Anyone know where to hook up a 3rd brake light on camper shell to a 2104 f150? Supposedly there is a "special" wire under the hood for this.
Thank You!

 

Are you talking about hooking the light to the brake light system in a 2014 F150? I wonder if a 2104 F150 will even have brake lights?

I'm pretty sure mine is simply connected directly to the brake light circuit at the rear of the truck. If the light is an LED, it can certainly be connected there. There's no reason to run a wire all the way to the engine compartment.

Now, if you're talking about the bed illumination light, I DO have mine connected directly to the battery (through a fuse) so I can turn it on any time (ignition on or off).

- Jack

 

Hi Jack,
Thanks for the response. So, can the brake light for the camper shell just tap into the rear brake light on the truck? If so, which wire would I tap into?
Thanks!

 

I think there is a special wire under the hood for this hookup. A co-worker bought a new ARE shell for his 2013 and had the ARE dealer install it. I noticed that the brake light was coming on with his headlights so he investigated and hooked it up from the wire under the hood.

 

I'd have to crawl under the truck and inspect the wiring to find out how the light is connected. But, my 3rd brake light in the cap is NOT on when the headlights are on or even when the flashers are on. It only comes on when the brakes are applied.

I don't think my light would even support the dual circuit that the running/brake lights need to function on dim and bright. It's an A.R.E. cap, with a built-in LED brake light. There are only two wires to it - hot and ground.

If you pull a taillight housing out of the bed, you should be able to tell which wire is hot when the brakes are applied. Simply attach your 3rd brake light hot lead to that one.

- Jack

 

Problem with that - if the brake and directionals share a filament, the 3rd light will blink when you turn on the directional on that side or the 4 ways.

 

You're right - if you have a trailer plug (either the 4-pin or 7-pin) and it's connected, hook the brake light wire to the brake light wire in the trailer plug. I'd use the 4-pin one. You could also ground the light to the ground wire in that plug, if you didn't want to find a clean frame ground.

- Jack