Installing Aftermarket Stereo Receiver - Wiring Question

[Captain Obvious]

Haha! Your WAG is not correct. There is only one wire on the flasher switch that is normally hot.

I'm saving the boobie prize for myself. I love those. :laugh:

[SteveJ]

If you use the wire off the turn signal flasher, it is not always hot. If you use the downstream wire on the hazard light, it could be intermittent.

I would advise against tapping into a wire that serves an important function. It's not worth the risk to cause a short and lose that function. That is why I recommend the cigarette lighter. It is not on a switched circuit for the S30s.

Of course, the good Captain found a nice alternative for the 76-78 cars as he described in another thread.

[Captain Obvious]

Hmmm. I'm not quite ready to give out any bonus points yet...

My thinking when I made my original suggestion of tapping into the hazard circuit was that since the 4-ways work at all times regardless of the key position, then there must be a signal going to the hazard switch that is hot even with the key in your pocket.

And that belief can be verified... If you probe the wires going to the hazard switch, there is in fact a wire that is hot regardless of the key position and has 12V on it even with the key in your pocket. Sounds like it would work great, right?

Well, not so quick. There's a definite problem with using this wire and I'm only giving out bonus points if you can specifically identify what that problem would be. :bulb:

[Captain Obvious]

OK, Seems nobody else wants to play? Here's the issue:

The 4-way hazard light system works at all times regardless of the key position, and because of that, there IS a wire going to the hazard switch that is hot even with the key in your pocket. So, it sounds like you could use that wire as a "Hot at all times" supply to a radio install, but you can't because that wire is hot at all times EXCEPT when you turn on the hazard switch.

When the hazard lights blink OFF it's because the battery connection to that wire is broken by the hazard flasher module and if you use that wire to your radio, your memory supply will blink on and off with the lights.

In other words, it works great until you use your hazard system.

You might be able to construct a simple storage circuit to hold you through the times that the circuit is open, but it depends on the internal design of the radio you use. In my case, I unfortunately could not do that and had to find my hot at all times connection elsewhere.

[SteveJ]

OK, Seems nobody else wants to play? Here's the issue:

The 4-way hazard light system works at all times regardless of the key position, and because of that, there IS a wire going to the hazard switch that is hot even with the key in your pocket. So, it sounds like you could use that wire as a "Hot at all times" supply to a radio install, but you can't because that wire is hot at all times EXCEPT when you turn on the hazard switch.

When the hazard lights blink OFF it's because the battery connection to that wire is broken by the hazard flasher module and if you use that wire to your radio, your memory supply will blink on and off with the lights.

However, that is only if you tap into it downstream of the flasher relay. (That's why I mentioned the power from that circuit could be intermittent.)

If you tap into the blue/yellow wire, that is upstream of the flasher. That wire will have 12VDC to chassis even when the hazard lights are on. Since that is also connected to the wire that goes to the brake switch, my warning still applies.

I realized in my earlier post I wrote "turn signal flasher" instead of "hazard flasher". I wish I could get the words accurately from my head to the keyboard.

Edited April 13, 2013 by SteveJ

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, but the reason it seemed like such a great place to tap off was that it was already self contained to the console.

The point is that you could get your "hot in ACC" and your "hot at all times" without having to run another wire to the console.

If you want something self contained to the console, there ought to be something hot at all times going to the flasher switch.

Unfortunately it's not as good as it sounds.