Wire routing for stock interior light

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Joined
May 13, 2017
Threads
68
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438
Location
Wickenburg, Arizona
Previous owner removed dome light at some point. Not sure why. Can't find wires in the door frame. How were they routed from the wiring harness?

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If I recall correctly... The connector at the harness is near the fuse block. The wire runs straight up through the dash and driver's side window frame. Out the top of the window frame (there's a little hole), along the top of your sill, and that gets you to the light. Running the wire through the frame is a pain.
 
In my 78, the wire comes up thru the drivers side of the windshield frame, then run along the rail of the top then down to the dome light hole.


That's correct always came from windshield. Then across to the B pillar then down thru a hole. 82 and later have two wires. One is positive and the other goes to the switches on the A pillar. They complete the ground when the door is open.
 
Thanks folks. Now I know where to look.
 
If the wire that comes out of the top of windshield frame is missing you will have a very difficult time time fishing one thru........on my brothers '76 the windshield/cowl gasket is obscuring the hole and not ready to take top off to fix it just yet........................ :bang:
 
If the wire that comes out of the top of windshield frame is missing you will have a very difficult time time fishing one thru........on my brothers '76 the windshield/cowl gasket is obscuring the hole and not ready to take top off to fix it just yet........................ :bang:

Oh, you are the bearer of good news!
 
If the wire that comes out of the top of windshield frame is missing you will have a very difficult time time fishing one thru........on my brothers '76 the windshield/cowl gasket is obscuring the hole and not ready to take top off to fix it just yet........................ :bang:


Routing the wire through the window frame is like pushing a string uphill.


It is clearly easier to do with the top off and windshield folding down. But I like a challenge and would attempt it. Left defrost defuser and instrument cluster would come out. Wouldn't try pushing a wire thru, would use something stiffer and feed from the top. Then attach the wires and pull up from the bottom. I know on the pre 82 there is a bullet connector where the windshield and top meet so can be disconnected when the top is off. When stripped one of these off a 84 a few years besides the interior light I got as much wiring as possible. Don't remember if it was two bullet connectors or a single plug but thinking a single plug.

When the 82 arrives might get lucky and the plug is hidden my the visor. Really no reason to remove these wires and if gone would ask myself wire. Believe the wires have a connection at the base as well as the top. If for any reason I need those wires I would have attached another loose wire and pulled it thru and then used it to pull the original wires back later. For what ever reason wiring on these rarely survive PO hacks. Over the years have collected a lot of factory wiring from different years just to undo PO attacks on factory wiring harnesses.
 
My hard top is currently on, so I can't take any photos that would do you any good, but it's exactly as stated in posts #2 and #3 above. There is a bullet connector just behind the top of the driver's side of the windshield, where you can disconnect it when you take the top off. Behind that, the wire just tucks into/lays in an interior channel in the hard top, above the door frame.
 
Yep, as others have said, not a big deal at all.

And if you do have to fish the wire thru, just get a 3 foot strip of 10g wire, push it DOWN the hole in the windshield frame, tape the subject wire to the 10g wire and bring it back up.
 
I have found the holes. It appears to route above the door as stated above. To be clear, a 77 has one wire to the light?? Mine has been muddled at some point...
 
My '75 has one wire...bullet connector. Not certain about '77, but most likely the same.
 
It grounds with that screw @ the switch. Does it light when you flip the switch?
 
10/81 (82 model) was the start of the power wire and second switched ground wire. Have a windshield probably bought twenty years ago. Has two wires going thru it. Always thought the second one was added. Looked it today and noticed both wires have the same black shielding over the wires. When I bought the windshield didn't know about the dome light that worked off door switches. I knew windshield was a 78+ and was told off a 80. My guess now if was off a 82+.

It's obvious where the wire comes out at the top. On the bottom it goes down into the cowl in a opening before it reaches the first defrost vent opening. Can take a picture of the opening if you want. Would have to look at a wiring diagram to see where the wire runs once behind the dash. It would run to one of the fuse circuit that is hot all the time and not thru the ignition switch. Should farely easy to figure out.
 
This pic is taken from the drivers side of my '77. As LitP states above, you can see where the wire runs between the cowl and windshield. I'm sure he can provide a better image.

1904431


Here is a wiring diagram if needed. It comes off the 20A lighter circuit.
1904432
 
Just to add some relevant information to this thread:
The dome light wire was actually part of the Wiper Motor sub-harness until Toyota moved the wiper motor to the lower windshield in 1975. One odd thing I have noticed over the years of building these harnesses: Toyota used 4 different colors of wire for that feed to the dome light. Red, Black, Red/Black and Red/Green all 18ga.
 
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