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Interior floor ambient LED lighting. No cutting factory wires

12K views 29 replies 5 participants last post by  CapAm81 
#1 ·
Shout out to gMan1971 for the idea. I saw the post with the blue LED lights around the floor and had to do it.

2018 PAC Touring Plus. I was able to connect the led strips together and then tie them into the dash light dimmer switch by pushing them into the backside of the connector housing. NO Cutting of factory wires!! Blur leds match blur dash lights almost perfectly. The pictures don't show the true look accurately. Can give a walk through if anyone is interested.

The floor lights dim with the dash lights, turn on with the auto function, and turn on when the doors are opened. Did the whole thing for around $50 with some supplies around the house and LED strips from AutoZone. It was a spur of the moment project, otherwise I'm sure it could be done cheaper by shopping around online.

See attached photos for brightest setting and dimmest setting
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#2 ·
That is pretty cool looking! I know it's hard to photograph the different levels, but I get the idea. Really like the back of the center console light!

Can you walk through how (and where) you tapped into the dash light dimmer switch? Also, why not into the interior accent lighting dimmer?
 
#6 ·
All you have to do is pry open the panel that holds the USB and the 12VDC cigarette lighter under the dash; then tap a small 3 led strip to those harnesses. There are three wires on each, on the cigarette one for ground, one for 12vdc dimmable and another 12v always 12v (the actual cigarette lighter power) the other side (USB) one of the wires has a +5V for the USB charging, the other two are ground and 12v dimmable. Just solder a thin pin to the end and slide it on the back of the connector (polarity) or you can simply splice it and slide it through, secure with some electrical tape.

G.
 
#4 ·
These are the light strips that I used. They came with both 12v accessory plug in and wires to be hard wired in.
https://www.autozone.com/exterior-l...4in-blue-plug-glow-led-light-strip/543827_0_0

My original plans were to have the lights tied into the ambient lighting switch however, that changed when I realized that the switch was putting out low voltage power. The lights barely came on when the switch was set to the brightest setting. I'm not an electrician so the next easiest option for me was to use the 12v dimming switch that powered the dash lights.

1st thing I did was position the lights where i wanted them. I prepped the surface with some rubbing alcohol. The driver and passenger foot area have knee airbags, so I mounted the strips on the firewall side of the air ducts. It also helped to redirect the bright leds down and away from the occupants face, making them more tolerable while driving at night. The bottom cubby on the center console wasn't too bad, but I did have to pry the panel out and then drill a small hole on the topside of the back of the cubby (for the wires to pass through). Only reason it was difficult was because there isn't much slack from the usb and aux ports which make it difficult to pull the panel out far enough to "easily" access. The 4th strip was installed at the back of the center console. The face plate facing the 2nd row pops off easily. I mounted the strip and ran the wires through a panel gap on the passenger side, then reinstalled the face plate.
In order to connect all the strips, I used 20g wire. (20/2). I got a spool of it from Lowes. I used end connectors to make most of the connections, but for good meausre, I also soldered the loose wires before connecting. I also used heat wrap to ensure everything was secure and well insulated. There is plenty of space for wires under the center console. I did not need to remove it. The wires pushed under the side easily. Joined the center dash, center console, and passenger foot light together just to the side of the glove box. From there, I ran a lead to the drivers side led and then up to the light switch. In order to get a firm connection, I folded over the end of the exposed wire and then pushed them into the back side of the switch plug connector. The negative wire went to the onoy black wire. The positive went to the brown wire with a thin blue stripe. The whole switch assembly does remove easily with a small flat head screw driver. No need to remove the dash to get to the switch.
Assembly notes...it does make it easier to remove the lower dash/console panels. They are simple push connectors and do not require anything more than a flat head screw driver. I did use a panel removal tool since I already had one, but it isn't necessary if you don't already own one.
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#5 ·
Sweet looking!!! Yeah, I am shocked it didn't came from factory this way. My Focus ST has this from factory, and you can even change the color... the ones in the door change colors to "bright" red when you open the doors, etc...So, hopefully someone at Chrysler in the design dept is reading this and can make this happen for future Pacifica models. :)

Seeing how well it looks under the super-console looks like I'll be doing something there as well... thanks for sharing your images!!

G.
 
#7 ·
I like that. It wasnt until after I installed everything and was testing it out that I remembered the lights around those ports are on the ambient switch. May get around to swapping that over next time I'm working on it. Was there a trick to getting the USB/aux ports off? I couldn't get mine out far enough to reach back and disconnect the plugs
 
#8 ·
On my Pacifica there was enough wire to pull the two ports under the dash, probably 5-6 inches of room, plenty to tap into the harnesses. Remember that you need to pull the entire panel, not just each port, its a lot easier. In the end it doesn't matter which port you hook it up to, tho, so long you don't attempt installing a 200 led strip that could melt the wiring, it will be good. I have on order the third row single LED and I've already devised how to run the wires through the stow and go. The center console rear handle will with a single white LED, similar to how you did it in your van...
I've also figured how I could add illuminated cupholder rings to the 3rd row, so I'll probably be doing that at some point. The idea is to make the van look really "welcoming" at night.

I will be adding a red LED on top of the rear hatch close/open button, since that button is not illuminated... and when all the interior lights are turned off (both dimmers) there is no way to actually see where the hatch button is in the dark...

