Switch Wiring for LED Light Bar

I changed the thread title to reflect the post topic more accurately.

There are so many lighting threads that I hesitated to start this thread, but a couple of questions came up that, despite tons of searching, I needed help finding answers to.

1) I am familiar with the AOB, Cali Raised, and other OEM-style switches, but I haven't seen anyone using a Factory Toyota switch. I don't care what the label on the switch says, and a Toyota fog light switch that fits in one of the blanks to the left of the steering wheel would be OK. Besides cost, why are people not going directly to the Toyota Factory for switches? I assume I could order a switch from my dealership.

2) I plan to tap into the wiper warmer wires to dim the lights on my switch and disable the switch when the key is off.

a) On a 2024 4Runner, is the Grey Wire of the wiper warmer switch the Ground, and the Green Wire the Dimmer Circuit?

b) I have done a fair amount of 12v wiring before and have a selection of high-quality connectors. But tapping into the factory wiper warmer circuit makes me nervous. Are Posi-Tap's a good choice? I've also considered severing the wire and crimping in a heat-shrink butt connector or a soldered heat-shrink connector to tie the wires together. Posi-Tap seems the least intrusive, but I have never used the product before. How do you guys like Posi-Tap's?

3) Wiring into the Wiper Warmer Circuit should allow the new switch light to be dimmed with the rest of the dashboard lights and prevent activation of the LED light bar when the key is off. Is that correct, or am I missing something?

I live on the outskirts of my county, with very dark, forested roads and very little traffic. Compared to my 2013 GMC truck, the lighting in my 4Runner is an upgrade, but it could be better. I am adding Diode Dynamics SS3 Max Fog Lights to help identify deer in the shadows and improve lighting in storms and snowy weather. I looked into upgrading the headlights to Morimoto or AlphaRex, but the benefit/cost seemed questionable. The Diode Dynamics Stage Series Upper Grille Lights are SAE compliant, and having them at the same level as my headlights and selectable with a switch when needed felt like the best option for my need for supplemental light. The relatively easy install also made them appealing, and since I am installing the TRD Pro Grille, I might as well throw some lights in while I have the front end apart.

4) Since I am opening up the dashboard and grille, I decided to add the Trail Grid Pro Anytime Front Camera to the mix. But I still can't figure out if the switch used for the Anytime Camera is dimmable.

a) Has anyone succeeded in making the Anytime Front/Rear Camera Switch dimmable with the rest of the dash? Or does it dim with their included wiring harness and suggested installation?

b) Is there a Factory Toyota Switch available that would work for the Anytime Camera? Or is the included switch the only option?

Thanks!!

 

I just read an old thread on a different forum about wiring the 12v trigger for the light bar to the high beams so the high beam switch activates the LED light bar. The dashboard switch would allow the light bar to be turned off entirely or on when the high beams are on. I would appreciate the information if anyone has insight into wiring this correctly with a 2024 4Runner. It seems that the LED high beams and the DRL wiring require a different approach to make this work. While it would be nice to have this optionality, I am not too worried about turning on the light bar with a dash mounted push button switch.

 

OK, how about a simple question? Has anyone wired a dashboard switch into the dimmer circuit?

 

I'll start off by saying the thread title may not express what you want the thread to be about. That might be why you haven't had the engagement you're after.
Regardless, hopefully I can answer some of the questions. I am writing this quickly before work but let me know if I can expand on anything further.

