plug in tow harness (1 Viewer)

[semlin]

So I'm looking under my truck and right dead centre at the back up inside behind the rear bumper is a grey plastic wiring female socket branching off a wire loom that runs all the way across the back. Is this the fabled "Molex" connector for a tow wiring harness that I looked for in vain long ago in my rear quarter panels only to find my defunct factory harness was manually spliced into one set of tail light wiring. If so, can someone remind me who make the kit that plugs into it? I am confused why Toyota would splice rather than plug but what do I know.

 

[SeanAndHis80]

I connected a t-one wiring harness/converter to my 97. This connected to plugs in the wiring loom above the spare. The plugs were towards the right hand side above the exhaust. Three connectors were used - two that were originally connected together and one that was hanging free.

I did see a free connector in the center of that wiring loom - but it was not used for the t-one application.

 

[Scamper]

If you're trying to install the "official" towing harness (the one that comes with the Toyota receiver (it's actually aftermarket--these are typically installed at POE but sometimes by dealers), then the true connector is inside the truck. On my '97 it's located on the PS side behind the rear panel (very rear) which is aft of the PS wheel. You have to pull the panel back and reach down and back to get it. Small hands are helpful. You connect the harness to the existing connector inside there and run the wires out to the hitch. It leaves you with a 4-pin setup, so if you need more (e.g., 7-pin), you have to splice into this for the lights and run the rest of the wires yourself (e.g., for the battery connections if needed).