Last night I installed my old Escort Passport 8500 into my new Acura TL. It's working, but I have a problem ...

I am using a Buss Fuses Mini Add-A-Line, purchased at Advance Auto Parts, to get power using a fuse slot. Slots 31 & 33 were unused, but 33 was always on; so I used 31 ... so far so good. The 8500 worked, and then I faced the toughest part of the job ... getting the fuse box panel re-installed (& I thought removing it was tough! ). Then came the last & presumably easiest part of the job ... sliding the fuse box cover back on ... it would not close all the way. It turns out the Add-A-Line's base for the power wire blocks the top rail on the cover!

The Add-A-Line does not work upside down, so that's not a solution. I need to find a fuse to use, which is not in the top row of fuses. Can anybody suggest an appropriate fuse? Most of the fuses are greater than 10A. The Add-A-Line says 10A is the limit ... but that might be for only the added accessory, not the original car fuse ... so I'm holding off using a power window fuse slot.

Any suggestions for which fuse slot to use?

BTW, I installed the 8500 to the right of the rear view mirror, which for the most part is a great location ... high, doesn't stop the passenger visor from closing (although it does block the driver's view of it), near the headliner for wiring. But it can easily be seen from outside the car. It didn't seem like the suction cups would hold on the perforated tint strip, and the strip would probably block at least laser, so that's not a good hiding place. Any ideas for a better location, which cannot be easily seen from outside the car?

Thanks for your help!

Dave

 

You can use the power window fuse slot. You can't exceed 10A on the accessory because the power wire off the add a circuit is not heavy enough gauge.

 

Thanks, Mike!

Dave

 

Why not use invisicord? I and many folks here use it. Works great and you can easily tap into the power supply for the dome lights. Do a search on "invisicord" and you'll find a whole thread on how to access the dome light power wires.

 

Why didn't I use Invisicord? Because I thought it would be easy this way! Was I wrong! Now I have a new very very weird problem ...

My first installation attempt ended up great until the last step ... the add-a-circuit stuck up just enough to hit the low part of the fuse box door (a rail), so I could not close the door. If the add-a-circuit could be installed 180 degrees from its position or go on any row except the top row, all would be ok.

So today, I thought I would use one of the power window fuses ... oops, top row. So I decided I'd try the 20a seat heater circuit in the middle row. Getting the add-a circuit out of its 1st position was difficult, but finally accomplished. It was even harder getting the fuse out of the new slot (#15), but I managed it. I had already determined this was a switched circuit, which is what I wanted. I plugged in the add-a-circuit with a fuse for the radar detector, but not the original fuse for the slot, in the same orientation as for the original slot. The radar detector didn't turn on, so I reversed it 180 degrees ... perfect ... radar detector worked, & turned off when ignition turned off.

Here's where it got VERY weird. I plugged in the original 20a fuse into the add-a-circuit. The heater still worked. But now the radar detector ALWAYS had power, i.e. it no longer acted as a switched circuit for the radar detector, but it did for the heater, both using the same fuse slot! Furthermore, the circuit is switched for the radar detector when there's no heater fuse installed!

I haven't been able to figure out any kind of simple circuit (i.e. one which works the way I imagine one of these fused circuits would work) which would account for this behavior. Do you have any idea what could possibly be going on here???

In case it's necessary, can you suggest any other fuse slot (not in the top row), which is switched & appropriate for the radar detector?

There is some good news though ... the fuse cover now closes!

Thanks for your help!

Dave

 

I'm a little too lazy to go look right now but I can tell you I use the power window fuse that controls the window lock function. That way I can use the power window lock switch as an on/off switch for the radar detector. I usually have the window lock in the up or off position so when I turn the car on the detector comes on.

However, if I get in a spot where the V1 is falsing badly (construction zone) then all I have to do is hit the power window lock and the detector turns off. The way I have the V1 mounted, mostly behind and to the right of the rear view mirror, I can't even reach the off switch on the unit. I have the remote display so no need to even look at the V1.

I have an '06 TL and the fuse box door fits with no problems.

 

Damn, never thought of that. Thats sweet!

 

That's pretty nifty. But at this point, I'll settle for something that works right!

I suspect there are different models of add-a-circuit type devices, with different shapes or orientation. Or maybe different circuits on the row have different sides of the fuses connected to the power source. If the latter, I could try other fuses on the same row as the empty slots I first tried. Come to think of it, perhaps the '06 has a different fuse box layout or shape than the '08.

On the model of add-a-circuit I have, the base for the power wire coming out of the unit seems solid (i.e. not bendable) & ends up in the wrong place (blocking one of the rails on the cover).

I'll have to play around some more (yet again). I'm still curious how the seat heater circuit works the way it does!

Thanks.

Dave

 

I did some more web searching & found a clue ... the seat heaters use a relay, and the fuse probably supplies power to both heater & relay. I'm not going to fool around with this circuit anymore!

Now I'll focus on finding another fuse that works (electrically & can close fuse box cover)! Hmmm, I wonder about the "Accessory Socket"???

Dave

 

Question about the invisacord... Doesn't the Escort 8800 take 9 volts not 12? Or am I wrong?