1st Gen 4Runner: Under dash courtesy light?
 

I was doing some wiring under my dash tonight and I got a closer look the strange receptacle below the dash to the left of the gas door pull knob (see pic below).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/7...06714dd7_z.jpg

While I was routing some wires around, I noticed that the back side had an electrical harness plug and I found the unplug wire harness dangling just a bit further back.

I didn't plug it in since I wasn't sure what it does.

Is this some type of under dash courtesy lamp that missing its bulb and lense? Is it something else?

Any pics of what it's supposed to look like would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

There was an optional flashlight, that came with some 4Runners. It is a corded light, powered by that plug. They are pretty rare these days. There are a few members here that have them, though.

it has been 22 years since I traded in my '86 4Runner but I vaguely remember mine having that...

Yep plugs in like a 120v outlet.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z...406_001122.jpg

That is awesome. I never knew that. Now i gotta find me a flashlight...

Now THAT is as old skool as it gets. Funny.

where can i find one of those things?? Ive been checking ebay and even googling. the only results i find take me back to this thread.

Your best bet would probably be the part out threads or craigslist. You might luck up at a junkyard but that's near impossible. I'm at pull a part about every other week, I'll keep an eye out for ya.

I have the OEM one from '86 and used to keep it in the truck just in case of emergencies.

I couldn't find that light for the longest time, and, as some of you pointed out here, it's almost impossible to find.

I found my old one, but I decided to make myself an 'updated' version with more modern technology.

The stock bulb is 10 watts, so using anything below that is cool (of course you need a bulb that runs on 12V). I bought a two-prong plastic workshop light (total cost: $5) from WalMart meant for 120V, and a 20-foot 2-prong extension cord (cost about $3 if I recall). I had to grind down the plugs as they were meant to be 'polarized' but the DC circuit found in the 4runner doesn't need that (and the plug receptacle does not accept polarize plugs).

For lighting, I used the best tech I could think of, I bought a 5-watt 12 volt LED bulb off ebay ($17 or so shipped if I recall, should normally be around $12). It took about a month to come from China (but, it should have enough of a lifespan to work for awhile with minimal use). The 5-watt draw means I could theoretically keep the bulb on all night and not drain the battery by my calculations. The 5-watt LED was equivalent to about a 40W incandescent, and is useful not only under the truck but also bright enough to use if I'm camping to light an area. With the 20-foot extension cord, I could theoretically add another 5W LED to the circuit, have 80W combined, and more light than I'd ever need. The bulbs also don't generate heat, so there's no chance of fires, etc.

I'm writing this up as for those of you who would like to actually have a service light -- it's useful especially when your flashlight accidentally stayed on all night and drained its batteries out, but, to be honest, the OEM one which came from Toyota was really a budget afterthought item. It wasn't particularly well built, and is nowhere near bright enough to do anything serious. The LED is far better, and for a total cost of about $15-30 depending on how you build it, it may even be cheaper than any Toyota one you do manage to find.

Best,
khany2002

Thanks for the write up khany! Do you have any pics of how you put it together? It would be kinda cool to build an updated version. I've also kicked around the idea of fabbing another outlet for the light in the cargo area so it is more accessible if I need it in the back.

I have thought about a possible bulb upgrade for my light, but never got around to cracking it open and get the type of bulb. It is very handy in a pinch and will provide enough light to get the job done. Especially if the batteries in your mag light go dead and you cant find you lighter :D.

Jesse,

To be honest, the whole system is just as easy as cobbling together a light you would use in a house -- the only fundamental difference is that the bulb needs to be designed for a 12-volt circuit rather than a 120-volt circuit. Just eBay a 12-volt bulb (I found it easier than finding one instore, although you may have better luck in your area).

This is the light housing from Walmart that I bought: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayco-6-In...-Cage/16533149


To be honest, I find it a little bigger than I'd like when storing it in the vehicle -- I was looking for something more like this: http://seeingdesign.com/images/Desig...nStockholm.jpg with a simple switch such as : http://login.txlampparts.com/onlinec...P/1/1467/1.jpg

This is the bulb I bought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-90-LED-S...item3a7316e6f0 but any 12-volt bulb should work. I'm not quite sure what else is on that circuit, so I wouldn't go much higher than 10 or 15 watts.

If you get the work light I bought, it's got its own on / off switch integrated, so you can turn it off at the light instead of always having to unplug it when not in use.

What I did was plug in the work light into a simple indoor extension cord: http://www.target.com/p/White-Indoor...9/-/A-12890001

This is more than thick enough for what you need to do, and you can daisy chain them together if you need more length, or split them off if you want multiple lights in different locations. FYI the socket is always powered (even without the keys in the ignition).

The only part which is even remotely annoying for this project is grinding the polarized side of the extension cord down so that it'll fit in the socket on the truck (one side of a normal electrical socket is larger than the other):http://www.germantravel-info.com/graphics/plug_pol.jpg.

Total 'assembly' time is less than 5 minutes.

Where was the light put from the factory? I have a 87 factory turbo ex-cab and I thought I was cool cause I found a factory sunroof cover.. I HAVE to find one of these lights. I Will buy every one I find! Someone sell me one please!

You could consider something like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt...ase-95799.html

Obviously not stock, but you could replace the plug if you were so inclined. (Be careful; this light uses LEDs so it requires power at the correct polarity. Mark your plug to avoid mistakes.)

I have the predecessor unit with an incandescent bulb. Very handy (magnetic base!), and you can't beat the HF quality!

You don't have to be too careful with LEDs. Diodes and LEDs (light emitting diodes) are indeed directional -- if you wire them the wrong way they do not work (LEDs will not light up), but it does not damage them. Once you swap the wiring, they will function as designed.

Hitting any diode with too much voltage however will burn it up and damage it permanently. It's easy to find 12V LEDs so this shouldn't be much of an issue.

Found mine stuffed behind one of the rear panels. Really came in handy when the power went out while I was changing the clutch.

Even if you don't find one.. still a great opportunity to replace those rear speakers and give the back carpet a good cleaning. :D

Uh, no. That light is designed to run on 220v AC. So, it has some sort of internal power supply to extract the 3.6vdc needed by the LEDs. Plugging it into 12vdc should do nothing at all.

But LED power supplies aren't that complex (you can sometimes get by with little more than the right-sized resistor if you're starting from only 12vdc). So it would be a fine project. Of course, if a 12v "utility" light is what you actually want, you would be much better off starting with something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/12V-...949740372.html Or this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-7-LED-C...t/202291336636

I really need to get one again. Lost mine "somewhere"... :(

IF you're gonna build one, make it wireless.

You can also get the light the Land Cruisers got: https://www.cityracerllc.com/product...iser-fj40-fj60


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...557107b64b.jpg

:safari: