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Ambient light pins help!

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Dave19447

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey my XSE has very dim ambient lighting and I want to try and change them or add more lights. Under the glove box I pulled one of the wires and pins out to see how it's all connected and no matter where I keep searching I can't find these wire pins on Google search. It's a 4 pin connector but it's a 2 by 2 on top of each other, trying to see if there is a splitter out there for this.

Anyone know the name of this kind of connector? Thanks
Image
 
#2 ·
Maybe someone can answer your question but you'd need to source both a the male and female connectors. If it was mine I'd simply pull back the cable cover and tap into the wires themselves and add my lights.
 
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Discussion starter · #4 ·
Dr. Dyno said:
Maybe someone can answer your question but you'd need to source both a the male and female connectors. If it was mine I'd simply pull back the cable cover and tap into the wires themselves and add my lights.
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I thought about tapping it and probably the easiest way but ideally want to get the male female connector and splitter so I won't have to splice into any wires. Keep it natural so incase electrical fails and have to take it for warranty I can just unplug everything put back to original so dealership won't come up with some BS that I voided my warranty lol.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Leroy11 said:
Picked up a bunch of these for my 19 rav4 hybrid, for the overhead I fit as many of the small circuits as would fit in the plastic housings (the 12 bulb ones bottom left, you daisy chain them), do a search for led replacement bulbs for the interior, and the bulbs come in many degrees of brightness.

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Those look pretty cool but will they require me to splice wires? Because ambient lights are different from the interior lights
 
#6 ·
Dave19447 said:
I thought about tapping it and probably the easiest way but ideally want to get the male female connector and splitter so I won't have to splice into any wires. Keep it natural so in case electrical fails and have to take it for warranty I can just unplug everything put back to original so dealership won't come up with some BS that I voided my warranty lol.
Click to expand...
I agree that plug&play with the unplug&unplay option would be nice but:
1. It seems to me that the worst that could happen is blowing a fuse which you could remedy yourself.
2. According to the M-M Act to void any warranty the dealer has to prove any damage to the car's electrical system was caused by your mods.
3. Dealers must see hundreds of cars with lighting mods. Do they start by investigating how they can blame the owner? I doubt it.
4. In any case are your gonna rip everything out every time you go in for service just to be safe?
 
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#7 ·
I've been trying to find these connectors too, so I could make a plug-in glove box lighting kit. No luck so far, but I might just use the Dupont connectors (as seen in post #3) to make the tap. The pin spacing is the same.

Oh, and I'm almost certain they are 2-pin connectors. The other two slots should be so you can release the pins with an extraction tool if it needs to be replaced.
 
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#8 ·
Dr. Dyno said:
I agree that plug&play with the unplug&unplay option would be nice but:
1. It seems to me that the worst that could happen is blowing a fuse which you could remedy yourself.
4. In any case are your gonna rip everything out every time you go in for service just to be safe?
Click to expand...
I would not be so sure about the about the two statements. When I bought my 2007 RAV I installed an upgraded radio. While I had it apart I decided to install some additional LED lighting. I decided to tap power off the existing LED lighting that illuminated the clock. I accidentally shorted the power line to ground. All dashboard lighting went dark. All fuses checked OK. I eventually tracked the problem down to one blown surface mount transistor on the instrument cluster. Took it back to the dealer who tried to blame the failure on the installation of the aftermarket radio, specifically the radio’s dimmer connection damaged the lighting circuit. I was told it voided the warranty. Little did he know that I worked for the company that made Toyota’s radio. I pointed out that the radio’s dimmer circuit wasn’t even connected. They wouldn’t budge so I filed a formal complaint against the dealer using the Magnuson Moss act. That prohibits voiding a warranty when a third party accessory is used. I flipped the case against them when they requested an expert witness from the radio’s manufacturer. I showed up and their expression was priceless. They promptly replaced the entire instrument cluster!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Dave19447 said:
Hey my XSE has very dim ambient lighting and I want to try and change them or add more lights. Under the glove box I pulled one of the wires and pins out to see how it's all connected and no matter where I keep searching I can't find these wire pins on Google search. It's a 4 pin connector but it's a 2 by 2 on top of each other, trying to see if there is a splitter out there for this.

