Tapping into the Electrical System - Don't cut your wires! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

marc780 · 06-05-2006, 05:26 PM

There's been alot of posts by people who needed to hook up accesorys like gauge lights and so on. And couldn't figure out how to tap into the power without mangling things. So i thought i'd post this make it easy for some poeple

http://www.wirthco.com/product_info....2cea3d1581d344

***Eye8Pussies*** · 06-05-2006, 06:48 PM

wow...that's pretty neat actually....that's pretty much like the ghetto rig that I have used in the past where where I just slip the wire under the fuse and into the fuse box...lol

shots76 · 06-05-2006, 08:13 PM

It is nice. Just remember that will widen/loosen your fuse clip in the box. But that's the next person's problem when you sell your car.

marc780 · 06-05-2006, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Just remember that will widen/loosen your fuse clip in the box. But that's the next person's problem when you sell your car.

That's a valid concern, shots. But at work we use these on many fleet cars to power comm radios and lights, and i've yet to see a fuse loosen, even on a car with 100,000+ miles.

88 LE · 06-06-2006, 05:15 AM

Thats better then wrapping a wire around a fuse, but its still ghetto rigging IMO.

Your adding onto a existing circuit and drawing more current from it.

Cutting wires is not a big deal, if you understand what your doing. I've done it plenty of times for alarm installs and other stuff.

Hajoca · 06-06-2006, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88 LE

Cutting wires is not a big deal, if you understand what your doing. I've done it plenty of times for alarm installs and other stuff.

Rememer that splicing by soldering or crimp connector is the proper way. twisting wires and tapping is not going to last due to corrosion, mechanical vibration and strain.

ShadySport · 06-06-2006, 07:33 AM

why not use something like this?

http://www.tessco.com/products/displ....mc_id=froogle

***DAMON*** · 06-06-2006, 07:42 AM

cant you just slit the insulation on the wire you want to tap into, solder the accessory wire into it and then make sure it is re-insulated?

WhiteRabbit · 06-06-2006, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadySport

why not use something like this?

http://www.tessco.com/products/displ....mc_id=froogle

ive used those, theyre great

thapranksta · 06-06-2006, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

ive used those, theyre great

Me too. It was a tight squeeze so I hope I don't have any problems later on. I was tapping into the ignition when I was installing my auto-dimming mirror in my Gen 5. They do stop the messy work.

thapranksta · 06-06-2006, 09:40 AM

BTW, what is the guage of the wires running into the fuse box so I can use the exact size the next time I use those connectors?

Luckynumber5 · 06-06-2006, 04:36 PM

Thats a really neat idea! I think an even better one would be to hook that into a relay and connect the relay directly to the battery if you neeed to power a lot of gadgets. Use that as an easy ignition on switch ya know?

88 LE · 06-06-2006, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hajoca

Rememer that splicing by soldering or crimp connector is the proper way. twisting wires and tapping is not going to last due to corrosion, mechanical vibration and strain.

I agree.

I always use crimp connectors, solder + heatshrink, or solder + electrical tape.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dysk8forlife

cant you just slit the insulation on the wire you want to tap into, solder the accessory wire into it and then make sure it is re-insulated?

Yes, that works fine.

marc780 · 06-07-2006, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Thats a really neat idea! I think an even better one would be to hook that into a relay and connect the relay directly to the battery if you neeed to power a lot of gadgets. Use that as an easy ignition on switch ya know?

Which is exactly what i have done on my '88 Nissan truck...i needed to fix the cigarette lighter (to use a solar battery charger) and i didnt want to muck around with it all day tracing circuits. So i ran black and red wires directly from the battery using crimp connectors and under the battery clamp nuts, and through the firewall and to the lighter, and of course put a 10 amp fuse in line with it.
But if you use the fuse taps above, you dont have to run extra wires or find a hole in the firewall, etc., so to me, its alot easier and neater for most uses.

But if you think cutting into your wires is better, i won't argue.

Stealth · 06-07-2006, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadySport

why not use something like this?

http://www.tessco.com/products/displ....mc_id=froogle

I've seen those cause so many problems in the past. Often times they'll cut through the wire after an extended period of time or just become disconnected. Of course, it usually takes a few years for problems to arise. They won't even use these at Circuit City or Best Buy due to the potential problems. Sure, it may save a minute or two but what if the car comes back and then you need to search around to figure out which one broke? Then you can easily spend hours of time trying to fix it. Smaller shops may use them so that installs are quicker which makes them able to compete a little better with the big name companies, and they often get away with it because they only warranty their installs for a year or two. Still not a good idea any way you look at it.