Gen1 4Runner Map Light (1 Viewer)

[WarDamnEagle]

I have an SR5 map light, complete with mounting bracket and harness that I want to install into my 85 Deluxe 4Runner. Search doesn't bring up much in this regard but WristPin's "Ultimate connector guide" reminded me that I need to ask if anyone has done this mod (although this seems a bit like deja vu as I thought I had already asked this with no results....but maybe not as search reveals nothing).

Anyway..... anyone? Hopefully you don't have to drop the headliner but judging from the connector location (ceiling, top, right, passenger side) it seems likely.

I'm not even sure exactly where it mounts but assume that it's a couple of inches from the rearview mirror. Pics of one installed would be helpful, even if it came original.

Thanks!

 

[nat88toy]

you just have to peal off the front head liner molding (the molding that sits againced the front window)and just pull back enough of the head liner to get the bracket for the light in

screw in the bracket and also screw in the screws that will hold the map light to the bracket

then put the head liner back on and the molding.

you should be able to feel around and cut out the crews for mounting the light on out with a razer blade

as for the wire we could not find one so we just snacked a wire over to the dimmer switch

 

[nat88toy]

you just have to peal off the front head liner molding (the molding that sits agenced the front window)and just pull back enough of the head liner to get the bracket for the light in

screw in the bracket and also screw in the screws that will hold the map light to the bracket

then put the head liner back on and the molding.

you should be able to feel around and cut out the crews for mounting the light on out with a razer blade. if i remember correctly there is also a square in the lights frame that also needs to be cut out so the light can recess into the bracket

as for the wire we could not find one so we just snacked a wire over to the dimmer switch

any more questions let me know i will try and see if i took some pics on the install

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Thanks, that's helpful.

I went back and copied the exact description from the connector guide:

Map Light Connector: Under Front Roof Panel In Passenger Compartment

I guess I could pull the plastic trim off the passenger pillar and see if one or more wires are going up there before I pull too much of the headliner off.

 

[HeavyMetalViking]

We did this mod in my truck and I can tell you right now there aren't any wires hanging around, do as Nat said and just feed another wire to the dimmer, it's pretty easy. Just peel enough back around the dome light and the rear view mirror to access feeding a wire through, mine still looks stock after we did it.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

By SR5 map light do you mean the one with the 2 spot lights? Do you not have a light at all right now? If there's no light, I'd say 99.99999% there's no wires.

On a side note, I installed a ceiling light out of an early 90's Honda Accord at the rear of my old standard cab pickup, and that really lit the world up, I had the stock light up front, and wired the rear so that it would run just like the front, but separate if I wanted. Door/On/Off. One of the most useful mods I did on that thing. I used part of a broken fishing pole to push the wires through from the rear, above the headliner.

 

[WristPin]

since its probly not there, I would splice a wire from the dome light and run it over to where you need it.

when you peel off the plastic trim, you have to peel off the headliner too, it glued on to the body seam. I have done this on a parts truck. its all real easy. use 3M adhesive aresol spray to glue it back together.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

By SR5 map light do you mean the one with the 2 spot lights? Do you not have a light at all right now? If there's no light, I'd say 99.99999% there's no wires.

Yes, I mean the one with 2 spot lights. I do have the normal dome light with the on/off/door switch.

since its probly not there, I would splice a wire from the dome light and run it over to where you need it.

when you peel off the plastic trim, you have to peel off the headliner too, it glued on to the body seam. I have done this on a parts truck. its all real easy. use 3M adhesive aresol spray to glue it back together.

