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Help with Back-Up Lights

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Installing a set of Rigid Flush Mount lights in a new LOD rear bumper. I wanted to wire them to come on when placed in reverse. I wired them to the rear tail lights, stealing power from the tail light back-up wire. It’s weird when I place the Jeep in reverse the back up lights will flash on then go off. That includes even the tail light back up light, it will not come back on until I unhook the Rigid lights. I first tried to hook them up in tandem and then just single lights. Does anybody have any ideas?
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joshua.mcguoirk

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Installing a set of Rigid Flush Mount lights in a new LOD rear bumper. I wanted to wire them to come on when placed in reverse. I wired them to the rear tail lights, stealing power from the tail light back-up wire. It’s weird when I place the Jeep in reverse the back up lights will flash on then go off. That includes even the tail light back up light, it will not come back on until I unhook the Rigid lights. I first tried to hook them up in tandem and then just single lights. Does anybody have any ideas?
What you describe sounds like a resistance problem. Try installing a relay using the tail light as the trigger.
 
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What you describe sounds like a resistance problem. Try installing a relay using the tail light as the trigger.
You may be right. What do you mean using the tail light as the trigger?
 

joshua.mcguoirk

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Using a standard relay, wire pins:
86 is the trigger, i.e. a pigtail attached to the factory reverse tail-light wire.
85 ground to chassis
30 12V fused source from battery
87 to load, i.e. the rear back-up aux lights

I would think the amperage to "switch on" the relay should be minimal.

If this does not work... I suspect you can use the wire coming off the transmission to trigger the relay to power the lights. That being said... I am not that familiar with the wiring coming from the JL transmission to the vehicle to "trigger" the factory lights. Older transmissions had a reverse switch that was easy to tie/splice into.

Most expensive option, if you do not have the AUX power group already installed, is to install the MOPAR switch bank. However, you will need to manually switch the input to turn the lights on whilst attempting to reverse.

EDIT: The MOPAR switch bank may be more desirable. You may want to turn on the rear bumper lights to illuminate something behind you while keeping the transmission in [P]ark or [N]eutral for an AT or neutral for a MT.

Driving_light_relay_wiring_diagram.png
 
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That may work!!! Thanks for the information. I will give it a try on Monday.
 

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Let me make sure I have this:

Pin 86: Wire from taillight backup light.
Pin 85: Out to ground on chassis.
Pin 30: Power from battery. With in-line fuze?
Pin 87: Out to Rigid lights. These lights do have two wires red and black. Would it tie into the red wire and then ground the black on the chassis?
 

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Let me make sure I have this:

Pin 86: Wire from taillight backup light.
Pin 85: Out to ground on chassis.
Pin 30: Power from battery. With in-line fuze?
Pin 87: Out to Rigid lights. These lights do have two wires red and black. Would it tie into the red wire and then ground the black on the chassis?
Yes to all.
 

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Confirming... relay is the only way to go in that situation. For the battery wire, make sure you place the fuse close to the battery (between the battery and firewall.
 

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Had this same problem yesterday. You can't wire both lights to the same taillight. It's overloading the cam bus. You need to write one to each taillight. Works fine after that change
 
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I’ve tried everything from wiring both lights together to one tail light and tried wiring one to each. The Rigid lights come on then go off. Called Service Manager at the Dealership today and explained what I was trying to do, he told me it will not work. It will need resisters wired in. He saids the computer will not recognize the new lights. Now this is trying to wire them in to only come on when the Jeep is placed in reverse. Call Rigid they said I need a Anti-Flicket device. I’ve given up on wiring them that way and just wired them straight to the battery with a switch in the cab. They work great.
 

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I’ve tried everything from wiring both lights together to one tail light and tried wiring one to each. The Rigid lights come on then go off. Called Service Manager at the Dealership today and explained what I was trying to do, he told me it will not work. It will need resisters wired in. He saids the computer will not recognize the new lights. Now this is trying to wire them in to only come on when the Jeep is placed in reverse. Call Rigid they said I need a Anti-Flicket device. I’ve given up on wiring them that way and just wired them straight to the battery with a switch in the cab. They work great.
That isnt correct. I wired my d series pro flush mount in the Lod bumper this weekend. When wired to one taillight it did exactly as you described. When I switched to both it worked perfectly.
 
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That isnt correct. I wired my d series pro flush mount in the Lod bumper this weekend. When wired to one taillight it did exactly as you described. When I switched to both it worked perfectly.
What color wire did you use from the tail lights?
 
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What color wire did you use from the tail lights?
Also do you have LED tail lights or regular lights?
 

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I had thoughts of adding additional reverse lighting in the future, so when installed my trailer hitch wiring, I soldered on a lead to the pigtail/extension on the trailer wiring harness's reverse light wire. The trailer hitch wiring has a converter box which already has 12V running to it, so adding a relay to power additional reverse lighting would be easy peasy.

After reading the posts here...I'm a little confused whether the CAN-BUS is going to let me do this. The only additional load on the stock reverse lead would be that of the coil in the relay. Is that enough to upset the C.B.?
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