I just got a GPS for x-mas and it uses a cig lighter/accessory power supply.

What I want to do is buy an cig lighter/accessory power supply from walmart and install it in my cab some where so I can plug the GPS into it so its out of the way.

My question to you guys is how would I wire the accessory supply up? What would I connect the wires to etc....

 

You can get another female cig lighter and wire it to the backside of the stock ones. Behind the radio bezel. I wired my gamin wire through the dash. power hangs down in the little floor console, reaches up to the dash power outlets. Wire to the garmin comes from a pre-existing hole...so the wire doesn't dangle everywhere.

Ill take pics

 

Mike if you could get some pics that would be sweet.

 

What I have isn't anything fancy. Basically instead of having the wire dangling around. It slides out of the dash. Just ended up being a pet peeve with the wire in the way of the radio and stuff..works out. No cutting of wiring or anything. couple minutes with the radio bezel out and a coat-hanger for a fish. lol

Here is how it is when I'm not using it. That is a pre-exisiting hole I'm using. Stuck a grommet in there because I had one. Nobody has really noticed it. Anyway I just pull it out of the dash to hook it up. Kinda feed it back into the dash when I'm not.





Power end just hangs out in that little console under the dash until needed.

 

Goody, we have the same radio!

 

Haha, it's a little tropper. I'm rockin' the Cassette to mp3 player hookup lol. Hopefully I'll get a new deck within a couple months.

 

Would it not fit through one of those vent holes?

 

I actually just stripped off the plug and hard wired mine in. I tapped off an ACC wire on the radio so that it will only come on when the truck comes on...I love it.

 

I'll go grab a picture of mine.

 

Here we go, 12 slot fuse block in my Expo center console power wire going directly to the battery so I don't have to worry about over loading the stock outlet.

 

For my accessory outlets, I tapped into the factory cig lighter socket behind the radio bezel (added inline fuse for new outlets).
Also, the 3 new outlets are controlled by the switch to the left of them.
The fuse to the outlets is smaller (5A) than the panel fuse for the cig lighter (10A I believe).
I never use the factory cig outlet because the cords always hang in the way.
That plug in the back goes to my radar detector. I cut the original cord off & ran a new wire down the A pillar & under the dash over to my new outlets.

My 3 outlets began life as one of those plastic plug in extension outlet things, I just removed the plastic, flush mounted it in the console & wired it directly.

No more cords hanging from the radio bezel.

If you wanted to conceal the extra outlets, you could mount it in the glove box.

Oh yeah, if you connect to the cig lighter, check polarity of the wires. Some stuff won't work with reversed polarity. I believe the outer ring is neg & the center contact is pos (sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong).

 

i just tapped into a 12vlt wire that was running to my gauges. my plug is hidden under the dash and i ran the cable up my a-pillar and out into the corner of my windshield where i mount my gps

 

Thanks for all the good responses and ideas. I think I am going to get an extra accessory power unit and splice it into my current accessory plug the dash.

 

I just bought another cig. lighter I connected it to the power wire on the radio.

It is behind the dash also for my XM radio

 

What wires could I splice the new cig lighter into? I have already spliced off the radio wire so I dont want to do that one again.

 

easiest is go to the power window fuse and tap power to that and then ground the ground. what i do for sat radio installs. then the unit is switched.

 

Alright Im gonna jack this thread for a few questions since I don't want to make another one.

I was planning on doing the fuse block install when I got my center console parts (still havent had a nice day off of work to get them).

1. With a fuse block install do you need an inline fuse close to the battery (like the ones found on a power wire for an amplifier for a sub) to prevent the wires from catching on fire? Also would I even need a wire direct from the battery for power?

2. Rather than tapping into your power windows (because some of us don't have the luxury) to get a 'switched' power source behind your fuse panel. Is there another place to tap into?

3. Can somebody point me in the direction of a 2000 ranger fuse panel diagram w/ labels. My truck didn't come with a manual.

 

1. YES YES YES. You can put the wire on the power distribution panel as well. I used a 10 gauge wire, it should handle all the draw I use.

2. You can tap into the switched power on the radio

 

How big of an inline fuse would you need? I planned on using 8 GA wire if I did such. I can only imagine me using it for a radar detector, cb, and accesory lights (maybe off road in the future).