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Need a "tailgate is open" ligh       #: 168
 Moderated by: Mike69, MaDMaXX, Page:    1  2  Next Page Last Page  
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 Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2017 04:36 pm
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JAMMAN

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 Has anyone done a "tailgate is open" warning system? I've left mine open like 3 times now. Haven't lost anything or killed anyone yet. Started happening "post tonneau" I can't see the tail gate through the rear view mirror any more.



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 Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2017 08:18 pm
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 that shouldn't be too hard, just grab one of those alarm style switches & install it so that when the tailgate is down the switch opens up to close the circuit. add a power & ground, an indicator led (with resistir) on the dash & whenever the tailgate is closed, the led goes out, when it's down the led comes on.



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 Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2017 10:13 pm
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 buggman wrote: that shouldn't be too hard, just grab one of those alarm style switches & install it so that when the tailgate is down the switch opens up to close the circuit. add a power & ground, an indicator led (with resistir) on the dash & whenever the tailgate is closed, the led goes out, when it's down the led comes on.
Or better yet and much MORE stealth like.. Take those 12 #30 torx screws out of the tailgate access. you can mount a mercury "style" switch inside, run the wires down through the bottom through a plastic grommet and run them along the body harness to the cab. If it were me, there is a small access grommet behind the seats and come into the cab that way.

Follow Buggmans LED indicator light after that. One wire could go to ground, the other is a ground out put when the mercury/ball is in the right position upwards, completing a circuit or vice versa..

But at least this way, you dont have some pin-switch on a bracket in the way of things or for general purposes, aesthetically unsightly with holes in the bed. ;)

Last edited on Mon Nov 13th, 2017 10:14 pm by Undrstm8ed



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 Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2017 10:27 pm
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JAMMAN

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 There are a couple of the lights in my cluster that aren't being used LOL

Has anyone else had this issue? Tonneau and forgetting to put the tailgate up?



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 Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2017 10:35 pm
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 Sound more like CRS [cant remember  ] than anything.. LMAO

But besides that, I agree, Id use a OEM light even if its the Door Ajar light if you could. Worst case scenario if you leave the tail gate down you could just have it turn on the dome light which that wiring is in the B pillar drivers side and with a relay.. well you get it.. haha

Last edited on Mon Nov 13th, 2017 10:37 pm by Undrstm8ed



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 Posted: Tue Nov 14th, 2017 03:43 pm
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 Undrstm8ed wrote: Sound more like CRS [cant remember  ] than anything.. LMAO


LOL X2 on the CRS. :crazy I suffer from it myself.

Last edited on Tue Nov 14th, 2017 03:43 pm by Mike69



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 Posted: Wed Nov 15th, 2017 02:19 pm
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 The mercury switch idea is pretty elegant.



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 Posted: Fri Nov 17th, 2017 11:20 pm
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 Best one to use, this double sealed unit. Virtually unaffected by weather, humidity, magnets, very low failure point. Also offers a mounting tab that can be slightly bent if need be for corrective angles and relatively inexpensive.

AU46 Mercury Tilt Switch

Last edited on Fri Nov 17th, 2017 11:21 pm by Undrstm8ed



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"Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur" - ~ attributed to Petronius (Gaius Petronius Arbiter (ca. 27–66 AD))
Roman courtier during the reign of Nero.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine


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 Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2017 07:01 am
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 I was under the impression that "mercury" was illegal due to its poisonous nature. I had a bottle of it when I was a kid, about 1/4 cup! A collection from my cousin that worked at IBM and old house thermostats.

I'm ordering 2, I have some mechanical switches I bought for my hood light LED's but I'll use one of those and a small relay for the front since I bought 4 strips for under the hood, might be too much for that little ball of mercury.

Thanks for the tips, now I won't have to drill holes for the big switches.





EDIT**** I paid .49 more and got them through e-bay since the checkout process is so quick. There's a place in Livonia Mi. with a pile of them evidently.



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 Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2017 04:37 pm
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 JAMMAN wrote: I was under the impression that "mercury" was illegal due to its poisonous nature. I had a bottle of it when I was a kid, about 1/4 cup! A collection from my cousin that worked at IBM and old house thermostats.

I'm ordering 2, I have some mechanical switches I bought for my hood light LED's but I'll use one of those and a small relay for the front since I bought 4 strips for under the hood, might be too much for that little ball of mercury.

Thanks for the tips, now I won't have to drill holes for the big switches.


EDIT**** I paid .49 more and got them through e-bay since the checkout process is so quick. There's a place in Livonia Mi. with a pile of them evidently.


Well I know they did that with lead but.. not sure on the full story on mercury. I do recall a few companies going to a metal ball in a small tube that made contact as the circuit but they sucked ass and that's from an installers professional opinion. lol

Interesting.. The 12° North under hood lights I used had a waterproof switch put inline near the light itself which is mainly just used to turn the light off during the day time if working under the hood and keep the light from flashing in the dark under the hood. Sorry for the dirty pics...



I actually took the 921 bulb out from the existing OEM tilt-activated circuit, tapped into the back of it for power and ground for the NEW LED under hood light.




I can almost perform surgery under the hood now.. :q





Complete darkness on the trail.. The pic doesn't prove it due to the camera's abilities but from where I was, I had shadow light on my shoes from where I was standing; might have been 25-27 meters away.



But for the tailgate, a mercury switch will work great as a activator for a light. I could do that too but I am considering to do is tap the interior light circuit for the rear Flip-back light [White 5w LED] with a secondary switch to kill it and make it operate as a manual switch as it is now. The forward light [Red 7w LED] is more for bunking it up and saving the night vision when in use.

