Looks simple enough.

 

Always nice when they can't be bothered with any instructions.

 

Thanks Jeremy, do you have any pics or instruction on how you ran your wires. As you know the 3rd brake light is powered when the tail gate is closed (the two rounded metal contacts that complete the circuit). I was going to tap into the ground from the tailgate side but how did you run the power wire from the right tail light so as to not interfer with the tailgate opening and closing. Thanks.

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Let's assume that your tailgate already has a good ground and it doesn't really need the metal contact button on the tailgate. Jeep was using it because the third light was on a plastic base and not grounded. So, you can use that contact button that was a ground for the third light as your "tail light" wire for your license plate. Just make sure that your third light and license plate lights are well grounded to the tailgate.

 

The tailgate would certainly not be a good ground being mounted on hinges....

Jeep didn't run a ground wire w contacts because of a plastic light housing.... if that was the only issue, a wire to the metal tailgate would have sufficed.

They also used two wires and two contacts on YJ's w metal brake light brackets.

 

While technically what you say may be true, I do have a good ground on my tailgate with it closed. I am running a separate LED third brake light, not grounded/connected to the tailgate, so it's not that either.

 

I would argue that there is a difference between making your light function and having a good ground...
Much like folks who ground a trailer through the ball....

That said, if it works for you then who's to argue

 

If it was a high current item (rear spots, a trailer full of lights, etc) I couldn't agree with you more but if it's just a plate light and a third brake light, both LED, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

I already know I can use the ground in the tailgate when it is closed. Heck I could even use the positive but I would only get light when I braked ��. I am asking how to run the wire from the passenger taillight when the running lights are on. OP has already described which one you need to tap into, I just want to know how he ran it. I assume it was through a grommet hole in the wheel tub, but from there I'm not sure as to the bast way as to keep it tidy and out of the way of the tailgate functionality.

 

I am asking how to run the wire from the passenger taillight when the running lights are on.

And I already told you one way to do it, without additional holes/grommets.

 

Ah, got it. I re-read your post. So convert the ground contact button to the tail light feed and ground both the licence plate and third brake light to the tailgate.

Thanks!

 

Yup, that'll do it.

 

Course Jeep wanted a good ground to avoid safety recalls and rear end law suits as lawyers always looking to milk more dollars

My plate light and spare mounted third brake light are both mounted on a swing out spare mount that hinges off corner armor so I do run both power and ground wire on hinge side inside a small rubber hose and that provides a more reliable ground than a hinged ground

Unlike the tailgate latch the swing put mount has its retaining pin inside poly bushings and the hinge alone is a piss poor ground


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I am halfway into this on my TJ. I don’t understand how to finish it up. I have the two wires connected (black and red/white+brown) but cannot figure out how to connect the green (license plate light) to the yellow+black tail light. I see someone else re-read the post and understood but I don’t. I know little of electronics/wiring. Can you please give me the dumbed down version so I can finish this? I’ve searched all over the internet and called the company but this is as close to help as I’ve been able to find.

 

(I have no idea why every contraction I wrote is in symbols.)

 

I realize that this is a 2 year old post, but it's the most informative one that I've found on this topic. I'm about to order a license plate mount and light bracket for my LJ. I just bought this and the previous owner installed a swing out/bumper mount spare tire carrier that covers up part of the factory license plate. So, I'll have to mount the plate on the spare and wire in a brake/license plate light. I'll have to wire it all into the passenger tail light because the PO completely cut off the 3rd brake light wiring AND the swing out mount moves independant of the tailgate.

If anybody has a any details on which are the brake, license plate and ground wires inside of the passenger tail light or any great ideas about how to run a decent looking wire bundle into it, that information would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't know what year your LJ is but the brake signal needs to come from the center brake light wiring which you should hopefully find still plugged into the back of the studs in the body. Ground is black, brake wire is white/tan. If you were to tap in to the brown/red wire for the stop/turn light the center brake would flash with the right turn signal.

The marker light wire at the right hand lamp is white/yellow. The ground at the tail lights is via the mounting bolts, so the one from the center brake light is probably more convenient to use.

 

Thanks for this detail, I think that gets me what I need. I realized later that I do have trailer hitch wiring that comes under the bumper, so that has to tie in somewhere. I'll look and see if that comes from the old center brake light.

 

Great! I, like you ordered a rear tire delete kit with licence plate light and 3rd brake light. I am going to do a Youtube video on it when I do it because also like you, couldnt find anything but JKs being done. Thank you for the information!

 

Not that it helps now but I finally got a factory wiring PDF on the damn thing! Yours was more precise