How to connect camper shell wiring on 2000 Ranger
Alexander Arnakis
Just thought I'd share my experiences with connecting a camper shell's
lights wiring to a 2000 Ford Ranger.
Aftermarket installers will typically connect a shell's wiring (for
the high-mounted brake light and interior light) by tapping into the
tail light wiring. They do it this way because it's easier, but it's
not really the best way. For one thing, the shell's interior light
will only be available when the parking lights are on, if it's wired
this way.
On the 2000 Ranger (as opposed to the 1999) there's another problem:
the truck has combination brake and turn signal lights, meaning that
the high-mounted center brake light cannot be connected to either of
the rear brake/turn signal lights. The installer of my shell ran the
wire for the center brake light all the way under the truck (along the
frame rail), up through the firewall at the brake pedal hole, and
tapped into the wiring at the switch that's attached to the brake
pedal. This is not a good way to do this, because the wire will rub
against sheet metal edges and eventually short out.
Here's the better way:
1. Make a wire harness (about 10 feet long) by enclosing 3 color-coded
16 guage wires in a 3/8 O.D. loom. Tape closed every foot or so.
2. Connect the 3 wires, using suitable connectors, to the shell wiring
(one wire each for center brake light power, interior light power, and
ground). Temporarily remove the driver's side tail light housing, and
run the new harness down through the tail light cavity and under the
truck.
3. Thread the harness forward along the inside of the left frame rail,
securing with wire ties as necessary.
4. There is a 1" hole in the cab floor pan behind the driver's seat
and almost directly above the frame rail. Lift the edge of the floor
covering (carpet, etc.) and remove the rubber plug that stops up this
hole. Thread the new wire harness up through this hole. Then use a PCV
valve grommet with an O.D. of 1" and an I.D. of 3/8" to seal the hole
around the harness.
5. Find the OEM wire harness that runs along the driver's sill plate.
(This should be under the edge of the floor covering.) Carefully slit
open the tape wrapping of this harness to the rear of the point where
the wires to the seat belt switch branch off. At this point, there
should be about 10 wires in the harness (depending, I think, on how
the truck is equipped). Anyway, you're only interested in 3 of them:
the black wire (ground), the solid green one (center brake light), and
the light green wire with orange stripe (map light circuit).
6. Connect the new wires for the shell to these 3 wires using tap
splices. Since you connect the camper shell interior light to the map
light circuit, it is available at all times (it should have its own
on-off switch).
7. Wrap the connection with plastic electrical tape and replace the
carpeting, removed tail light, etc. Enjoy!