Nice write up. I'll give it a try in the next few days.

I just went to try this, cant' find that brown backup relay at all.
Will try again tonight when I get home with a flash light.

 

PLEASE READ THIS UPDATE
I made a slight miscalculation when preparing this post. Please read the directions again to make sure that you have followwed the directions carefully or you will wind up with a dead battery by backfeeding the cargo light switch a ground and essentially turning on and bypassing the switch. I'm sorry if you have already tried this mod and put the dash back together like I did. oops!

 

Oh may have to try this! Now does it also have the benifit of turning on the cargo lights when you flip in reverse? that'd be sick...:teethmast

 

No. but while you're under the dash you could wire it to do that by adding one additional relay and using one of the 12v leads coming from the back-up lamp relay to the to the back-up lamps as your switch on the coil. Just ground the other side of the coil and one of the power lead posts on your new relay, then connect the other power lead post to your cargo light relay trigger (red -).

Sorry about the use of all these extra relays, but Titan uses mostly ground circuits to trigger the electronics in your truck and as I experienced with the initial method I posted for this mod, if you don't isolate with relays you will have things performing in ways they shouldn't. You could also use diodes if you have them but I don't (and figured most people wouldn't) so I went with relays.

 

LOL, I still can't find that brown backup relay for the life of me.

 

Yes I figured that would be the most time consuming part of this mod. It is just to the right of the steering column access panel that you remove and up a bit. If you look with a good flashlight in between the radio and the steering column access panel you should find it. It's not quite as high up on the dash as the radio. As far as I know, it is the only brown relay hidden away in this part of the dash. Mine has a mess of radio/alarm components tucked in the same cavity so taking a picture of it's location is impossible. Good luck though. You may also want to check out your service manual as yours may not be in the same spot depending on the model year.

 

Good Info.

 

Is there a specific type of diode I should be looking for when I go to radio shack? A bit off topic but you wouldnt happen to know which wire I should tap into if I wanted to add footwell lights would you? I have an XE and we dont get that option. Thanks for the work on this mod.

 

I used a 1 amp, 12v, Zener, diode.

Refer to the manual pages below for the answer to your foot-well lighting needs. I hope this helps!

Page 1 - Shows the location of the Grey harness you need to locate. It's # R102. This diagram is not particularly clear but it looks like it's coming from the passenger kick panel and then after a couple of connections (R6/R101) ends under the dash somewhere...Good Luck. I anticipate finding the harness is going to be the most time consuming part of this whole thing for you.
Page 2 - Shows the way the factory vanity light circuit is designed. You are looking for the R/G wire (Red with Green [+]) in the harness Position 6 to power to your lights and the L (Lavender [-]) wire in the harness position 1 to switch them on/off

 

This mod would be great at a stop light. Just flip the switch and the person behind me will think I am in reverse. The look on their face will be priceless when I rev the engine.:rofl:

Thanks for the idea Mng777777.

 

If only my back up cam could take pics...:redblob"

 

great write up..

 

When you unlock the doors w/ the key fob the cargo light comes on. With this mod, does unlocking the doors also cause the reverse lights to come on ??

 

I believed that's what the diode is for.

 

I know this is an old post but I need help. I located the brown relay underneath my dash but when I removed it my reverse lights still worked and it only has B / B,R / G / G,W wires. I this the wrong relay? I also would like to know how to hook it up so that everytime the cargo lights came on so would the reverse lights ie: unlocking door, opening doors. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

You could hook them up to the wire in the passenger side kick panel: How to: Footwell lights - MightyTitans.com

 

Would this work with adding a pair of fogs or driving light to the bumper

 

Total wiring n00b here.
What kind of wire should I buy? (I will also be wiring LED footwell lights to a rocker switch I bought to put in a blank panel, can I use the same wire?)
Is there a certain type of diode I should be looking for? (found answer in thread: 1 amp, 12v, Zener, diode--I can only find 1W 12V Zener diodes though)
What other tools or materials do I need to complete this?

 

To a wiring expert the items and notes listed below are obvious, but if you aren't an electrician they make all the difference in the world and save n00bs like me a TON of time:
:soap:

Materials Needed:

• 18 gauge wire (Auto Zone, Disc Auto, Radio Shack)
• Wire cutters
• Crimpers
• 2 Quick Tap Connectors 18-14 gauge (10 pack @ Radio Shack)
• Scissors
• Philips Head Screw Driver (TY OP)
• Flat Head Screw Driver
• Socket Wrench & #10 Socket (TY OP)
• 1W, 12V Diode from Radio Shack (comes in 2 pack - not 1 Amp)
• Zip ties
• Electical Tape
• Lamp or flashlight
• Solder gun and solder (best) OR 2 18 gauge butt connectors (ok)
• If you use Solder you will need heat shrink tubing
• Heat gun or Micro torch to shrink the butt connector tubing or the heat shrink tubing over your diode connection.

Notes:

• If you are able to take out your driver seat first it will help.
• It is not necessary to remove the gauge panel.
• The cathode end (striped end) of the diode goes towards the cargo lamp switch -- you will want to solder the diode to the wire BEFORE attaching it to the other wires.
• The Radio Shack package of Quick Connectors (shown in OP's pictures where the wires connect) explains how to use them, the Auto Zone or Discount Auto packages do not, so if it is your first time using them, buy the ones from RS.
• The flat head screw driver will help you disconnect the brown relay by pressing up on the connector at the bottom.
• The wires going into the brown relay are wrapped and you will need the scissors to open.

 

I did this mod on my 05 Titan this weekend during an audio install and the back up relay was under the hood on my 05 not by the steering wheel but other than that everything works as it says above.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

 

So you had to run the wire from under the hood back into the cabin......... that sucks

 

All this to add a manual switch to turn on the reverse lights?........Keep it simple, here's a factory wiring schematic with my added circuit...

 

nice Mod. Must scare the sh!t out of the tailgater!!!
I have a unrelated question regarding the brown back up relay in one of your pictures. Pic2 to be exact. The Green/White Wire in the relay. Is that the reverse lamp = wire? If so, I want to tap into it with the reverse wire from my Head UnIt for a camera. Thanks. And very clever Mod.

 

Just completed without any issues and wire colors are the same for a 2010 SE CC 4x4.

I guess my only complaint is that key has to be in the "on" position for hem to operate and if you walk behind the bumper sonar alarm goes off