I'm assuming I could just cut the power line going into the plug and splice it into the wire that turns the radio on/off to make them switched? Anyone know what color wire that is for the radio connector?

Edit: I see I will need a relay, can someone provide a link to an appropriate relay on amazon, and idiot proof instructions on how to wire it up?

 

What year Ranger?

 

Automotive relays are pretty much standardized. They are usually purchased in a retail packaging that has the wiring diagram included or printed on the back.

 

2002

Here is my thought, tell me if this will work:

• Buy one of these:
  Amazon
  Amazon
• Open the hood, open the fuse box
• Using my multimeter, find a fuse that is dead with the car off and had power with the car on, that will be a switched fuse (hopefully there is a 20A one in there)
• Pull that fuse out, stick it in the bottom port of the thing I bought off amazon
• Stick a new fuse in the top port of the thing I bought off amazon. Could I pull the fuse for the Cig lighter and/or 12V plug (whichever one I am making switched) and use that?
• Gt a length of 16 gauge wire and somehow get it from the fuse box back to the radio area (I suspect this will be hard, if there an easy route to take?)
• Cut the hot wire going to the cig lighter, and connect the wire coming from the cig lighter to the wire I just fished through
• Connect the other end of the wire I fished through to the red pigtail coming off the thing I bought off amazon
• Put a wire nut or something off the old power wire end I cut that was going to the cig lighter.

Assuming it's not a huge PIA to run a wire from the engine bay to the radio area, that seems pretty simple. I read the "add a relay" instructions and they are super over my head.

 

Relays will have four terminals, each one with their own purpose. They're usually numbered 30, 85, 86 and 87. Don't let the randomness intimidate you. Bring your switched power in from the engine bay and connect it to terminal 86, and ground terminal 85. This will cause the relay to activate the coil in the relay when you apply power to it.

Cut the wire going to the power port. Connect one end to terminal 30 and the other to terminal 87.

Easy-peasy!

 

Pretty much all the fuses in engine fuse box have 12v all the time, key on fuses are in the cab fuse box
That being said fuse 41 in engine bay fuse box would work, it powers the O2 heaters and transmission solenoids and only has power with key in RUN position, not ACC

What are you using the cigar lighter outlet for?
If its not for a high amp cigar lighter or an inverter it probably doesn't need a 20amp circuit, lol
If you are just charging a phone or low amp draw like that you could just splice into a 12v key on wire, I would still put in an inline 5amp fuse

The Climate control panel just above the lighter has 2 Key on 12v wire you could tap
There is a Black/light green stripe wire from Cab fuse #2,10 amp, that you could tap

 

OK, so it would be doing the same process but stating in the cab fuse box, finding a suitable fuse, removing it, putting in the tap, putting the fuses in the tap, and running a wire from the cab fuse box to the back of the radio area?

A little FM transmitter thingy for an iPhone is what will be plugged into it

What color wire would those be? Would it just be a matter of cutting the power wire going to the cig lighter, cutting the 12 switched wire going to the climate control, and then connecting the two ends of the climate control wire and the end of the wire feeding the cig light together? and capping off the hanging power line that was feeding the cig lighter?

That is still very confusing to me. How would I "Bring your switched power in from the engine bay"? Do I make a new ground connection to ground terminal 85 or connecting it to some existing ground, and if so which one? There are two wires going to the power port, cut which one? When you say "connect one end to terminal 30 and the other to terminal 87" what ends are you talking about?

I know it's easy when you know how, but I don't know how so it is very very confusing to me.

 

It was in my post
There is a Black/light green stripe wire from Cab fuse #2,10 amp, that you could tap

Yes, for just that transmitter or USB phone charger you will need maybe 2 amps
So you could use almost any key on 12v wire in the cab

 

Isn't this what you intended to do from the beginning?

The power outlet should have a ground wire. Connect it to that.

The one going to the center.

When you cut the middle of a wire, you now have two ends.

 

Thanks for the info, so it looks like from the above posts, if I have this right, there are three options:

1 - Find the black/light green strip wire behind the radio/climate control area, cut it, cut the power wire (but not the ground wire) going to the cig lighter, then tie the two ends of the black/light green stripe wire and the end of the power wire connected to the cig lighter together, and that should convert the cig lighter to switch power

2 - Find a 12V switched fuse in the cab fuse box (using my multimeter), put a Fuse tap in that spot, cut the power wire (but not the ground wire) going to the cig lighter, then connect the red wire coming off the fuse tap to the power wire connected to the cig lighter, and that should convert the cig lighter to switch power

3 - Get a relay, find a 12V switched fuse in the cab fuse box (using my multimeter), put a Fuse tap in that spot, connect the red wire from the Fuse tap to terminal 86 on the relay, cut the ground wire going to the cig lighter and connect the ground wire coming from the truck (not the end attached to the cig lighter after cutting) and attach that to terminal 85, then cut the power line going to the cig lighter, connect one end of the line to terminal 30, and the other end of the line to terminal 87. When power is sent from the switched fuse to terminal 86, it will close the circuit and connect terminal's 30 and 87 and make the cig lighter turn on (where does the ground wire connected to the cig lighter go?)


Is there any compelling reason to do any one of those options over the other? Personally I am leaning towards Option 2, although it looks like it might be a bit of a hassle to get a wire from the passenger side foot well where the fuse box is over to behind the radio area. I can't see any reason to use a relay when a Fuse Tap seems to accomplish the same thing

 

Connecting the port to a different circuit may cause you to overload that circuit. It's best to either switch the circuit that's already going to the port or create a new one.

 

I went with option #1 and it worked fine. I used wagos.