Amp Research Powerstep Wiring to CAN

[TJSparky]

I received the Amp Research Powerstep XL for my 2021 F150. Love them as I have some bad knees and on a 6" lift it is a much needed upgraded for myself.

The one issue I have is "tapping" to the CAN bus for the WHITE and BLUE wires on the Amp Research OBD connector. I'm hoping we can find a solution to have a T harness for a more plug and play type setup. I personally don't like "tapping" into wires. I reached out to one of the harness master's @JHForman812 since he has done wonders for people with LED lighting. If we find a solution, I'll post an update.

Sponsored

 

[Sparkybrent]

I received the Amp Research Powerstep XL for my 2021 F150. Love them as I have some bad knees and on a 6" lift it is a much needed upgraded for myself.

The one issue I have is "tapping" to the CAN bus for the WHITE and BLUE wires on the Amp Research OBD connector. I'm hoping we can find a solution to have a T harness for a more plug and play type setup. I personally don't like "tapping" into wires. I reached out to one of the harness master's @JHForman812 since he has done wonders for people with LED lighting. If we find a solution, I'll post an update.

I have several things plugged into the obd ll connector including my Amp powerboards. I bought a splitter to add it all. Tapping into the controls was bad enough, I didn't want to do it with the power side.

 

[McStabby]

The Amp Smart Powersteps that I have came with 2 butt connectors for the CAN connection and they were easy to place and seem solid. The problem I had was that after installation, the wrong steps deployed and retracted meaning I open the driver door and the passenger side deployed and vice versa. I had to locate the 2 wires controlling the motors, find them in the harness under the hood, and cut and splice all 4 wires to change their orienation. And no, I didn't install the harness backwards. There's only one way to route the harness where the control wire ends up on the driver side to come through the floor. It was crossed in the harness from the factory.
I opened a ticket with Amp support about what to do about my problem. This was about 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard back from them so I'm glad I didn't wait. They work like they're suppose to now and I'm happy with them. Best mod I made on my truck as I'm not getting any younger. My 5'1" wife loves them.

 

[TJSparky]

McStabby- I heard something about reversing the purple wires if that happens. Let me see if I can find the you-tube video on that.

Oh, my bad. Just noticed you mentioned the opposite doors. Holy crap. That is messed up! I hear ya, my wife loves these new steps as well.

21:20 in this video, talks about the reverse happening for the steps. How to Install Amp Research Power Step XL on 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor (youtube.com)

 

[TJSparky]

I have several things plugged into the obd ll connector including my Amp powerboards. I bought a splitter to add it all. Tapping into the controls was bad enough, I didn't want to do it with the power side.

Ya I have a splitter for the multi-OBD connections from amazon, but tapping into the factory wiring is something I try to avoid whenever possible. Always prefer a plug and play T harness or something.

Here is the amazon one I use and it works great with all 4 items connected.
Amp Research connector
MX+ Link connector
Pedal Commander connector
Allstate safe driving connector
Amazon.com: OLLGEN 1.64 Feet 50cm OBD II OBD2 16 Pin Right Angle 1 Male Splitter to 4 Female Extension Cable Car Diagnostic Extender Cord Adapter … : Automotive

 

[tylittle]

Ran into an issue on my ‘22 Lariat while splicing into this connector. The instructions call to tap into a “white with green stripe wire and a green with blue stripe wire.” Neither my truck (‘22) or my buddy’s ‘21 had a white with green stripe wire to tape into. I tapped into the yellow with green stripe wire and had to look really hard to discover what I thought was a solid green wire actually did have a blue stripe. Anyways it works like a champ. Wish AMP had supplied correct instructions because they were closed on the weekend and I had to experiment on my truck. Luckily I got it on the first try and I hope this saves someone a headache in the future because I couldn’t find this information anywhere.

Sponsored