If necessary, I have a slightly smaller version of the same under hood light on the tailgate glass facing down [when up] or inside when down that's overkill for interior lighting but its NOT used to be very stealth at all but works great for a tailgating light for evening trail camping; cooking, finding a tool or working on something on the tailgate or ground behind the truck.

And the Livonia, Mich place.. was it Altron or Electronic Connection by chance?

Last edited on Sat Nov 18th, 2017 05:08 pm by Undrstm8ed



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Roman courtier during the reign of Nero.

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 Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2017 07:33 pm
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MaDMaXX

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 I wonder how long the LED's will last under the hood, their weakness is heat :(



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 Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2017 07:35 pm
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 2.5 years so far so good... 



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Roman courtier during the reign of Nero.

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 Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2017 07:37 pm
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MaDMaXX

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 Nice. Hmm, they're right on the leading edge, i wonder if they escape more heat there.

Also, mercury, whilst it's not great for you, you should check out some of these videos, even i wouldn't do this!!













Last edited on Sat Nov 18th, 2017 07:40 pm by MaDMaXX



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 Posted: Sun Nov 19th, 2017 08:00 pm
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 ybe I'm unaware of something but.. I dont think I would engage in that.. lol



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"Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur" - ~ attributed to Petronius (Gaius Petronius Arbiter (ca. 27–66 AD))
Roman courtier during the reign of Nero.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine


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 Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2017 05:07 pm
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 Got the mercury switches yesterday.

They are not mercury switches.

They have the ball and contacts. You can't see it because it is enclosed in a little metal can of sorts but you can feel it.



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 Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2017 06:20 pm
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 So you ordered and paid for MERCURY switches, but the shipped you something else?



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 Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2017 07:11 pm
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 Yup. I'll use them any way they were cheap but give me a break.

Like when I ordered the transponder keys and they were empty, nothing in the little window.



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 Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2017 07:28 pm
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 You sound like Cameron... he has no luck ordering things online sometimes.



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 Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2017 07:44 pm
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 Yea, you need to call them clowns on bait and switch. remember when I said they swapped some of those out for those or little square plastic boxes with basically a BB in them.. same  .



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 OK, so it has been two and one half years since this Thread was last posted to.
Jamman, Jim, did you setup a Tail Gate Open Indicator circuit ?
Interesting idea !



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 Posted: Sun Mar 1st, 2020 11:24 pm
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 I'm waiting to take the bed off, I'm running a harness from front to back that includes wires for the tilt switch, and a shielded cable for the backup camera, a few extra wires in case I want to put in lights in the bed or extra fluff in the tail lights.

I have all the parts, including plastic conduit (flex) for the wires. Water proof also.

I had some family related issues about time this all stopped happening, unless health issues come along all the projects will be back on track this spring thru fall INCLUDING removing the bed and sealing the frame with magnet paint chassis saver. I haven't bought the paint yet but I have everything else.



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 Posted: Mon Mar 2nd, 2020 12:34 am
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 Let us know how the Mercury Switches work in the tailgate, not a bad mod.
Do a How-To, especially the mounting.

When you hook-up the Tailgate Switch, set it up with the switch activating the circuit, only when the ignition is in the run position.
That way it won't be running all the time that the gate is open, it will only warn you when you start the truck.

It probably isn't necessary to suggest the above but I was reading and thinking how I would do it.

Great idea.

Ltr



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 Posted: Mon Mar 2nd, 2020 06:38 am
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 I was going to wire it in with the door ajar circuit, it would simply be the red light on the cluster we all know and love. It would trip the dome light also LOL so you would literally HAVE to close it.

I could have killed someone on the highway one morning, left the tailgate open and had a bottle of washer fluid in there and a pipe wrench. It stayed in but guilt feelings spawned this idea to be honest. Only happens with a tonneau cover, I can't see the tailgate in my truck with the cover.



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 Jim,
I am sure you have been thinking on your methods of wiring, which switch to use, grounded or positive switching, but I am as I am and I need to keep talking about something I find interesting.
This circuit only requires a ground circuit, similar to the doors, one wire from a run power source, to a dash mounted indicator light, and then to a waterproof switch at the tailgate; the switch will ground out the circuit when the engine is running and the tailgate is open.
As you stated the Door Ajar circuit is a good idea to connect the tailgate to but I think a more direct circuit will be better for reliability.   The Door Circuit always find some reason to stay on and that would give a false reading, giving way to ignoring the flashing light on the dash.
Only problem is the Switch, there are plenty of Door Activated Type Switches, BUT waterproof ones appear hard to locate, at least for me, but I'm working on it.
The idea can be brought to fruition simply by a one wire circuit, and a Waterproof Switch !

Great idea, thanks, I've added to my To-Do List !

p.s. Also found out that the company "Zoro" where I buy a lot of the Piping  for Shelving, has Switches and a lot of other electrical components... China Made though, but no waterproof  switches so far !



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Ltr,
2003 EDGE, Std Cab, Steppie, E4 Red, 5sp, 4x
5" SuperLift, 33" x 12.50 x 15"
Hurst Shifter
Mod'd Backrack to fit Steppie
Front and Rear Bumpers by Custom 4x4 Fabrication, OK; now Mike's Welding and Fabrication.
Working on more Mods, just need more time, longer days would work !
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 Posted: Wed Mar 4th, 2020 12:24 pm
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chris

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 Most cars over here have waterproof bonnet (hood) switches - you could use one of them.



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MG power
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