Canopy shell 3rd brake light connection?
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 34
Likes: 3
From: Eastern Oregon
Canopy shell 3rd brake light connection?
I recently put a camper shell on my 1997 F350 4x4 crew cab 7.3 (8 foot bed) after selling my Lance camper and can't seem to find where to pick up the 3rd brake light signal or a 12v brake signal near the rear of the truck. It's an old Tradesman aluminum canopy with 3 wires to connect inside the rear. One hot for an inside courtesy light and the other two for the 3rd brake light. I found a hot line for the courtesy light on my 7 pin trailer connector, but the connector's brake wire, which is a 12 or 14 AWG blue wire will not light the 3rd brake light. Voltmeter reading is less than a volt when brakes are applied. I realize the wire is to activate elecric trailer brakes and I removed an after market brake controller years ago that wasn't needed since the truck hauled a slide in camper and the connection to the camper was through this trailer connector. The camper's brake lights worked as well as turn signals and taillights. I know that this truck uses a multi-filiment bulb, but so did the camper. Any clues would be appreciated! Thanks!
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 34
Likes: 3
From: Eastern Oregon
I realized later that the lights on my camper are LEDs and the brake lights shared the same circuit as the turn signals. So when the brakes were applied, both turn signal circuits were active while my foot was on the brake. But something is different in the F350 circuitry with the brake lights and the turn signals. I'm thinking that when I removed the brake controller, I also removed the path for the 12v to reach the 7 pin trailer connector. Somewhere under the dash hopefully, I'll find the other end of the blue wire to the trailer connector.
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 34
Likes: 3
From: Eastern Oregon
Well in my research I've found that what I call the 3rd brake light is officially called CHMSL or center high mount stop light. Search has revealed many hits for later model rigs than my '97. Not much help for older rigs, so I'm abandoning this project for now. Hopefully mentioning the correct term will steer anyone searching for 3rd brake light to CHMSL.
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