Anyone know how to remove the cargo lamp switch

[glendayle]

Looking for a quick "how-to" so I can remove my cargo lamp switch. Been searching for a few minutes on here and can't find a thread that talks about how to remove it. If anyone who knows can respond or point me to a thread, I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[95C1500]

It just pulls out. The 3-section plate pops out then you press the tabs on either side and push out and the switch is out. then unhook the wiring harness and you're good to go.

 

[glendayle]

It just pulls out. The 3-section plate pops out then you press the tabs on either side and push out and the switch is out. then unhook the wiring harness and you're good to go.

OK, that sounds easy. It sort of looked like that might be the case, but I didn't want to just start prying and crack bezel or a tab.

Thanks!!!

 

[95C1500]

you can actually pull the dash bezel off and then unhook the connector and pop it out that way (leaving the switch bezel in place). Whichever works for you. Actually this way ^^^ might save you a few curse words haha

 

[glendayle]

you can actually pull the dash bezel off and then unhook the connector and pop it out that way (leaving the switch bezel in place). Whichever works for you. Actually this way ^^^ might save you a few curse words haha

Yep, that is exactly what I did. However I'm completely pissed. The reason I was doing this was so I can tie into the switched lead to power a pair of rear fog lights(so I can see in reverse at night). Thought ever thing was working. Then I closed my door and apparently there is some tie in with the interior lamps. If I have the cargo switch in the "on" position, lights work great. If I have the switch in the off position, the lights are off.........until the the interior lights go off, and then the fog lights go on. Seems that there is an inverse relationship to the interior lights being on. Pretty annoyed and pissed about that. Can't figure out why the interior lights being off would cause this phenomenon. I'm wondering if it has to do with that wire being the one that lights the little light in the switch. IDK, but I'm annoyed as hell this didn't turn out to be as simple as it appeared from the wiring schematic in the manual.

 

[KevinL1987]

Glendayle,

Welcome to my world, my friend. ALL GMT400 Cargo Lamp switch is setup this way, unless you change it.

There are four wires going to the switch. Two for Illumination, and then your power, and output. What I done, was I cut the power wire going to the switch, and ran it to switched power source. (This way you don't leave it on by accident after you remove the key from the ignition!).

However, keep in mind that this switch IS NOT a heavy duty switch. It is highly recommended to run the output wire from the switch to a relay to power your lights, if you have more than just the cargo light on it.
This method you want to take would be great for being able to use the light while loading a trailer or something of that matter.

If you just want to use those lights solely for reverse lights, then why not tap into the reverse circuit at the tails? (Again, use a relay so you don't risk overloading the circuit).

Let us know which method you want to use, and I'm sure one of us on this forum can get you a pinout/diagram.

 

[glendayle]

I have it wired to a fused relay. Not running the lights directly. I don't want it just for reverse lights and I don't always want them coming on when in reverse either which is why I wanted to tie into that switch instead of the reverse feed.

As far as the switched power source, I don't mind it being on always on. In fact, I prefer that I can flip them on and off without having to have the ignition on.

What switched power source did you use? Just an ignition feed? or something else?

 

[glendayle]

Glendayle,

Welcome to my world, my friend. ALL GMT400 Cargo Lamp switch is setup this way, unless you change it.

There are four wires going to the switch. Two for Illumination, and then your power, and output. What I done, was I cut the power wire going to the switch, and ran it to switched power source. (This way you don't leave it on by accident after you remove the key from the ignition!).

However, keep in mind that this switch IS NOT a heavy duty switch. It is highly recommended to run the output wire from the switch to a relay to power your lights, if you have more than just the cargo light on it.
This method you want to take would be great for being able to use the light while loading a trailer or something of that matter.

If you just want to use those lights solely for reverse lights, then why not tap into the reverse circuit at the tails? (Again, use a relay so you don't risk overloading the circuit).

Let us know which method you want to use, and I'm sure one of us on this forum can get you a pinout/diagram.

Thanks Kevin. Figured this out in my other thread. I have a set of manuals, so dug them out for the wiring diagram. It appears I have found a fix. Similar to what you have done but with a little different route for a couple of reasons.

Thanks for the advice on the non-heavy duty switch. I was already aware and had already installed a fuse/relay combo, but this is still good to be mentioned. I didn't want to tie into the reverse lights because I may want to use them on occasion just as flood/work lamps and would not want to have to have the vehicle in reverse to get them to work. I also did not see a need to have them kicking on when I was in reverse during the daylight.

Thought I would post this for anyone else that wants a simple fix to be able to have their cargo light on regardless of whether or not the interior lights are on.
1. Remove the cargo/stop lamp assembly from the top of the cab.
2. Cut the white wire from terminal "A" on the harness(circuit 156 in diagram below). I did this a few inches back from the harness.
3. Cap the end going into the vehicle(probably not necessary, but just in case this grounding might cause an issue w the interior light function).
4. Ground the terminal "A" tail from the harness. I did this by adding a t-clip and a small cable I made. The short cable(green) has an end for the t-clip, and the other end is a small eyelet terminal. I removed the metal screw clip from the cab and put the eyelet between the cab and the clip.
5. Re-attach the cargo stop lamp assembly.

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[Barrera92]

Glendayle,

Welcome to my world, my friend. ALL GMT400 Cargo Lamp switch is setup this way, unless you change it.

There are four wires going to the switch. Two for Illumination, and then your power, and output. What I done, was I cut the power wire going to the switch, and ran it to switched power source. (This way you don't leave it on by accident after you remove the key from the ignition!).

However, keep in mind that this switch IS NOT a heavy duty switch. It is highly recommended to run the output wire from the switch to a relay to power your lights, if you have more than just the cargo light on it.
This method you want to take would be great for being able to use the light while loading a trailer or something of that matter.

If you just want to use those lights solely for reverse lights, then why not tap into the reverse circuit at the tails? (Again, use a relay so you don't risk overloading the circuit).

Let us know which method you want to use, and I'm sure one of us on this forum can get you a pinout/diagram.

Hey man I know this is an old thread but I'm trying to come up with a little research and you seem like the guy that might have the answer. I want to add some of those led strips to the railing of my bed to light it up at night. I have a bed cover and it's a pain to unload groceries, for example, at night or find my tools in my tool box without taking out a flashlight. I want to use the factory cargo lamp switch on the dash, I do not want to add or drill in an extra switch. How can I do this? What do I need to do?