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[ posted: 23 Feb 2005 ]

Supra Side Marker Re-Wire, Make 'em Flash!

Difficulty: Medium

Skills needed: Operation of a screw driver, Wire Cutting/Stripping, and use of "butt" connectors & ScotchLock(tm) connectors.

Tools needed: Phillips Screwdriver, Wire Cutters, Wire Strippers, and Wire Connector Crimpers.

Supplies Needed: Two Red (small gauge) Butt Connectors, Two Red or Blue ScotchLock(tm) (small/med gauge) connectors, Two Wire Crimp Caps (not really necessary), and about 4-6ft of 16ga wire.

Step One

Remove the turning lamp assembly. This will differ from 86.5-88 slightly because of the different grill configuration. I did this on my 89T that had some damage on the front and was never put together right by some cheap body shop. I do believe you need to remove the little black grill, then there is a screw on the side of the lens near the "running/parking" lamp part of it. Once you remove that there is a screw in the wheel well at the end of the molding to remove the side marker lamp assembly. Remove the side marker lamp assembly (molding piece) and the parking lamp/turning lamp assembly. I didn't take pictures of this, because my car wasn't put together right, so there are screws and stuff where there shouldn't be. :)

Step Two

Twist and remove the bulb housing from the side marker, and store it somewhere safe. We don't want to step on it and break it or anything, I'm sure Toyota wants a fortune for it. :) There should be two wires going to the side marker a Green one and a White/Black wire. You will need to cut the White/Black wire leaving about an inch or so coming off of the light bulb housing itself. ( Optional: You can take a crimp type wire cap and crimp off the end that is coming from the wiring harness. It's only a ground and isn't totally necessary to do this, but I did it just in case, plus it looks clean. Picture below. )

( click for an 800x600 view, if you feel you need it! )

Now, take the 1" or so of wire you have coming off of the light bulb housing and strip off enough to shove into your butt connector. (about 1/8" of an inch or so). Then, stick that into a butt connector and crimp it down. Next, cut about 2' or so of your 16ga wire and strip it in the same manner as the one you did on the light bulb housing and crimp it down too. It should look something like the picture below now.

( click for an 800x600 view, if you feel you need it! )

Step Three

All you have to do now, is take one of your scotch lock connectors, and splice into the Green wire for the turning indicator on your front lens. It is important that you are SURE you are hooking it to the turning lens and NOT the running lamp. It is also a very good idea at this step to check and make sure that you are runninng a wire from the light bulb housing to the turning signal indicator. Be very very sure that you ARE NOT running a wire from the wiring harness to the turning indicator. This will result in nothing other then blown fuses and some unnecessary cursing!

Once you've double checked, you are ready to splice you wire. Splice the wire you ran from the bulb housing into the green wire on the turning indicator like in the picture below. NOTE: I believe that the driver's side is a "Green/Yellow" wire and the passenger side is a "Green/Blue" wire.

( click for an 800x600 view, if you feel you need it! )

Step Four

Put everything back together, and Test it out!! All you have to do is stick your key in your ignition. Then, with the running lights off, flip your driver side (easire to see and matches the example) turn signal on and it should look like this video:

lightsoff-flash.mpg (127kb)

Then, flip your headlights on and activate the driver side turn signal, and it should look like this video:

lightson-flash.mpg (119kb)

Hopefully everything went well!

Oooh, purdy blinking lights,
Dave

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