Thanks, my first thoughts were also to run a wire for power from the dome light. Since I don't have a sunroof in the way, I thought that would be pretty easy. But then I noticed that the maplight came with a harness so I thought there might be a place to just plug n play.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I just installed the map light. I thought it was going to take about 15 minutes.....1 1/2 hours later it was done! Some advice for others:

You do not have to drop the headliner at all. Remove your rear view mirror and place the bracket for the map light on the headliner with the holes lined up with the 3 screw holes that hold the rear view mirror. Next, with a pen, mark the two cutouts in the bracket for the map light (I know, pics would help but I didn't take any. Trust me, it will be obvious if you have one of these in your hands.). Now cut out the two openings in the headliner with an knife (box cutter works well) by making two diagonal cuts in the marked cutout locations. I then cut across the two openings to make a larger slot. I was then able to turn the bracket sideways and slide it up under the headliner. You can now install the bracket while reinstalling the rear view mirror.

Everyone says that they got power from the dome light. I removed the dome light and found the power wire (Black with white stripe). So far so good. I then tried to fish a coat hanger from the dome light to the map light. Although it's only about 30 inches, the headliner has ribs that press tight against the roof making this impossible for me to accomplish. Pulling this wire turned into quite the ordeal!

To make a long story short. I removed my passenger sunvisor, passenger top seatbelt assembly and various bits of molding. I then cut a small slit in the headliner above the seatbelt bolt but low enough that the molding would cover it. I could then easily run a coat hanger up through this slit and into a lateral channel which feeds the coat hanger straight to the dome light. I then pulled the wire through to this point with the coat hanger. I then repeated the procedure from the slit forward to the sunvisor hole (a bit more tricky but doable if you're patient!) and then from the sunvisor hole back across to the map light. A rather circuitous route but the only thing that I could figure out.

Last thought, I have seen these map lights for sale on ebay without the metal bracket (in fact, I bought one but at least it was cheap and had the tan cover that I needed). You cannot install this map light without the metal bracket!

Hope this helps someone in the future.

 

[pappy]

as for the wire we could not find one so we just snacked a wire over to the dimmer switch

We did this mod in my truck and I can tell you right now there aren't any wires hanging around, do as Nat said and just feed another wire to the dimmer, it's pretty easy.

If you look at how the light came out of the donor truck you will see that there is no connector for that light. It comes from a splice off the light at the rear. So bottom line, do what the factory did and splice into the rear dome.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

No affiliation but there is one of these with bracket for sale on ebay if anyone wants/needs one. I wouldn't normally post a link to something for sale but I haven't seen very many of these, especially with the bracket...

eBay Motors: 84-88 Toyota truck / 4Runner map light w/bracket (item 220276325145 end time Sep-08-08 18:46:55 PDT)

 

[red87runnerATX]

I hate to be "that guy" but I'm gonna knock the dust off this really old thread to ask a quick question...

I'm in the middle of putting in map lights for my 4R. I'm ready to splice into the dome light...but which wire do I use? There's two wires that supply the dome light. One wire is all white, the other is white with a black stripe. If I were to guess, I'd assume the white/black is the constant hot, but you know what happens when you assume...I can't get a good ground with my test light.

I feel like that guy in an action flick, trying to difuse a bomb by cutting the correct wire

 

[lunyou]

I hate to be "that guy" but I'm gonna knock the dust off this really old thread to ask a quick question...

I'm in the middle of putting in map lights for my 4R. I'm ready to splice into the dome light...but which wire do I use? There's two wires that supply the dome light. One wire is all white, the other is white with a black stripe. If I were to guess, I'd assume the white/black is the constant hot, but you know what happens when you assume...I can't get a good ground with my test light.

I feel like that guy in an action flick, trying to difuse a bomb by cutting the correct wire

Wareagle used the black/white stripe accomplish his mod.

 

[pappy]

Wareagle used the black/white stripe accomplish his mod.

I hate to ask, but are you sure. B-W is traditionally a ground in Toyota harnesses. Can the terminals be metered?

 

[KLF]

Pappy, I think you are confusing B-W with W-B. White with black stripe (W-B) is always ground. I'm looking at my '88 "Electrical Wiring Diagram" manual now, and there is a B-W (Black with white stripe) that provides power to the map lights. It comes off the feed to the Dome light.

 

[pappy]

doh. Correct. W-B is ground.