DIY: Adding the 12V Power Outlet Option in the Bed

[WhiteRaptor]

Ok for the install you will need a 2-1/8” hole saw, 5/16” drill bit, flat and round file, Rust preventative paint of your choice.

Drill a 2-1/8” hole in the side bed wall near the left rear cleat. (See photos below) Use caution when drilling or you will end up with dings protruding from your outer fender. You can position a block of wood or stuff a bunch of rags up into the cavity from below to orevent damage.

Insert the power port body into the opening and mark the location of the 4 screw holes. Drill 4- 5/16” holes. Debur all holes using a round file.

Using a flat file, in the large opening, create 4 flat areas adjacent to the 5/16” holes. Insert the 4 captive nuts into the body with the threads inboard the fender. Paint all exposed metal with rust preventative paint.
Install the sub-harness onto the socket and feed the wire down the inner fender well. Install 4 retaining screws.

Under the truck, remove the dummy plug from the body harness and insert the power port sub-harness. There is one large hole on the sheet metal pillar opposite the tail light cavity for the “christmas tree style” zip tie retainer that is included on the sub-harness.
I ended up adding a few extra zip ties to secure the wiring.
Thats about it. Time-about 30 minutes.
Pics below...

Awesome job. So the red is the 12v power and ground is black wire with the white stripe?

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[no1warr1or]

This thread was super helpful. I didn't do the 12v outlet. But used the linked harness to run bed lights. What a long harness though ?

 

[no1warr1or]

Awesome job. So the red is the 12v power and ground is black wire with the white stripe?

That is correct

 

[shedfullatools]

Question for everyone in the know about the plug that is being used for the 12v socket/lights. I understand its tied in with the 12v sockets in the cab as far as the timeout goes. I want to use it to wire my topper lighting into but cant have it time out after an amount of time. I would turn the timeout off in Forscan but have other stuff in the cab on the 12v plugs that I do want to time out. My question about the plug is whether its switched positive or switched ground? I'm super hopeful but also skeptical its switched ground as if it was I could tie into it and take the ground from somewhere else saving having to run a wire back from the battery. Is there something else in the rear of the truck I can easily tie into that has 12v full time regardless of key position?

 

[WLFPIR8]

Question for everyone in the know about the plug that is being used for the 12v socket/lights. I understand its tied in with the 12v sockets in the cab as far as the timeout goes. I want to use it to wire my topper lighting into but cant have it time out after an amount of time. I would turn the timeout off in Forscan but have other stuff in the cab on the 12v plugs that I do want to time out. My question about the plug is whether its switched positive or switched ground? I'm super hopeful but also skeptical its switched ground as if it was I could tie into it and take the ground from somewhere else saving having to run a wire back from the battery. Is there something else in the rear of the truck I can easily tie into that has 12v full time regardless of key position?

Switched positive and via the BCM module. It would be best to run a dedicated 12V line to the bed cap in your case. Not too hard really, and if you aren't drawing a lot, you could use one of the many "always on" spare fuse slots via an add-a-fuse (or even wire direct if you feel adventurous).

 

[shedfullatools]

Switched positive and via the BCM module. It would be best to run a dedicated 12V line to the bed cap in your case. Not too hard really, and if you aren't drawing a lot, you could use one of the many "always on" spare fuse slots via an add-a-fuse (or even wire direct if you feel adventurous).

Thank you so much for the quick reply, I will run a fused wire back from the battery at some point. Was hoping to avoid that much crawling around in the snow and getting covered head to toe in undercoating ?

 

[JDowns]

Thank you so much for the quick reply, I will run a fused wire back from the battery at some point. Was hoping to avoid that much crawling around in the snow and getting covered head to toe in undercoating ?

might want to crawl under the truck and see if yours is like mine. Mine has a capped plug that matches the schematic where the bed 12vdc plug would go. Drivers side near the bed attached to the major wire loom.

 

[shedfullatools]

might want to crawl under the truck and see if yours is like mine. Mine has a capped plug that matches the schematic where the bed 12vdc plug would go. Drivers side near the bed attached to the major wire loom.

Mine does have it but I need a source that's always on and that one times out like the other 12v sockets inside the truck.

 

[JDowns]

Mine does have it but I need a source that's always on and that one times out like the other 12v sockets inside the truck.

One of my next projects is to add the bed power and add an adjustable timer relay for bed lights with a trigger.

Example.

 

[JDowns]

Is there something else in the rear of the truck I can easily tie into that has 12v full time regardless of key position?

Sorry for the late reply on this. I misread your post first time. Others may find this helpful also.

Driver side rear along the frame just above the mounts for rear leaf spring is a 12vdc always on power source which is intended for the OEM Cargo Box Power Point (Part #14A411C).

 

[Peragrin]

Sorry for the late reply on this. I misread your post first time. Others may find this helpful also.

Driver side rear along the frame just above the mounts for rear leaf spring is a 12vdc always on power source which is intended for the OEM Cargo Box Power Point (Part #14A411C).

It is not always on it is on the same x hours or battery voltage drop as the other accessory points

 

[JDowns]

It is not always on it is on the same x hours or battery voltage drop as the other accessory points

Is there a known timer? Or is "x hours" just a reported value and its just the BMS kicking in at varying times due to varying loads, ie. there really is no timer just the BMS kicking in?

 

[shedfullatools]

Sorry for the late reply on this. I misread your post first time. Others may find this helpful also.

Driver side rear along the frame just above the mounts for rear leaf spring is a 12vdc always on power source which is intended for the OEM Cargo Box Power Point (Part #14A411C).

That's the one I ended up using however it is on a delay, sometime after the key is turned off it loses power.

 

[micl9]

The shut off timer can be changed with ForScan - check it out in that thread.

 

[JDowns]

That's the one I ended up using however it is on a delay, sometime after the key is turned off it loses power.

Is it tied into the third brake light / cargo box light switch on the dash near the light selector switch?

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