JL Cargo Area Lighting Upgrade

[psdtime]

Just placed my order! Any chance you could provide the specifications/dimensions for the switches? I would like to change them out for non-illuminated ones as I really do not want to run a separate switch to turn the switch illumination off. Thanks in advance!

Wow, this is brilliant. I should have not put a separate switch. I should have just done what you are wanting to do. I'm not completely confident with this, but I bet there is a sperate wire just illumination that can simply be snipped on the switches.

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[JP_Oracle]

Just placed my order! Any chance you could provide the specifications/dimensions for the switches? I would like to change them out for non-illuminated ones as I really do not want to run a separate switch to turn the switch illumination off. Thanks in advance!

Wow, this is brilliant. I should have not put a separate switch. I should have just done what you are wanting to do. I'm not completely confident with this, but I bet there is a sperate wire just illumination that can simply be snipped on the switches.

Just de-pin the blue wire to disable the switch LEDs

 

[Wraith]

Just de-pin the blue wire to disable the switch LEDs

Excellent! Time to break out the depinning tools! Thanks a ton JP!

 

[psdtime]

Excellent! Time to break out the depinning tools! Thanks a ton JP!

This is my depinning tool.

 

[Wkaz]

I know in my 2021 wrangler by moving the fuse over one slot in the fuse box the power outlet becomes switched with ignition, no cutting just move the fuse.

 

[Wraith]

I know in my 2021 wrangler by moving the fuse over one slot in the fuse box the power outlet becomes switched with ignition, no cutting just move the fuse.

That still does not fix the illuminated switches with the cargo light receiving power, and doing so you would only be able to use the cargo light with the vehicle ignition turned on. Not exactly ideal for a lot of situations.

 

[Wraith]

Ended up finishing off this project with the Oracle cargo light. Quality is decent overall, but an oversight with the housing is the lack of the rubber gasket like the OEM wiper motor cover. I was getting a non stop squeak from mine so I ended up taking it off and cutting out a rubber gasket to place between the housing and the glass. Solved the squeaking issue, but it would be nice if Oracle had included the rubber edge like the factory one has. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.

As for power, I used an extra Quadratec 12v power outlet inline harness that I had from another project and wired it in so no cutting or splicing of the factory harness occurred (Quadratec part # 96080-9804). Simply plugged into the 12v outlet harness on the drivers side. I did ditch the plastic screw fitting that comes with it and crimped and heat shrinked the splices. I also used a weather-pack two prong connection at the hardtop for easy disconnecting and Tesa taped the entire harness to match the factory wiring. I also took the extra time to pull the plastic rear window trim off and route the Oracle harness in through the trim and mesh wire loom so the wires are entirely hidden. Following the above information I also got rid of the switch illumination by isolating the blue wire in the harness. I was going for a nice clean install and spent the time to get it where I was happy with it. Really loving the light output of this and happy with the overall product. Worth the money!

 

[ORACLElights]

Ended up finishing off this project with the Oracle cargo light. Quality is decent overall, but an oversight with the housing is the lack of the rubber gasket like the OEM wiper motor cover. I was getting a non stop squeak from mine so I ended up taking it off and cutting out a rubber gasket to place between the housing and the glass. Solved the squeaking issue, but it would be nice if Oracle had included the rubber edge like the factory one has. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.

Hello, the gasket you mention is only found on later model JLs. When we launched this in 2019 there was no gasket on the factory part and so there was no indication for this to be added on the replacement part design. Just want to mention this to address you concern.

 

[John VonJeep]

I know in my 2021 wrangler by moving the fuse over one slot in the fuse box the power outlet becomes switched with ignition, no cutting just move the fuse.

But how often am I turning on the cargo light with the ignition on? Usually, I want the light when I’m farting around back there in camp and the vehicle is completely off.

Toyota actually makes the rear 12v switched on the 4Runner, for reasons I cannot understand.

 

[Wraith]

Hello, the gasket you mention is only found on later model JLs. When we launched this in 2019 there was no gasket on the factory part and so there was no indication for this to be added on the replacement part design. Just want to mention this to address you concern.

Appreciate the information and clarification! Love the light and it was a massive help on our camping trip. Perfect lighting upgrade.

 

[DJP1812]

Late to the party, but wanted to say thank you for all the information on this thread! Took my time and installed the light without issue. I ran the wires inside the factory channel and inside the hard top (I have the SOT). I added the waterproof connector in case I ever needed to disconnect it for any reason or to have the ability to use other items. I used simple taps to hardwire to the back of the cigarette lighter. I had planned to install the kill switch but opted to just de-pin the blue wire inside the light to turn the illuminated buttons off. Thanks again for a great product and all the help! The light is amazing and will be perfect for camping. Time for a drink.

 

[Wraith]

I agree, great product! I just realized I never shared photos. These were taken down at the beach for an impromptu dinner. The light output is really fantastic and lights up the entire back area perfectly. As mentioned before, my only request would be the rubber gasket for the glass to eliminate the squeaking. I need to look on Amazon for some rubber weather stripping to put around the edge. Other than that, zero complaints!

 

[72Blazer]

@melendez69 thanks again for your write up. Just did this again on another JLUR. I tend to overthink and even after looking at your pictures I still wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. Pretty straight forward. Attaching my pictures to show my wiring. It’s not the best but sourced everything I could locally and didn’t have the patience to wait several days for stuff to drop ship. I definitely think it came out cleaner than my first install.

 

[melendez69]

@melendez69 thanks again for your write up. Just did this again on another JLUR. I tend to overthink and even after looking at your pictures I still wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. Pretty straight forward. Attaching my pictures to show my wiring. It’s not the best but sourced everything I could locally and didn’t have the patience to wait several days for stuff to drop ship. I definitely think it came out cleaner than my first install.

You're quite welcome, my good man. It doesn't always have to be the best... just successful.

 

[Brownpow121]

Anyone have any experience or guidance on tapping into the dome light to add a led strip to the cargo area? Not experienced in wiring this up and looking for some guidance!

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