Anyone know the name of this kind of connector? Thanks
Click to expand...
When I had my 2019 and wanted to add the console tray illumination I bought this wire harness connector which has both the male and female ends of the cable (and came with the OEM LED attached!) In my case, I just cut it and spliced in speaker wire and tapped my fuse panel to make a hot socket for my tray illumination with the OEM light. The connector is only a 2 wire/2 pin, even though there are 4 pin holes.

82285-42030 - Wire Illumination Bam Wholesale Parts

Buy Your OEM Toyota Wire Illumination (8228542030) Online For Your
www.bamwholesaleparts.com www.bamwholesaleparts.com

I can post a picture of this cable if anyone is interested in how it looks. They were hard to find once upon a time but might be more available now.

Note that if you are connecting 3rd party LEDs to the factory tray/footwell harnesses the ECU does reduce the voltage to these pins when in any shift position other than park, so the aftermarket ones may be a lot brighter but will still dim slightly when not in park.
 
#11 ·
WillRav4Tacos said:
Here are the pictures of the harness part # 82285-42030, the LED was included.
Click to expand...
You, kind sir, deserve ALL THE TACOS!

Thank you very much, this is a very acceptable solution.
 
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#13 ·
yarisugi said:
Reviving an old thread, does anyone have a pic or location of where it's connected under the dash? Mine doesn't have led nor harness underneath.
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There are lots of pictures and location info on this monster thread for the ambient light system: Storage tray lights
 
#15 ·
Dave19447 said:
Hey my XSE has very dim ambient lighting and I want to try and change them or add more lights. Under the glove box I pulled one of the wires and pins out to see how it's all connected and no matter where I keep searching I can't find these wire pins on Google search. It's a 4 pin connector but it's a 2 by 2 on top of each other, trying to see if there is a splitter out there for this.

Anyone know the name of this kind of connector? Thanks View attachment 158595
Click to expand...
Bro all you have to do is buy led strips your choice or leds then wire them into your 12 volt cigarette lighter wiring. This is two wires on the back of the lighter. They turn on when your car is on and off when your car is off. You don't have to limit yourself looking for specific pins. You can wire inline a fuse too for your led strip wiring or LEDs. My Amazon leds been working for at least a year like this.
 
#16 ·
RetiredGamer said:
Bro all you have to do is buy led strips your choice or leds then wire them into your 12 volt cigarette lighter wiring. This is two wires on the back of the lighter. They turn on when your car is on and off when your car is off. You don't have to limit yourself looking for specific pins. You can write inline a fuse too for your led strip wiring or LEDs. My Amazon leds been working for at least a year like this.
Click to expand...
Yes, that is quick and easy; but if you tie into the ambient light system you get the dimming feature that direct power cannot.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
Widgets said:
Yes, that is quick and easy; but if you tie into the ambient light system you get the dimming feature that direct power cannot.
Click to expand...
you can buy a dimmer on Amazon I have one in my RAV4 it's posted on here. It's $9.99 you can set it to your desired lighting. It's wired in. It's not a knob it's a thing you set and then cover up with the rest of your wiring. Just look for light dimmer. Just giving you options that's all.
Image

Image
 
#18 ·
RetiredGamer said:
you can buy a dimmer on Amazon I have one in my RAV4 it's posted on here. It's $9.99 you can set it to your desired lighting. It's wired in. It's not a knob it's a thing you set and then cover up with the rest of your wiring. Just look for light dimmer. Just giving you options that's all. View attachment 185584
View attachment 185583
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I don't have my RAV4 yet to confirm, but I am under the impression that the dimming of the ambient lights were dynamic such that they were brighter in park than when in gear. They may also be tied to the instrument cluster dimmer too. A static brightness does not compare. If it works for you, great; but some folks want the integration with the ambient lights.
 
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#19 ·
Widgets said:
I don't have my RAV4 yet to confirm, but I am under the impression that the dimming of the ambient lights were dynamic such that they were brighter in park than when in gear. They may also be tied to the instrument cluster dimmer too. A static brightness does not compare. If it works for you, great; but some folks want the integration with the ambient lights.
Click to expand...
The factory ambient lights dim when you take the transmission out of park. They are not connected to the instrument panel dimmer.
 
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