Footwell Lighting?

[windguy]

Has anyone added or considered adding lighting for the footwell area?

My 2015 XLT Cargo doesn't have any lighting down there and it sure is dark.

Would be nice to have sometimes.  Just a thought.

[Don Ridley]

Yes. I installed led strip lights from Amazon. They have dozens of choices for about $20. I connected to the power for the cabin lights located on the BCM behind the glove box. Overall, an easy project.

 

Something like this

Car LED Strip Lights, 4pcs 48 USB LED Interior Lights, MultiColor Music Car Strip Light Under Dash Lighting Kit with Sound Active Function and Remote Controller, DC 5V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QWZVQC1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_S-99Cb0YQJA1S

 

I cut off the unused strips and cut and spliced the wires to length 

[windguy]

Thanks Don. Appreciate the reply and info.

 

Do you like the amount of light it throws out?

I'm looking for utility light more than mood lighting. If I drop something onto the floor mat I need a flashlight to find it.

 

Can you explain a bit more in what you did for some of us modification mortals?

I'm going to need more hand-holding to take on this mod. Especially if I need to remove the glove box to gain access to the BCM.

If you haven't done one of your great Don write-ups, perhaps you can on this thread or start your own and we'll link it as a reference.

 

Some questions:

    The requirement in selecting lights should be 12VDC, not 5VDC, right?

    Are LED strips better than a low profile light or one that can be recessed?

    What exactly are you connecting to behind the glove box?

    How is that connection made at the Body Control Module?

    If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

 

 

 

 

 

[davidparker]

I had the same problem with mine.  But, I simply put light gray floor mats in mine and they reflect enough light that I can see dropped items now.  But lights would be cool!

[stanger_missle]

I have been thinking about adding footwell lighting to my XLT van as well. Its like a pitch black abyss down there. Having black interior and carpet doesn't help.

 

I think what Mr. Ridley is saying is that he found which wire powers the interior lights coming off of the fuse panel under the glovebox and spliced the LED light strips into that wire. The fuse panel is also the BCM. Its the white box looking thing with 4 or 5 harnesses plugged into it. You have to remove the cover panel under the glovebox. Its just 2 plastic pins. Pull the center of the pins out and the larger body of the pin will pop out. I would recommend pulling the glovebox itself as well. You need to pull the 2 hinge pins to remove the glovebox. Its kinda tricky because there is a small "catch" on the hinge pins. I used a small flat tip screwdriver to depress the catch and used my fingernails to pull the pin out. There is a small slot in the hinge where you have to depress the catch on the pin. You have to almost crawl under the glovebox to see the slots. Once you pull the pins, squeeze the body of the glovebox enough to have the stops clear the opening.

 

Most LED light strips can be trimmed to a certain length. There are cut lines where you can cut the strip with scissors. Most, if not all LED strips will be 12v. Those that are not will specify what voltage they are.

 

I'm sure Don will have much better write up than what I just wrote haha.

[windguy]

@stanger_missle - You (and David Parker) are right about the dark interior. I never thought about that as being a factor but it makes sense.
Thanks for sharing your input on how to make this mod.

I remember another poster reporting about damage to the hinges when removing the glovebox so your tips are helpful.

I think you're ready to add some footwell lights on your van. Then you can share your notes and expertise.

 

[Don Ridley]

I added multi-color LED footwell lights to my 2016 TC. Amazon has dozens of these lights for $30-40. I chose a set that has a simple controller and (4) 9” tubes. I only used 2 tubes and modified the cigarette lighter power cord to connect to the interior light circuit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I04Z7Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I mounted one tube on the bottom of the glove box. Remove the glove box by carefully removing the pins on the bottom (you can see in my photos I was not so careful). I trimmed some of the plastic on the glove box to mount the tube flush. I verified the tube was not visible from the driver or passenger seat.

 

I mounted the other tube under the steering wheel. This one simply zip-ties to the metal frame.

 

Wiring:

Cut off and insulate the wires for the unused light tubes. I added extension wire for the driver’s side LEDs (there are 4 wires). This made fishing the wire across the bottom of the dashboard easier. I installed the controller in the glove box. The controller is in the glove box and wire feeds over the back of the box.

Power will come from the interior light circuit on the Body Control Module behind the glove box. Access is easy with the glove box removed. Connector C2280F (marked on the BCM) has 20 wires. Pin 12 is a brown and green striped wire. This is the power for the interior lights. Find the BRN/GRN wirefootwell.docxfootwell.docx coming off the connector.  Use a POSI-TAP connector to splice into the BRN/GRN wire. The TC wiring is 18 or 22 awg. The red and grey 20-22 awg connectors work well unless your extension wires are larger.

https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Dynamics-Posi-Tap-Wire-Connector/dp/B009TG686Q/ref=sr_1_21?keywords=positap&qid=1560916105&s=automotive&sr=1-21

 

Check if you have connected to the the right wire by measuring the voltage on the POSI-TAP with the interior lights on, then off.

The GND connection can be any metal on the dashboard frame. I drilled a new hole and used a sheet metal screw.

The controller has a lot of modes but I selected the dark blue color and never change it. The LEDs change color by applying voltage to different wires. If you ONLY want one color (e.g. green) you can omit the controller and connect power to the wire that gives you the desired color. Some colors require multiple wires to be powered (white=all wires powered). Don’t worry, the LEDs won’t be damaged if you connect power backwards.

This is a simple upgrade and using the POSI-TAP connectors saves a lot of hassle. A nice feature of the connector is it won’t cut the wire being tapped.  If you tap the wrong wire, just wrap electrical tape around the tiny hole it made. The LEDs will flicker at the end of the dimming function on the interior lights.

 

footwell.docx

Edited June 19, 2019 by Don Ridley
correction to connector ID

[Don Ridley]

BCM connector layout and pin-out

[Fifty150]

 

2 hours ago, Don Ridley said:

Power will come from the interior light circuit on the Body Control Module behind the glove box. Access is easy with the glove box removed. Connector C2280F (marked on the BCM) has 20 wires. Pin 12 is a brown and green striped wire. This is the power for the interior lights. Find the BRN/GRN wirefootwell.docxfootwell.docx coming off the connector. 

 

 

Very good job.  Thank you for the figuring out the wiring and showing us which wire to tap into. 

 

I like that you used better quality parts for your installation.  The Posi-Tap is a nice touch.  I've seen a lot of installations with lower cost LED strip lights, single color without a controller.  Same idea.  Just not as nice.  

[windguy]

@Don Ridley - Great write-up for this mod. Appreciate the detailed info and pics. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Combined with Stanger_missle's notes on taking out the glove box I think I can take on this project.

[mrtn]

I’m planning to add a glove box LED light (missing in my trim level), so I‘ll probably do the footwell lighting together with the glovebox.

 

I actually did the glovebox lighting for my hobby car and swapped back the whole glove box when I sold it. So now I have the bits, including a magnetic switch.

 

Thanks for the writeup, saves a few hours of investigations.

[Don Ridley]

Mrtn,

I also added a glovebox light to the same circuit.  I mounted the light using a bracket and magnet. It was quick and easy. I used a magnetic window switch from a home alarm system. The light socket was from Amazon. 

[mdarren]

Great info. Adding footwell lighting is my next project.