G.
 
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#9 ·
I will be adding a red LED on top of the rear hatch close/open button, since that button is not illuminated... and when all the interior lights are turned off (both dimmers) there is no way to actually see where the hatch button is in the dark...
Thanks for the instructions, and lighting up the rear hatch button is brilliant. I've actually talked to a body shop about relocating the rear hatch switch to the bottom (interior) of the hatch itself, like Toyota has it. Much more convenient to close it and get out of the way, if you're tall enough. They said it wouldn't be too hard... maybe have them illuminate it at the same time?
 
#11 ·
@Babarino, great job doing the write up!

G.
 
#12 ·
I received the colored LEDs today, and just added a light inside the 2nd row center cupholder/tray open latch/button, so its illuminated and you can open the cupholder even in pitch dark conditions, so long the accent is enabled. (which always is since the front accent LED lights on mine always come on when something is operated inside the van.)

I also added a light inside the drawer, so you'll be able to see inside, all I need to add now is a switch to turn it on/off when the 2nd row center drawer opens.

I will probably do the 3rd row accent tonight, I am debating whether to connect these to the rear rear USB charging port dimmable lights or to the front LED accent lighting... we'll see how I feel when I wire them tonight.

Pics soon.

G.
 
#13 ·
@gMan1971 I couldn't help myself. Wife said I need to stop before it looks like we are driving the Cash Cab 😂. I added some LED nodes to the 4 air vents in the rear. They are wired to the courtesy lights so that they only come on when the doors are opened. I figured they would be distracting while driving at night and allow people to easily see in.
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#14 ·
Holy SMOKES!!! dude that looks great!! I am finishing the 3rd row accent lighting... not sure if I will go that far tho... but looks amazing... I was thinking of doing that to the speakers instead... :) hahahha

G.
 
#16 ·
Yeah, doing the speakers has certainly crossed my mind, never thought about doing the vents tho, it looks great... :) a Cash Cab... hahaha...

And 3rd row accent lighting is done... A single 12vdc 5mm LED under each seat was perfect. It looks great, and pics once I upload them... :)

G.
 
#17 ·
My turn, Sir! :)

hahaha: 3rd row accent lighting DONE.
 
#19 ·
Yes, all seats can be stored. I routed the wires following the exact same path the electronic lever switch follows, so it goes in and out without a hitch.

LOL... I think this was the last LED install for me... I think... I might try what you did on the side for the rear access panel to free some flow, and add some dynamat to the panels to help reduce even more noise... :) we'll see...This vas was certainly well built in terms of how things fit and finish... I was able to remove panels and put them back without much of a hassle.

Back at the LED store... hahaha... nice!

Oh, I forgot, I did found out that the rear lift gate button can be illuminated, in fact, its the same hardware button as the illuminated buttons used in the 2nd row (door, stow-go,etc), but it has no actual LED inside (the PCB however shows a place for an SMD LED, but there is no LED and the resistors SMD mounts aren't populated either) Anyhow, I ordered an illuminated button (the one that opens the sliding door from inside) and I will be transplanting the actual lift gate button face onto the illuminated version of the switch, and then run an extension from the wire that powers my 3rd row accent lighting to the switch, thus having an illuminated lift gate door when the accent lighting goes online. I ordered the switch yesterday so hopefully by the weekend I can get hammering on this.

Pics as things happen...

On a side note, I hope someone at Chrysler is looking, IMO its just a shame that this wasn't a factory option on the top trims, like my Focus ST... but again, its easy enough to DIY without leaving the van inoperative for days... :) but stock would've been a nice touch, and put it a few extra leaps ahead of the boring Sedona, Sienna and Odyssey :)

G.
 
#21 ·
If you want custom I think the PandaVan is the ultimate custom Pacifica... that thing looks great... :)

I am thinking about doing the rear air vent opening from your other thread...
 
#23 ·
He already posts here... you just posted in his "lowering springs" thread... :) Not sure if my wife will ever let me turn my van into a hot hatch like that but... hey... :)

All he needs now is a supercharger or some sort of forced induction, pair of 6 pot brembos front and move the fronts to the rear...

G.
 
#25 ·
LMAO.. good luck man... wife will probably kill me if I did that... I am just going for the subtle and the low hanging fruits... the days of swapping engines and bolting turbos are long gone for me...

One of the things to consider with the Lambo exhaust (dual tip on the center) is that aside from it looking frigging great is the hitch placement. My ST (and C5Z ) both have center exhaust and it rendered these cars incapable of mounting a hitch... so if you plan on installing a hitch down the road on the van you might want to consider other exhaust alternatives.

G.
 
#27 ·
LMAO... bumper huggers... I need to add a hitch at some point... at least something I can install and take out when needed... not sure if I would like the van with the anti-hugger hitch always on...

G.
 
#28 ·
I installed an aftermarket hitch. We don't tow, but I do use it for the cargo carrier. I went with Draw-Tite model 76046, for $114. I used this one because of it's high load rating and discrete mount. It took a little,bit of extra work to get the shield to line up because I chose to cut individual slots rather than cutting out large chunks for access.
The bully bar stays on all the time, whenever we aren't using the cargo carrier.

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#29 ·
Looks nice!! :) I will have to wait until I get the dual sensor for the touchless door opener... :)
 
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