Wiring Up Roof Mounted Lights

Jackson (jacksonpt on the forums) shows you how he wired up his roof lights on his 3rd gen 4Runner.
There are 2 ways to wire roof-mounted lights. One is a little neater, uses less wire, but requires that you drill holes. The other is just the opposite... it leaves the wires visible in places, uses more wire, but does not require any drilling. I will try to describe both methods, however I used the second option so that is what I have pictures of.

Option 1:
If you rig came with a factory roof rack, then you will have end caps at each end of the factory rails. These caps can be removed to expose yellow plugs that fill existing holes in the roof. This is where the wires will be run. If you do not have a factory rack, then you will need to remove the plastic strips that are in place of the rack to expose the yellow plugs.

Locate the grommet in the firewall in the engine compartment (on my runner, it's on the driver's side). Feed a ground wire through the grommet into the cabin. Remove the driver's side pillar panel and the headliner. Drill a small hole in the yellow plug. Run the ground wire along with a power wire behind the dash, up the pillar, across the roof and up through the yellow plug. Wire the ground and power to the lights as indicated by the instructions that came with the lights, and mount the lights. Wire the ground and power to the switch (if necessary) as indicated by the instructions. Tie up any slack in the wires with zip ties or twist ties. If there is excessive slack, shorten the wires. Before you replace the panels, you have to seal up the hole you drilled in the yellow plug. Use silicone both on the inside and outside, and use plenty of it. Wait for it to dry, then trim the excess if necessary. Test the lights. Once everything is working correctly, replace the interior panels, and replace the roof rack end cap(s).
 

Option 2:
This is the method I chose because I didn't want drill and risk a leak. I ran the wires along my safari basket towards the back of the truck, then down the driver's side rear Thule foot. I ran the wires along the rain seal on the driver's side of the rear hatch and into the cargo area. I used dabs of silicone to keep the wires held in place. I tucked the wires under the side panel then under the rear seat to keep the cargo area clean of any wiring mess. I ran the wires toward the front of the truck, tucking the wires under the door sills the entire way. Then I fed the appropriate wires through the grommet in the fire wall, and hooked up the relay, switch and lights as indicated my the instructions that came with the lights.

   

   

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