How to: Hard wiring your radar dectector
10-10-2004, 02:00 PM
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How to: Hard wiring your radar dectector
I should've taken pics but I was so involved, I totally forgot about it so I will try my best to thoroughly explain everything.
1. Buy a hardwiring kit from Best Buy or Radio Shack for like $10.
2. Turn the ignition off, take the key out because you don't want to blow a fuse during the install. Take the center console out by moving both the driver and passenger seats all the way back. Pry out CAREFULLY the black shift plate surround. Open the armrest and uncover the little piece of carpet then unscrew the two screws there. After that, unscrew two screws that are on either sides of the center console right were the front of the seat pads are. Then take the ashtray out and unscrew the two screws in the middle and the left side of the space.
2. Unplug everything like your seat heaters and fog lights and the cigarette lighter wiring harness plug at the carpeted vertical wall under the radio.
3. Look at the plug you just unplugged coming out of the carpeted vertical wall under the radio. You'll see 4 wires. You need to splice the two outer wires. The black is ground and the other, which if I remember correctly, is white with blue stripes (I'M NOT 100% SURE SO LOOK). What I'm sure is that the outer two wires going into that plug are the cigarette lighter circuits. So in a process of elimination, the black one is the ground, as stated above, and the other one is the power.
4. Splice them in with a Quick Splice connector like this one below and connect the wires.
5. Turn the ignition on, plug in the radar. Does it turn on? If not, then the connector may have not cut through the insulation. Use a utility knife and carefully cut the insulation open , NOT the wire, and try again.
NOTE: DO NOT RUN THE GROUND WIRE OF THE HARDWIRING KIT TO THE BODY. I did that and the car stalled on me twice last night. Very dangerous. I'm guessing it was a bad ground so that's why it was stalling. After splicing the ground wire to the cigarette lighter ground, everything was back to normal.
6. Run the wires. You can mount the radar right above the dashboard or up by the rearview mirror. Just remember to tuck it in neatly because you want to make it to look as professional as possible. In my case, I mounted the radar right above the center of the dashboard and tucked the wires right below it and ran it under the driver's side and zip-tied everything under there so right now, the only wire you see is the little 5 inches of wiring sticking out from the base of the windshield up to the radar. It looks awesome!!
7. Put everything back together in reverse order as disassembling.
Alright...a disclaimer. This is for informational purposes only. I will not be responsible for any problems you may encounter during or after the install so if you screwed it up,
. But please, don't hesitate asking questions. I may be able to help ya since I have the shop manual.
GOOD LUCK!!!
1. Buy a hardwiring kit from Best Buy or Radio Shack for like $10.
2. Turn the ignition off, take the key out because you don't want to blow a fuse during the install. Take the center console out by moving both the driver and passenger seats all the way back. Pry out CAREFULLY the black shift plate surround. Open the armrest and uncover the little piece of carpet then unscrew the two screws there. After that, unscrew two screws that are on either sides of the center console right were the front of the seat pads are. Then take the ashtray out and unscrew the two screws in the middle and the left side of the space.
2. Unplug everything like your seat heaters and fog lights and the cigarette lighter wiring harness plug at the carpeted vertical wall under the radio.
3. Look at the plug you just unplugged coming out of the carpeted vertical wall under the radio. You'll see 4 wires. You need to splice the two outer wires. The black is ground and the other, which if I remember correctly, is white with blue stripes (I'M NOT 100% SURE SO LOOK). What I'm sure is that the outer two wires going into that plug are the cigarette lighter circuits. So in a process of elimination, the black one is the ground, as stated above, and the other one is the power.
4. Splice them in with a Quick Splice connector like this one below and connect the wires.
5. Turn the ignition on, plug in the radar. Does it turn on? If not, then the connector may have not cut through the insulation. Use a utility knife and carefully cut the insulation open , NOT the wire, and try again.
NOTE: DO NOT RUN THE GROUND WIRE OF THE HARDWIRING KIT TO THE BODY. I did that and the car stalled on me twice last night. Very dangerous. I'm guessing it was a bad ground so that's why it was stalling. After splicing the ground wire to the cigarette lighter ground, everything was back to normal.
6. Run the wires. You can mount the radar right above the dashboard or up by the rearview mirror. Just remember to tuck it in neatly because you want to make it to look as professional as possible. In my case, I mounted the radar right above the center of the dashboard and tucked the wires right below it and ran it under the driver's side and zip-tied everything under there so right now, the only wire you see is the little 5 inches of wiring sticking out from the base of the windshield up to the radar. It looks awesome!!
7. Put everything back together in reverse order as disassembling.
Alright...a disclaimer. This is for informational purposes only. I will not be responsible for any problems you may encounter during or after the install so if you screwed it up,
. But please, don't hesitate asking questions. I may be able to help ya since I have the shop manual. GOOD LUCK!!!
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