Toyota Tundra Power Outlet Modification

© 2002 by IZL

The auxilliary Power Outlets beneath the ash tray and slide-out cup holder of the Tundra are wired through the PWR OUTLET relay, located in the Main Fuse/Relay Box in the engine compartment. This relay is powered through the ACC (accessory) circuit such that the outlets are "dead" unless the ignition switch is in the ACC or ON position.

Many owners have cell phones and other "low current drain" devices that they would like to continue to charge or operate off the truck's battery even while they are away from the vehicle. As a result, numerous modifications have been described and completed to energize the Power Outlets when the truck is parked and locked, with no key in the ignition.

Two of the modifications, including the "jumper modification", are described at TundraSolutions.com: Toyota Tundra FAQ's (Topic 3.36). Also, another mod is described there in the FAQ's that will allow you to make only one of the outlets hot all the time. Both of these mods will work if done correctly, but will require some parts that you may not have lying around the house.

Below, an uncomplicated modification to the relay is described that will allow the Power Outlets to ALWAYS be hot. A minimum of tools and parts are required to complete the mod quickly and successfully.

Tools/parts required:

small blade or screwdriver

scissors

index or business card

electrical tape

Procedure:

Open the hood of the truck and remove the cover from the Main Fuse/Relay Box. Identify the PWR OUTLET relay using the diagram on the inside cover of the fuse box. It is the third one down from the top on the right (and the first brown can). Carefully remove the PWR OUTLET relay. You will need to pull up and wiggle the relay from side to side/front to back- it is NOT held in by clips, so it is not too hard to remove (see photo).

Now that the relay is out, carefully remove its cover. Use a small knife blade or screwdriver as shown in the photo. "Pop" open one side at a time, and the cover will slide right off. You do not need to get the tip of the blade too far up under the bottom lip of the cover. You just need to lift the cover enough to get the holes in the cover over the tangs in the white plastic base. If you crack the cover, no big deal, you can tape it up with electrical tape, but this should not happen if you are careful and take your time.

Take a good look at the "guts" of the relay. The goal of the Power Outlet modification is to mechanically alter the relay so the fixed and moving contacts of the relay (see photo below) are ALWAYS touching.

A simple way to do this is to take a cut a small piece off the side of an index or business card, and carefully wedge it between the frame of the relay and the moving contact arm (see photo above). Doing so, causes the relay to be "permanently" closed, thereby supplying +12V to the Power Outlets at ALL times.

In the photo below, a 1/2" strip was cut off the end of a business card and folded to be (3) cards thick....this was about perfect. There is no need to jam too much in there. You don't want to distort the frame of the relay or the moving arm should you want to remove this modification for some reason at a later date. You may want to secure the card to the relay frame with a small piece of electrical tape. Also, size the card correctly so that you can snap the cover back over the relay.

Put the cover back on the relay and plug it back into its socket, seating it all the way down. That's it!

Closing Comments

There is no need to worry about the paper catching fire. There is no way the relay and/or its contacts will not get that hot. Each outlet is protected by a separate 15A fuse (located in the Main Fuse/Relay Box) that will surely blow before those relay contacts got that hot, should you try to run any toys that are that current hungry. Since each outlet is independently fused, no further fuse protection is required with this modification. Yes, when the truck is running or the ignition switch is in the ACC position, the relay coil will energize, trying to "suck" the moving arm over to close the contacts. No worries, you have already done it. Lastly, be aware of what you leave plugged into the Power Outlets. It will be possible to drain the battery if you leave something plugged in for too long, without running the truck and the alternator recharging the battery. Of course, if nothing is left in the outlets, the battery will not drain just because you modified the relay and outlets.

A more permanent modification of the relay includes soldering a piece of 14G wire between the relay contacts. Connecting the two frame members identified above (blue arrows) will do the trick. The relay frame will take solder easily, making for a nice connection. You can check out the Fog Relay Modification Page to get an idea of how it might look.

*****Note well, the contacts you would solder together in the Power Outlet Mod are DIFFERENT than the one's shown in the photos of the Fog Relay Mod!*****