How to Wire LED Tailgate Light Strip to Running Light Circuit on 2009 Chevrolet Silverado

Question:

I hardwired my LED tailgate light strip into the factory 7-point Trailer Connection and the light doesnt work when the headlights are on so I cleaned a spot on the frame and grounded directly to the frame and the problem has not been fixed what do I do now

asked by: Kyle C

Expert Reply:

For your LED tailgate light strip to function when your headlights are on it must be connected to the running light circuit wire and of course be grounded, either to the vehicle frame or to the white ground wire in your trailer wiring.

In a 7-way the running light circuit is carried on the wire that leads to the contact at the 11:00 position as you view the socket. The ground wire connects to the pin at the 7:00 position. Please refer to the photo I linked for you. You can ground the light either to the Silverado's frame using a ring terminal like # 44-5310A or you can use a quick-splice like # SWC501746-1 to tap into the ground wire at the back of the 7-way.

If you like you can first test that the running light signals are reaching the 7-way using a tester like # PTW2992.

expert reply by: Adam R