Topper wiring 

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66) 12/05/2018 at 20:43 • Filed to: None

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Oppo, if I have this hanging from my topper

What do I need to do to connect it to my truck to get the third brake light on top of the topper to work?

Topper has only one logo on it

Is there a kit of some sort to connect the topper to the wiring behind the brake light? Or should one know their wiring before they attempt this?

I should probably go to the topper store..

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 20:50

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That’s a trailer plug connector, I’m assuming someone just ran an extension from the trailer plug to that for the brake light 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 20:51

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Standard four wire trailer harness.

You’ll need to fix the white wire for it to work.

MUSASHI66 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 12/05/2018 at 20:52

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Interesting. I think I’ll just take it to the shop - my electrical skills are non-existing. Unless it’s a simple plug and play, I don’t really  know what I’m doing.

benjrblant > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 20:52

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That’s a standard 4-pin flat trailer wiring connector, for trailers without electric brakes. It should plug into your truck’s matching connector. If it’s for your CHSML (third brake light) you’d only need the ground and tail/brake wire.

MUSASHI66 > benjrblant 12/05/2018 at 20:54

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My truck doesn’t have a towing kit. The wiring might be there - I’ll go under and look. 

MUSASHI66 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/05/2018 at 20:55

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Thanks! I’ll look into this, i still think I’ll tske it to the shop. I wonder what shop should I take it to? Topper store? Place where they install hitches? Dealership or a mechanic? I’ll have to do some digging. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 21:02

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If you can’t find the other side of the connector? Regular auto mechanic. But may get expensive. If the wiring’s in that sort of condition, there’s probably worse further up the line, and that’s why it got unplugged in the first place.

Urambo Tauro > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 21:10

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That’s the truck side connector. Is it still connected to the truck ? The ground wire appears to be missing, so I think you’ll have to throw it away and get a new one.

Also, does your truck have amber turn signals or does the same bulb handle stop and turn functions ?

MUSASHI66 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/05/2018 at 21:43

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This is the wire connected to the topper. I want to connect this to the truck so my 3rd brake light works. 

MUSASHI66 > Urambo Tauro 12/05/2018 at 21:44

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This is the part coming out of the topper. I think I have red and amber lights in back. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 21:58

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Well, it sure won’t work as it sits. But rummage around in the bed and see if you can find the other end. Given it’s a topper, typically it ends up stashed in the fender channel by some route. I’d make sure you do or don’t have that before taking it to the mechanic.

Urambo Tauro > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 22:02

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Ok yeah that’s the wrong connector then. Dunno why somebody wired it like that. The female connector is supposed to be on the truck, so that a trailer (male connector) can plug into it.

I saw your other reply about taking it to a shop, but installing a 4-flat trailer harness might be easier than you think (depending on what kind of truck it is). You probably just have to crawl underneath , unplug a connector, and plug the trailer harness into it.

Wiring the topper is almost as easy. Assuming that you want to be able to plug it into a trailer harness, all you have to do is get a male connector and splice the topper CHMSL wires into it.

MUSASHI66 > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 12/05/2018 at 22:30

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I wasn’t clear. This wire I want was connected to the topper when I got it. I never had it working with my truck. I presume I need some wires either from my brake lights or if they exist, my trailer wiring to connect to these wires. 

MUSASHI66 > Urambo Tauro 12/05/2018 at 22:32

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I’ll dig into it - I’m not sure if I have the connector under the bumper for the trailer as the truck doesn’t have a towing kit or the hitch. What I think might need to happen is I’d need to splice into the stop light wiring. 

Urambo Tauro > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 23:04

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Do you... want the truck to pull a trailer some day? I mean, s plicing into the stock wiring should work just fine, but I’d avoid that if there was any chance of needing a proper trailer harness in the future.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > MUSASHI66 12/05/2018 at 23:15

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Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. Somebody installed that 4 pin plug; that’s not how it came from the topper factory. So at some point, there was a matching connector from the truck. Unless they cut it off because the corrosion was screwing up the entire circuit, which is also likely. You need to dig into the truck to see if you can find it and get some idea of the condition.

Which is also why I am telling you very bluntly, that it’s likely to end up costing a lot more than you think. If they wire it up and the brake lights don’t work because of a short in the topper, well, now they have to pull it all apart and start replacing those wires and connectors and bulbs.

Fix that, p lug it back in, now the brake bulbs blow, now you’re digging into the brake light circuit. So now the brake harness has to come apart and hopefully there’s nothing horrible there. Because that’s all got to be fixed, because obviously, you can’t drive without your main brake lights.

So by the time you’re all said and done? It can get pretty damn expensive, because most shops are going to charge you actual . There isn’t a book rate for most work like this. So if it takes them 4 hours to get it sorted? At rates around here, that would be at least $425 please and thank you. Many shops won’t even do it because of how quickly it can and will turn into a nightmare.

That’s why I always tell folks that if there’s any corrosion or burning in the electrical, just walk, replace it all, or leave it be . Everything you think you fix will uncover more problems, and it will very quickly spiral out of control. The only real positive here is if the chassis harness is free of corrosion and has good splices. Building a new, short 4 wire harness like this will at least consistently be cheap. If it needs a trailer plug on a good harness, that’s book.

Past that? Prepare thy wallet.

MUSASHI66 > Urambo Tauro 12/06/2018 at 00:00

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Nope, we don’t even have a hitch on it. We have the 2018 with the hitch and trailer brake and that would be used for any future towing. I still think I should be able to splice into the stoplight wiring as it’s rifgt there and easily accessible and all I need it one wire for third stop light.