Need help wiring to license plate lights

hey everyone, I'm installing a rack in my bed that needs to tap into the running lights or license plate lights positive wire.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a thread that covers this, or give a diagram of which wires are which, and where they are?

 

@Shellshock do you know anything about this? If there's something I can tap into to have constant running light power in any of the wires in the brake light housing, that works too.

I just need constant power in the rear of the truck

 

What’s the power being used for? If you are just running lights, most people just tap off the tail light or the 7 pin

if you need constant power for fridges or other things, you’ll need to pull a wire from the battery

 

No need for extensive power, just running lights. Do you know which wires in the tail light housing is positive?

 

A DVM or even a simple test light will make quick work of that for you. Basic tool kit stuff you'll use often (if you don't have one now)

 

Here's the pin-out of the 7 way connector.

 

awesome thank you. So I can just tap into the wire that corresponds to the brown #3 in that diagram above?

 

Won't Tail/Running be switched with the stem? Is that what you are after?

G.

 

Im not sure what you mean by that - can you clarify what the stem is?

 

The light switch on the steering wheel column. Where the blinkers are. Commonly referred to as the stem.

G.

 

gotcha, yea that’d make sense actually. Will tapping into the wire mentioned above make that happen?

 

Get a test light and verify it.

 

What Skydvrr said. Think of it this way; If you were towing a trailer, the trailer lights would be controlled by the "stem" switch. Tapping into any of those wires will give you the same result as your selection on the switch.
ie. lights on, equals trailer running lights on, etc.

Not sure if #4 is always hot or not. Just check it.

G.

 

Stalk not stem