Guide: adding door ajar to front map lights

[ATL Cruiser]

It has always bothered me that the front map light does not turn on when opening the doors. Only the back two dome lights turn on.

Lighting is a big deal to me. I wanted the front map light to turn on when the doors are open. So I solved it. There are three options for solving this:

Current setup:

• ON
• OFF

New setup option 1:

• DOOR AJAR
• OFF

(this is a good option if your kids leave the doors open a lot and kill the battery. This allows you to disable the door ajar. However, it does not allow for using the map light while driving.)

New setup option 2:

• DOOR AJAR
• ON

(this is a good setup if you want to use the map light while driving. However, it does not allow for disabling, so your kids might kill the battery.)

New setup option 3:

• DOOR AJAR
• ON
• OFF

(this setup works exactly like the rear dome lights. However, it requires swapping out to a 3-position switch.)



All the options require running a new ground wire to the door ajar grounding circuit. The easiest location is the door ajar red warning light on the instrument cluster. Remove the instrument cluster and tap into the black, grounding wire.

The map light currently shares a common ground with the moonroof. These two will need to be separated, so the map light has its own unique ground wire.

Stop here if you are happy with just OPTION #1. This will turn the map light on when the doors are opened. Or, flipping the switch will disable the light completely, so your kids cannot kill the battery leaving the doors open. But, if you want to be able to use the map light while driving, proceed to OPTION #2.

In order to use the map light while driving, another ground wire will need to be added. But this one is easy. It will ground to the frame of the truck, just like all the other dome lights.

Bend the ring terminal to a right angle, so it mounts flush. Then, tie into the body for grounding at the bezel mount. You may need to clean up the bolt and/or run a 6mm x 1.0 tap to make a good connection. Again, this is exactly how the back dome lights ground.

This will complete OPTION #2. This allows for the map lights to turn on with door ajar OR turn on while driving. However, this does not allow for the map lights to be disabled entirely. I stopped at this point, as this is exactly what I wanted.

In order for OPTION #3 to work (i.e. ON/OFF/AJAR), the 2-position switch will need to be replaced with a 3-position switch. Toyota already makes this switch (part number 81260-20220-B1) which is found in 93-99 Celicas and 94-2000 RAV4s. eBay is full of them.

I did not pursue this option. However, it would simply require swapping the switch out just like in OPTION #2. This would allow for a true ON/OFF/AJAR option.

 

[bottombracket]

Look, I know you’re talking to the whole Internet, but I feel like you’re talking directly to me every time you type the phrase “if your kids leave the door open and kill the battery.”

Awesome job.

 

[FJ73Texas]

Good stuff. Thank you so much.

 

[Rigster]

Look, I know you’re talking to the whole Internet, but I feel like you’re talking directly to me every time you type the phrase “if your kids leave the door open and kill the battery.”

Awesome job.

Right?!?! I have 3 teenage boys and they all need constant reminders to shut their door again because they did not close it all the way.... Sheesh!

 

[hoser]

The 100 series has the same set-up where the door ajar doesn't light up any lights forward of the driver. Thought it was strange at first but figured maybe it reduces "blindness" say when you are dropping somebody off at the curb and taking off immediately.