Stereo & Electronics - Power source

I am hard wiring my radar detector and need a power source to tap into. i was planning on tapping into the power for the map lights in the mirror and having the radar detector mounted under the mirror. will getting power from there work or should i consider a different source?

fuse tap into the fuse box...
gives you a choice of constant hot or preferably keyed (ignition controled) hot wire.
Runs about 4-6 bucks from AutoZone/PepBoys/O'Rileys and such.

Duff

i don't want to go that route. i heard that they stretch out the fuse holder and make for a bad connection over time. also i want to make the connection as close as possible to avoid running wire. thanks though. any other opinions?

thats a good idea, . . ttt bump . . im interested also

If you go that route, the mirror has constant power (probably orange wire---Whitebird?) and you would have to remember to ALWAYS turn the detector off. Wiretap (typically little blue clampon type-also in red and yellow depending on gauge wire used for)

Duffster is correct - the only power available at the mirror is battery constant (although the wire is dark blue with white tracer rather than orange). The black wire is ground and the white wire is BCM controlled ground for the theater dimming effect of the courtesy lights.

There are three taps in the fuse panel that GM intended for accessory installations. They are single blade terminal ports (like half a fuse port) that are labeled BATT (constant power), IGN (power when the ignition is on), and ACCY (power in RUN, ACCY, and when the retained accessory power circuit is active - like the radio). This would be the best place to power your detector. They use an ordinary spade connector and the IGN port will turn off your detector when you shut off the ignition. It's just down the A pillar so it's the shortest distance you're going to find to get the proper power source.

ok. that sounds like a better idea. as it is right now i never turn the radar off anyways. i drive the car every day and its not a big enough drain on the battery.

WhiteBird- you are talking about the fuse box that is in the dash right? not the one under the hood?

ok. that sounds like a better idea. as it is right now i never turn the radar off anyways. i drive the car every day and its not a big enough drain on the battery.

WhiteBird- you are talking about the fuse box that is in the dash right? not the one under the hood?
That's right, you'll see the accessory ports in the fuse panel on the left end of the dash. Remove the one bolt that holds it in place so that you can run your wire out the side and into the dash cavity then reinstall the bolt. Each circuit is protected by a 15-amp fuse so you should add your own smaller inline fuse for something like a radar detector.

ok. sounds like that's going to be the plan. you don't have any tips on how to get the wire over there do you? also where should i ground too? if you can't tell wiring isn't really my specialty.

thanks for the help.

ok. sounds like that's going to be the plan. you don't have any tips on how to get the wire over there do you? also where should i ground too? if you can't tell wiring isn't really my specialty.

thanks for the help.
Grounding is the easy part - just tap into the black wire at the mirror. It is used for the ground of the map lights.

You can run your power wire under the headliner by just tucking it in at the leading edge along the windshield. Remove the A pillar trim (without t-tops it just snaps off, with t-tops you have to remove the t-top and take out the two screws at the top of the trim). Run your wire down the A pillar (hold it in place with a little electrical tape) and into the dash where the pillar meets the dash. Then remove the bolt holding the fuse panel so you can maneuver it out of the way and pull your wire through from under the dash. Crimp on a spade connector, plug it in, reinstall the fuse panel bolt, and you're done. 30 minutes tops!

great. thanks for the info. my wiring kit should be here today or tomorrow so i'll get on it then. thanks again for the help.

alright. i'm working on this project right now and I need a ground. there are three wires in the a-pillar, a blue, a black and a white. it would be nice to tap into one of these wires if possible. does anybody know which one is the ground?

Objection, your honor - asked and answered. :judge:

Duffster is correct - the only power available at the mirror is battery constant (although the wire is dark blue with white tracer rather than orange). The black wire is ground and the white wire is BCM controlled ground for the theater dimming effect of the courtesy lights.