1. I'm sure you can use Toyota factory switches but the wiring may be tricky. Piecing together the switch and a corresponding connector/pigtail will be difficult. I have had trouble finding Toyota factory connectors in general, let alone ones for the back of an OEM switch. And even if you do find it, I'm sure the cost will be much more than the aftermarket and the markings/symbol/label will not match the accessory you want to wire. Aftermarket switches, especially AOB, are rather cost effective, come with a pigtail for easy wiring, and there are an abundance of symbols/labels. The backlight color also matches the factory blue LED rather well. If you are insistent on Toyota OEM switches, you will likely need to do your homework to figure it out.
2. I can't comment on the wiper heater wiring colors but I will say the posi-taps are not worth it. they cut through the factory wiring shielding and can cause issues down the line. I decided to use the trailer brake controller harness/pigtail that came with the 4Runner to power my switches' backlights. I believe it is the green wire with silver dashes that provides power when the tail lights are activated. This is a simple solution that can be disconnected from the connector under the dash if you ever need to use a brake controller. If you tow constantly, this may not be the solution for you.
3. You should not be powering auxiliary lighting from the dimmer function. You should always use a relay because the factory wiring is not intended to carry the current for a light bar or any other auxiliary lighting. You can use the tail light signal as a trigger for aux lighting but it will always be on with your tail lights. You should consider how you want your aux lighting to function before proceeding. I'm in the midst of my rewiring journey and have done lots of learning to clean up my system. I'm happy to help further if needed.
4. I am not familiar with the camera systems. They are intriguing to me and I may install one in the future but I can't help you with that.

High Beam Trigger
As mentioned in #3, I am working on my wiring and one of the functions is a high beam trigger. See this thread for more information on that (https://www.4runners.com/threads/au...to-relay-lights-flickering-in-drl-mode.12684/). And post 20 shows the wiring diagram I put together. This may give you some ideas on your wiring goals.

Hopefully this helps you out some. I'm happy to expand on these if needed. Please note, I a professional and my knowledge is all self taught. I am an automotive enthusiast, learning as I go.

 

This is all extremely helpful. Thank you! I will stop into the dealership today and inquire about Factory Toyota switches. But, based on your comment, I don't think it will be worth the hassle. I am not planning to install any more lights than what I am taking on now, and the factory fog light switch symbol would suit my needs, even if it isn't completely accurate. But, if it becomes a hassle finding a pigtail and decoding the wiring scheme, it probably won't be worth the hassle.

I have a GMC truck that I tow a trailer with, and my 4Runner will never be a tow vehicle, so the brake controller pigtail is a fantastic idea! I just installed the Diode Dynamics hitch light, and even though I can easily remove it, I am not using the 4Runner for towing. Also, thank you for the insight into the Toyota Factory switches. I figured there was a reason beyond cost that they were not being used. AOB has a new "Toyota Light Blue" backlight that resembles the stock switch lighting.

My LED light bar harness has a relay, and I purchased the Cali Raised relay bracket to mount in the engine compartment. It sounds like the tail light signal is exactly what I want since I do not want the lights to come on when the key is off. Initially, I liked the idea of having the lights enabled by the high beams with the switch I am installing, allowing me to turn them off. I read through your thread on the auxiliary high beam tap, but I will re-read that thread. I appreciate your insight into the Posi-Tap's. There was something about those taps I didn't like, but you explained it in a way that brought it home. I want to leave the stock wiring alone as much as possible. I am questioning whether dimming the switches I am installing is worth doing. In the case of the light bar, having the switch dark until it is activated would be easier to wire and then make it extremely obvious that the light bar was on. I rarely dim my dash light anyway, but I like the idea of a switch I install behaving like the rest of the dash.

I will re-read your thread and learn what I can about using the high beams as a trigger. I asked Diode Dynamics if they could make a plug I could use in the high beam bulb harness to create an access point for a trigger wire, but they did not. There are many videos and threads about wiring the Anytime Camera, so that seems pretty straightforward. If I learn anything new about dimming that switch, I will share it here.

Thanks again!

 

@PJSnow I dug up my trailer brake controller pigtail and plan to use that for switch illumination. Unfortunately, a dimmer circuit isn't available there, so my search continues.

While I would like to have the high beams trigger my LED light bar, I am not thrilled with tapping into any factory wiring. Not to mention, I am still confused about where I would grab that connection. It would be nice if Toyota included some wiring to support additional lighting! At this point, I am strongly considering leaving the LED light bar switch dark unless it is activated. That setup would leave the factory wiring alone, and it would be obvious when the LED bar was on or off. I also hope to have a setup that does not work when the key is off. Do you know how to go about that?

