power

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Our Vendors

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities