DIY: Add Aux Switches to 19+ Ram 2500 Laramie 6.7L

[Florotory]

There are quite a few threads about Adding Aux switches and AlfaOBD to our trucks out there. I did hours of reading them and watching numerous videos on it as well as messages back and forth to get this installed on my truck. I wanted to make a DIY for someone else that wants to do it and keep it as factory as possible yet fairly easy to accomplish. Here are the steps from gathering the needed parts , programming the truck.

Updated red jumper wire instruction and part numbers as well as daisy chain instruction This makes the install a lot easier. Thanks to @JustARam22 for pointing out the issues.(10/10/23) I will come back and remove the part numbers no longer needed.
THIS IS BEING DONE ON A 2020 2500 LARAMIE W/6.7L WITHOUT AUX SWITCHES FROM THE FACTORY. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!
Thank you to:
@Brutal_HO
@Jimmy07
@Harrisons Garage
@Atty
@elephantrider
@BighornHDRam
Hopefully I didn't miss anyone, if I did, please just send me a message and ill add you to the list.

STEP 1: Parts needed (some part numbers may change over time)
I will attach a spread sheet with parts and cost to this as well.
-Correct switchbank for your particular truck. My part number was: 68376644AE (tow/haul, Exhaust brake, FR/RR park sensors and 6 aux buttons)-$180.

TOOLS:
-Wire diagrams
-Wire Strippers
-Wire Crimpers
-Socket set
-Heat gun


Wiring needed.
-12ga wire red and various color
-14ga wire various color
-20GA 1ft each red,blk and org (i used yellow cause it's what I had available)
-22ga approx 5ft each - 6 different colors
-Wire loom of your choice. I prefer the mesh over the plastic.
-Heat Shrink
-Electrical Tape

Connectors:
-1456989-3 from digikey for jumper harness into back of switchbank
-1419167-1 from TE Connectivity for jumper harness into OE harness
-CID1044-6.3-11 from Connector ID for gray Aux plug on side of AUX PDC
-CID1044-6.3-21 from Connector ID for Female plug on side of AUX PDC
-CID3083 wire seal for gray plug on side of Aux PDC

Terminals:
-CID100-6.3-MS3 from Connector ID for Female side of gray plug (side that won't get used till you add an Acc),
-272-7116414202 from Mouser Electronics for the male side of the gray AUX plug on side of Aux PDC. (plug that wires into AUX PDC)
-63347-1 from Digikey for that goes from Relay switch fuse to 86 terminal of relays
-42475-2 from DigiKey for jumper wire in aux PDC
-180351-2 from Digikey for Jumper Wire in AUX PDC
-571-v23540x7000y21 from Mouser Electronics, pins for plug of jumper harness to back of switch bank
-1438299-4 from Digikey to pin plug that will go to Factory harness from jumper harness.
-Fuses ( i got from amazon)
-871E-1a-d-r1 U19 relays, you will need 5 of them. As of right now they are hard to get. I got them from eBay @$15/2pk

Step 2: Building the Harnesses:

Jumper Harness:
Jumper to OE Harness:
You will need Approx 1ft of Red, Blk and Org 20GA wire along with 3 male pins (pn: 1438299-4) and Black connector (PN: 1419167-1) .
- Put the loom over the wire, tape each end of the look and then Heat shrink it
- Use wire strippers to strip off enough insulation to crimp it to the pin.
-Crimp wire and Pin together ( just an example, I cleaned up the crimp before pinning it)

-Repeat that for the other 2 wires.
Should look like this when done. ( I didn't have ORG wire so i used yellow)

The other end of the wires will go into the connector in the next step.

Jumper harness to back of switch bank:
You will need Approx 5-6ft (maybe less) of 6 different color wire. (I used YW, Beige, WH, Blue, Purple, and orange)., 9 pins PN: 571-v23540x7000y21 and connector 1456989-3
-Put the wire loom over the wires leaving about 2-3in at the connector end and about 6in at the end that will plug into PDC when done. Tape it and Heat shrink it.
-like the other plug you will strip away just enough wire to crimp them to the terminals. Repeat this step 9 times.
-Crimp the terminals to each wire (9 of them)
-Insert each pin into the correct location per the diagram. Should look like this when done.

When this step is done you should have the black plug with 3 wires in slot 6,7,8; the other end of those 3 wires should be plugged into the light gray connector in slots 6,7,8. You should have 6 different colored wires coming out of the light gray connector pins 2,3,10,11,12 and 13. The other end of those 6 wires should be blunt cut for now.

Jumper harness from Switch bank to Aux PDC is now done and ready to plug in behind the switch bank.


Jumper Wire in PDC:
For this you will need 6 pieces of 12ga wire (red) cut to approx 4.5" in in length; 6 terminal PN:272-7116414202; 6 terminal CID100-6.3-MS3.
One end of the wire gets the Male terminal, and the other gets the Female Terminal.
Jumper wires should now be done and look like this:



This will end up going from post 30 on the relay to the Fuse. 1 per aux switch

Daisy chain for Relay switch fuse to post 86 on relays:
You will need 7 pices of 18ga wires 1 approx 6in long . The other 6 need to be shorter. approx 2.5" each. Then take the shorter wires and solder them evenly spaced to the longer wire. Also, you will need 6 of the Terminal PN:63347-1 and 1 of the terminal PN:272-7116414202. Before I put the terminals on I mocked the daisy chain up in the PDC to make sure they were the correct length so that they were not too long or too short. Then I crimped the terminals on.
-Strip off just enough wire to crimp the male Terminal to the end of the wire. This is basically what it should look like before you have the Terminals on. The male terminal will go at the end at the top of the pic, the rest will be the gold colored terminals part number: 63347-1.



Will Continue in reply section. Only allows 10 attachments so I cant do it in one long post. I will Add to this once I do the install as well.

 

[Florotory]

AUX PLUGS ON SIDE OF AUX PDC:
This step uses 2 male plugs PN: CID1044-6.3-11 and 2 Female plugs PN: CID1044-6.3-21, Female terminals PN:272-7116414202, Wire seal PN: CID3083 and 6-12ga wires of different colors cut to about 20" (will probably be shorter once installed)
-Connect each wire to the female terminals
-Slide the wire seal over the wire
-Make sure the White locking tab inside the Female Connector is released

-Push the Female Terminal into the Gray connector from the back till you hear it click
-Push the wire seal into the back of the connector so that it seals
-Once all wires are clicked into place make sure to lock the white locking tab
-Put the wire loom and heat shrink over the wires to protect them and make it look clean.
Also make note as to which color wire goes to which AUX number. Thats what I did as you can see in the attachment so that i could troubleshoot if needed later and Id know what AUX I was hooking up.
This is how it should look at this point:


At this point you should have the following harnesses complete and ready to install
1. Jumper harness for back of switch bank to Aux PDC
2. Daisy chain harness for Aux PDC
3. 6" jumper wires for AUX PDC
4 2 gray connector harness for the side of the AUX PDC

Misc Info:
The parts list PDF is more for the parts needed rather than the $$ I spent. I could've done it cheaper if I had known exactly the qty I needed to buy, what I needed to buy and so on. I coulda saved a bunch on shipping if I knew what was needed ahead of time however thats one reason I put this together. It could probably be done for about $300 (if you already have AlfaOBD and all that stuff.

If you have any questions up to this point, please feel free to ask. As soon as the Switchbank gets here I'll finish the DIY with the installation. Thanks

 

[Florotory]

Sorry for the delay on continuing the DIY. Also, some of my pics somehow got deleted but I'll try to explain the rest of the install the best I can. Follow the Wiring diagram in the previous post and you'll be good to go.
Step 1 Remove Battery and unbolt the 2 10mm bolts to loosen the AUX PDC
.
Step 2 remove the fuse/relay block from the casing of the Aux PDC. Should be a couple tabs that you can use a trim panel or small flathead to release it. This is what it should look like (minus the RED wires, I lost the pic of just the PDC with heater wires only)

Step 3: Follow the wire Diagram in the previous post to wire up the Relays and Fuses. The end result should look like this at this step. Make Sure to double check your wiring layout to the diagram. You still need to add the harness from the Aux switch bank. This will be done in the following steps. TIP: Make your jumper wires shorter so that its cleaner and easier to get the PDC back together. I plan on going back and cleaning mine up when I get bored one day.



Step 4:
Remove the rubber pad on top of the 12" screen. There are 2 screws that need to be removed in order to gain access to the back of the stack. This is the nerve-racking part: Tug on the top of the screen (where you removed the screws) firmly to get it to release. You'll feel like its gona break but it won't.

Step 5:
Once you have the Center Stack loose youll need to disconnect the connections behind it. Once again, I lost the pic of the back of mine, so I found a pic on google. There are connections where the circles are. After you have everything disconnected pull the center stack out and lay it on something soft like a towel or blanket

.

Step 6:
There is a couple of Torx Screws and small tabs holding the Switch bank into the Center stack. Remove the screws and carefully pry the tabs to release the switch bank. Should come out easily. Pay attention to how the switches and the trailer brake are in there. Make sure to install the new switch back how the original one was.
This is what it should look like at this point. Minus the fingerprints


Next post will be the jumper harness install. if you have any questions so far feel free to message me. the lost pics would have been nice to have to make it more detailed.

 

[Florotory]

Inside the cab Connections

This step is pretty easy. Take the Harness you made and plug it into the back of the switch bank and to the Factory Harness.


Next run the long section of the harness you built through this little circle opening and then across the back of the dash and into the engine Bay.

This is what your dash should look like at this point. Jumper harness installed and ready for the Center Stack to be reinstalled.


Plug all the connections back in and loosely put the centerstack back in place. Do not completely reinstall it just in case you need to fix a connection once its 100% wired and turned on in AlfaOBD or whatever you choose to use.

 

[Florotory]

Back under the hood at the Aux PDC:
Step 1.
Utilizing the wiring diagram from the first post make the connections from the long harness that you ran through the firewall to the PDC. One wire per relay (total of 6).


Step 2.
Plug in all your fuses and relays. This is what it should look like when done.


Step 3:
After double checking your wiring diagram, go ahead and put the Fuse block back in its case. Make sure that the OE harness, Jumper harness and the harness for the AUX plugs are all coming out of the slot on the back of the PDC. Clip your Aux Plugs onto the side of the PDC and this is how it should look.



Next put the cap back on and install the 2- 10mm bolts. Reinstall the battery.

 

[Florotory]

Last thing you need to do is activate the switch bank with AlfaOBD or similar. Takes about 1 min once you get the cables all hooked up to the tablet, phone or laptop whichever you choose. I'll look for the exact steps shortly for AlfaOBD to make it easier and have everything for this DIY in one spot.

Couple Things I learned or would do differently:
1. I would a bought as much of my electrical supplies at one place as possible. That would save a good amount of money due to shipping.
2. Like I stated earlier I would shorten the wiring in the AUX PDC to make it cleaner and easier to put back together.
3. My jumper harness behind the Center Stack could be shorter however I didn't have it apart when I built the jumper harness, so I was just estimating the length.

If you have any questions or something I missed, please feel free to ask. Also, double check everything. I am obviously not a professional DIY write up guy. However, I had zero issues with this and everything worked the first time and almost 6 months later still no issues.

EDIT: Thanks to @JustARam22 for the screen shot of AlfaOBD settings

The green connector for the SBC has a little green guide on the top that you’ll need to clip off. I’ll update the part number once I get the one without the tab. However it takes about 2 seconds to clip it.
Update: Here is the wiring diagram and parts list to build the SBC

 

[jkraft]

Hi I'm looking to add these to my 2022 Ram 1500 DT but im having a hard time finding a security bypass kit. Is there any others that are not bluetooth other then Kaodtech?

 

[Florotory]

I believe so. Have you email kaotech to see if they do have them. I just got one about a week ago. I thought about seeing if I can get my hands on the plugs and making a few. Really not hard if plugs are available


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[jkraft]

I hit the notify me when available 3 weeks ago and again last week with no reply emailed them on Friday haven't heard anything. I was thinking the same to make my own just not sure where wires go.

 

[Florotory]

I hit the notify me when available 3 weeks ago and again last week with no reply emailed them on Friday haven't heard anything. I was thinking the same to make my own just not sure where wires go.

If you get the plugs and pins lmk. I’ll send you a pin out

 

[Brutal_HO]

I hit the notify me when available 3 weeks ago and again last week with no reply emailed them on Friday haven't heard anything. I was thinking the same to make my own just not sure where wires go.

PM Jimmy07, he can make you one.

 

[IndyRamMega]

Is there a reason you guys want to go thru the can bus system for your accessories instead of adding an sPOD or like switching system? Or do you just want the factory look?

 

[Florotory]

Is there a reason you guys want to go thru the can bus system for your accessories instead of adding an sPOD or like switching system? Or do you just want the factory look?

I like the factory look and function. It’s not hard to add the factory switches so it makes sense to go that route if you have the factory PDC already


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[stinson87]

Can you please add the lookup table for part numbers for the switch. This is rather important to get the correct module.

[mod: I would reference Jimmy's post #18 as the source of truth for switch panel part numbers before this doc that's been spread about (self included)]

DIY: Add Aux Switches to 19+ Ram 2500 Laramie 6.7L

There are quite a few threads about Adding Aux switches and AlfaOBD to our trucks out there. I did hours of reading them and watching numerous videos on it as well as messages back and forth to get this installed on my truck. I wanted to make a DIY for someone else that wants to do it and keep...

hdrams.com

 

[joace]

This is a nice instruction to add aux switch. Just wondering anyone gets it done without making harness by themsleves, just order OE or after market parts.

 

[Florotory]

This is a nice instruction to add aux switch. Just wondering anyone gets it done without making harness by themsleves, just order OE or after market parts.

From what I’ve read it’s pretty tough to make it 100% OE. The plugs are tough to get to under the dash and tons of wiring.

The separate harness bypasses that and still functions 100% like OEM.

The AUX PDC area is setup 100% like OEM, even the plugs on the side are the same. Really only difference on the pdc side is the colors of the wiring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[elephantrider]

it's not difficult, just tedious.

 

[Jimmy07]

Here’s all the current aux switches part numbers. 19-21 part numbers have a top row of switches that are glossy:

22+ part numbers have a top row of switches that are matte.


Gas trucks, top row of switches called out, bottom row is 6 aux switches:
Tow/haul, traction control:
19-21: 68476018AB
22+: 68578987AA
Tow/haul, traction control, rear park assist:
19-21: 68476044AB
22+: 68579000AA
Tow/haul, traction control, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476024AB
22+: 68578990AA
Air suspension, tow/haul, traction control, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476025AB
22+: 68578991AA

Diesel trucks, top row called out, bottom row is 6 aux switches:
Tow/haul, exhaust brake:
19-21: 68376642AE
22+: 68578992AA
Tow/haul, exhaust brake, rear park assist:
19-21: 68476053AB
22+: 68579002AA
Tow/haul, exhaust brake, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476031AA (now replaced by 2022 part number)
22+: 68578994AA
Air suspension, tow/haul, exhaust brake, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476035AB
22+: 68578995AA

 

[Olive2022HO3500]

Here’s all the current aux switches part numbers. 19-21 part numbers have a top row of switches that are glossy:
View attachment 51555
22+ part numbers have a top row of switches that are matte.
View attachment 51556

Gas trucks, top row of switches called out, bottom row is 6 aux switches:
Tow/haul, traction control:
19-21: 68476018AB
22+: 68578987AA
Tow/haul, traction control, rear park assist:
19-21: 68476044AB
22+: 68579000AA
Tow/haul, traction control, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476024AB
22+: 68578990AA
Air suspension, tow/haul, traction control, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476025AB
22+: 68578991AA

Diesel trucks, top row called out, bottom row is 6 aux switches:
Tow/haul, exhaust brake:
19-21: 68376642AE
22+: 68578992AA
Tow/haul, exhaust brake, rear park assist:
19-21: 68476053AB
22+: 68579002AA
Tow/haul, exhaust brake, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476031AA (now replaced by 2022 part number)
22+: 68578994AA
Air suspension, tow/haul, exhaust brake, front and rear park assist:
19-21: 68476035AB
22+: 68578995AA

Thank you very much, I wanted to switch these and would have ordered by the old part number, great to see just before I ordered that 2022 has a new part number! HUGE HELP!!!

 

[UglyViking]

I'm getting ready to tackle this and the write up was hugely helpful. My wiring experience has only been small electronics, mostly used indoors, so this will be new for me.

Is there a recommendation of brand of wire, or place to get wire? I'm not sure how much the quality of wire varies from brand to brand. Can I just snag whatever off amazon or should I be looking for a specific brand or buying from a specific website?