The Anytime Camera switch is illuminated at all times and will not dim using the included harness. The rear camera light is also illuminated when using the front camera. Can I use a diode to prevent the rear camera switch light from turning on when the front camera is selected? It is a small detail, but an aspect of the Anytime wiring annoys me. I want the switch illumination to dim with the rest of the dash and the proper camera light to illuminate when selected. It is annoying that the seller claims both lights being illuminated when the front camera is selected is "normal" when it seems to me that it is an error in how the harness is wired.

I am good at making solid electrical connections, routing wires cleanly and professionally, and following directions. But I am no electrician, and most of the intricacies of automotive wiring are way over my head. Many of the more knowledgeable people talk about diodes, PWM, etc., but I am only able to follow the conversation partially. I need a "slot A into tab B" description, or I am lost.

 

I am verifying this with Anytime Camera, but reading through the installation instructions (section 3.2-4.1) it appears that the switch included with the camera kit is dimmable. If this is confirmed, it seems it would be easy when I wire the switch for the camera to tie in my LED bar switch to the same location to control the switch illumination.

Anytime Front/Rear Camera Installation Instructions

I might have to turn the LED bar Light on and off with the AOB switch instead of the high beam stalk, but this setup would not touch any factory wiring. The Anytime Camera harness would be the only tie-in point, so all of this would be reversible, leaving the factory harness intact. I am leaning heavily in this direction since I don't have a solid grasp of the intricacies of the stock harness. I just poked my head under the dash, and all the tiny wires to the switches are super intimidating. Staying away from that is probably the best, considering my comfort level.

 

To clarify, the factory switches do not "dim" but rather they have illumination when the headlights/tail lights are on. The AOB switches have two LEDs built in: 1 LED illuminates when the accessory is activated (switch is engaged) and 2 LED illuminates when the fourth wire trigger has a charge (example: connected to the tail light circuit and the tail lights are illuminated, thus the second LED in the switch will be illuminated). The thin (22 ga?) green and silver stripe wire from the trailer brake controller pig tail gives off 12V when the tail lights are illuminated. You can test this by plugging in the pig tail to the connector under the dash and testing the wire with a digital multimeter when the tail lights are turned on. I connected this wire to all of my accessory switches to provide illumination to the second LED in the aftermarket switches when the tail lights are on. The first LED in the switches only turns on if the accessory is on (switch is engaged). Hopefully this clarifies a bit.

Here is a diagram of a typical aftermarket switch. AOB follows this order but the wire colors may be different (I think they use blue instead of red2?).
Red2 is what I connected to the tail light trigger (green and silver wire from the trailer brake controller). This is what provides illumination to the switch's 2nd LED.

 

I have this diagram, and a couple others, but thanks for including it here. Maybe I am chasing an impossible task? I was under the impression the illumination when the switch is in stand mode could be dimmed like the rest of the Factory Toyota switches. At this point I think I will tie into the same connections as the Anytime Camera switch since I will be installing that at the same time. Then, everything I am doing is reversible. Not that the brake controller wouldn't be, but the Camera stuff should support everything. My only remaining question is if the LED lights can be turned on with the engine off? Hopefully not, but even that isn't a big deal.

 

Thanks to @PJSnow, I understand the wiring for auxiliary lights better and have a plan for the behind-the-grille LED light bars I am installing. I ordered the same relay included in the wiring harness from Diode Dynamics, and I will install it between the battery and the harness relay, with the trigger from an add-a-fuse from the tail light circuit in the interior fuse box. This should prevent the LED lights from turning on when the key is off. Yesterday, I verified that the illuminated switches that come stock on the 4Runner and the button lights of the head unit dim with the dimmer control. Since I am installing the Anytime Front/Rear Camera, I will tie the illumination circuit of my AOB switch into the head unit illumination circuitry, which should then dim the Anytime Camera switch and my LED light bar switch.

Now, if I could figure out how to incorporate a diode into the Anytime Camera switch to prevent the rear camera light from turning on when the front camera is engaged, I would be all set!!

Here is the wiring schematic PJSnow generously drew up to help me understand how to achieve what I want.