LoveMyTL-S

I just bought a 12" blue LED strip for the trunk. I'm gonna mount it toward the back and looking for a power source to tap into. I was thinking of the trunk light wires so it will come on when I open the trunk. But, which wire to tap into? The trunk light has two wires. One is light blue w/dark blue stripe and the other is white with a blue stripe. Which one is hot? Is the other ground?

Any help would be great!

Thanks..........

LoveMyTL-S

Nobody has a wiring book for the TSX? This would be really easy if I knew what wires to tap.. Any help would be appreciated.

Reach

So just tap them, and if it doesn't work, reverse it. I'm guessing the white one is hot from what i've seen of the tsx wiring, but that's just my guess.

LoveMyTL-S

Directions with the lights say to tap a 12v source and the other wire to ground. I may try what you suggest. Thanks for your input.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I would recommend at the very least get a multimeter if you are going to deal with anything electrical. It could save you from unnecessary grief.

Reach

Yeah, but hes not going to hurt anything with LEDs, so its fire ready aim if he wants.

vidgamer

Might as well use a multimeter and test the wires. They come in handy for all sorts of jobs. (I should put mine in my car in case I end up at the Jax meet....)

Spoon

Exactly. If it were a regular bulb, it wouldn't matter which is hot or ground. Current will only flow one way thru an LED, so if you hook it up and it doesn't light, reverse it.

LoveMyTL-S

Yes, I do have a multimeter. I was just wondering about those wires before I start stripping the plastic. Thanks for the input. I'm gonna tap off the current trunk light. If I have time I'll do it this afternoon. Vidgamer, I hope you make the meet.

yuhoo22

you don't have to strip the wires....just remove the bulb from the existing and see which one is hot with the multimeter when you open the trunk.

LoveMyTL-S

Yea, I thought of that after I posted. The meter is new, so touch red lead to the socket and the black one to ground? Or the other side of the socket?

xizor

I looked it up since I have a lot of exp w/ the interior lighting after doing my puddle lights. pg 22-181 on the helm's

white/blue is 12v, blue/black is ground. you need to tap the power and ground so that your light is switched when the trunk opens

LoveMyTL-S

Sweet! Time to get to work.

Thanks Xizor......

btw, love those puddle lights. I printed the instructions today.

LoveMyTL-S

Okay, project done! Trunk light installed. Only took about 30 minutes. Here's a couple of picks.





Not real bright, but a subtle blue.

Thanks Xizor for your help......

xizor