Ignition "on" power source?

[fj40dave]

Hi All.....

Looking for some pointers into where to find the most practical and accessable source for the "ignition on power source" for the transmission temp gauge I found under the tree this Christmas?



I aint dum orr nutin, buht if'n ya culd xplain id b mos appreciatin. .







Thanks,



Dave

Anacortes, WA

'01 Quad 4x Double Deep auto transmission pan with temp sensor soon!

 

[dresslered]

Dave, if you're like the rest of us, that won't be the last goodie under the tree. I tapped a secondary fuse block off of the Cigar lighter (switched 20-amp circuit). I then run individual smaller fuses off of this.

 

[fj40dave]

Tapping into the cigarette lighter circuit sounds practical to me - the secondary fuse block and sutch... ... where did you actually splice into the wire?

 

[BPonci]

Anytime i install a acces, i use the black with orange stripe located under the steering column or at the back of the fuse block. It is always a good idea to install a secondary fuse block for accesories.

 

[fj40dave]

Black with orange stripe - I'll look for it tomorrow and get one of the fuse block's mentioned.

Thanks a lot - great advice

Appreciated.

Dave

Anacortes, WA

 

[dresslered]

Hey Dave-

When installing the Jacob's E-Brake, it was their advice to use the Cigar lighter as the source for the Brake. They actually suggest removing the lighter and attach an accessory clip to the back, but I was unable to get the circlip removed (I had also heard of other TDR members even damaging the lighter because it is that difficult). So instead, I think that I had to remove the dash bezel, cubby, etc. , to gain access and then I was able to splice into the wire within a few inches of the lighter. The difficulty in doing this was a clear indication that I wanted easier access in the future leading to the separate fuse block. On my truck, I believe the wire was RD/OR (fuse 15--20A) as the BK/OR was the other side to ground. Good luck.

 

[fj40dave]

Well... . I pulled the drink holder, ash tray, glove box and cubby hole cup out - didn't think that I should try the cigar lighter..... only found a small section of wire going to the cigar lighter (one red and one black/orange stripe) - so..... got a small straight slot screw driver and turned the cigar lighter about 1/4 turn in the slot and popped it out without damaging it



I'll test the wires tomorrow - see if the bigger solid red one is the one I want to use for the fuse block switched power source.



Where are some good suggestions for mounting a fuse block? Engine compartment is a way's away... . so I'm thinking inside... . maybe under the Gray cover piece that's below the fold down cup holder.....



Dave

 

[dresslered]

Dave-

Sounds like you had success. I forgot that you have an auto so that the access is somewhat different. I believe that the "red" wire that you are referring to is the correct one, but if you look closely, it should have an 'orange' tracer on it. Just prick it with a needle and measure with a DVM (ignition on).



As far as mounting my terminal block, I wish that I had taken a picture (will do so next time I'm in there). I located mine on the metal channel which supports the steering column. It fit right down the recessed section and is easily accessable when the 'steering column opening cover/knee blocker' is removed. It's kind of hard to 'splain without a picture but is very convenient.

 

[fj40dave]

I'll have to take a look at the steering collumn area under that knee panel... . I almost took it off today, but the trailer brake control is mounted with/integral to it just to the right of the E-Brake pedal..... didn't want the thing hangin there while I have to drive home in the morning yet.



I'll test the red wire like ya mention..... and look closer for the orange stripe... . or even better yet - look at the Hayne's manual I have and check out the wiring diagram...



Ya know, I have the glove box out - I see a bunch of heater wire bundle stuff readily available there - has that ever been used that you've heard of??? Seems easier to access... .



Dave

 

[FourBarR]

ign. on power

another alternative go to auto parts store or wal-mart and get an item called add a circuit. remove fuse from #8 . plug in the add a circuit , then put the original fuse in the add circuit . the red wire coming out of the add circuit is ign . on power. this way you dont have to cut or splice any wires. my 02 cts.

 

[CumminsPower98]

I installed an accessory fuse block to run all my stuff. I ran a hot wire directly from the main fuse in the power distribution box under the hood to a relay, which is switched by the main switched wire in the column. If you plan on adding other accessories in the future I highly recommend installing a fuse block as it makes future upgrades really easy and safe. See a picture of my setup here: http://www.mark74.com/ram_modifications.htm It's down from the top a little ways on the left.



Mark

 

[DragsterRob]

Cigar lighter

I am in the middle of a gage and snowplow install, and I stumbled across this thread yesterday, and I used the Red wire with the Orange tracer. Thanks for the good info!!

It was a beast to get at, so I pulled out my factory service manual, and read the procedure to pull the cigar lighter, and it says to use a set of snap-ring pliers, and push in the clips while pulling using a rocking motion, worked great. Then I spiced in a wire to run the plow and pyro(red as well). I left enough wire to run it to an aux fuse panel to run the relay. Worked nice and is all up and out of the way.

 

[fj40dave]

I got my gauge and the 6 way ATC (spade fuse) block installed without a hitch... .



I mounted the gauge in a temporary place - using a single gauge holder ($5 @ the auto parts store) I mounted it using the two screws in the ash tray holder recess upper surface. The really big drawback with this temp mount is that with the truck in Drive, the gauge is partially hidden.



I ended up using the black with orange stripe wire running down the steering collumn for the ignition on power source.

I also drilled out an attachment point for a dedicated ground point and used about a 1. 5" bolt.



I only put in a 3amp fuse for the gauge - is there someone out there that has any idea what amperage fuse would/should be used - I didn't see anything about the size (amp) fuse to use, so I went small to start with.



Well... . it'n 12:45am on 1-1-04..... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE... .



Dave

Anacortes, WA

2001 Quad 2500 4x4 with a new transmission Temp Gauge