GoodRevs

I'm gonna be also direct wiring my radar detector hopefully later this week. On my previous vehicle I just spliced into the positive and negative lines that feed the garage door opener which was located above the rear view mirror. This allowed me to mount the radar detector up high adjacent to the rear view mirror. I would like to place it there on my 2001 ES300 as well. Two questions,

1) Do you think I'll overload it and blow a fuse if I splice into the power that feeds the sunroof or overhead lights? Are these sources always on, i.e they will turn my radar detector on when I start the car and off when I turn off the car.

2)Would it be safer to run into the fuse box and use an out of circuit fuse and ground on a screw?

Thanks

llcoolpass

1) how will the radar detector turn off when you turn the key off if you wire it to the over head lights? aka what happens if you hit the button and the key is out -- the light turns on! so it's always got power.

2) yes. and i would think your detector isn't that powerful. but, you want to have as little interference into the power supply into it as possible. if you run cheap, long amount of wire, that might be a problem. the detector depending on how high quality it is may have a circuit built in to deal with alternator and ignition noise.

why not just run the power cables up around the driver side of windshield up to the top where i think you want to mount detector? they would go to the fuse box where you could put your own new fuse location for it. the fuse would be rated such that the power wire wouldn't melt insulation or catch fire to the car during a short or overload of that wires ability. so you make sure to have only the gauge of wire you need for the radar dector, and take that length of wire and calculate the power max. then divide that by the lowest voltage you might get so maybe 11 volts, then you have the max current [fuse amps].

mmlex1987

Most high end radar detectors such as the Valentine" actually come with the appropriate harness to wire directly to the fuse panel. If not, I agree with llcoolpass and would fabricate the proper harness.

GoodRevs

The wiring that I used on my previous vehicle has a glass cylinder fuse built into the positive wire. I did not have to cut it myself, I purchased it and it is designed specifically for direct wiring of a radar detector.

I suppose I could snake the cable from the rearview mirror all the way to the fuse box on the drivers side, but can I hide the cord all the way? I don't know, I haven't looked closely enough.

So what rating of an out of circuit fuse should I get at the auto store? And should I cut off the part of the wiring with the fuse since I'll be using an out of circuit fuse?

It's a Bel tonics Vector 940 btw.

ayonnebay

I hard-wired mine to the sunroof wiring on my '98 ES (shuts off when key turned off.) I also wired the auto-dimming, compass mirror I added to the same circuit. I did both many years ago, and have never had a problem nor blown a fuse.

Walt

llcoolpass

"never had a problem"
lol
you must be american to have that logic.

yes, my passport escort 8500 can be hooked up with a factory supplied cable for just this purpose just like your, mike deano, valentine one had available.

remember, car fires aren't fun. wire stuff up proper.

ayonnebay

Obviously the biggest draw on the circuit is the sunroof motor, not a compass, nor a radar detector. I never use my sunroof. Using "American logic" (if you want to call it that), I determined that the circuit, if capable of handling a motor load, could handle a radar detector. That is, only if I stop driving with my sunroof going back and forth constantly. I hated steadily holding my hand up pushing that button while driving on long trips anyhow.

GoodRevs

I picked up a 10a fuse out circuit for $7 at autozone. Pricey, but I'm gonna play it safe on this car. I got lucky without having any issue's on my old cadillac, not gonna chance it.

Last question. The terminal ring on the negative end on the direct wire got cut off when I disconnected it from my previous car. Can I just wrap the bare, exposed copper cable around a grounded screw or should I go buy a new terminal ring and crimp it back onto the negative end?

ayonnebay

10 Amp ? Sounds too big. Valentine uses a 1 amp. Mine uses a 2 amp. Maybe I'm not understanding what you bought, though ...

GoodRevs

the smallest one that accepts the fuses that are typically red and labeld "10" on top. I probably used the wrong terminology in my previous post.

ayonnebay

Oh, okay. The detector, itself, though should have a smaller in-line fuse.

llcoolpass

yeah but getting a huge amp fuse is the opposite of safety
12V * 1A = 12W
you should have a fuse that is a bit more than your device uses normally at peak power. I would think a radar detector would be 5-20W so that 1A fuse might be OK, I don't know, I'd have to look it up.

ayonnebay, now that is the logic we were looking for.

Everybody get your mother fu$$$ng roll on, WHAT

GoodRevs

So the out circuit fuse I bought sounds correct to you? I believe it's the same one I've seen others use for direct wiring a radar detector via the fuse box method.

And if you have a moment, do you happen to have an answer to the question I posed in post #8?

Thanks to both of you.

llcoolpass

buy the part and crimp or solder it to the wire. box of those is like 5 bucks tops. you should never do the other thing you were saying. the few times I did it, it didn't work out ANYWAY even though I shouldn't have when I did. So i doubly learnt my lesson

make sure it matches your wire gauge first though, and use wire strippers to remove appropriate amount of insulation

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103306

spade style is ok too i should think

what are you screwing into??

ayonnebay

Heheh, ... Still "American", though.