txdude

Hello Prelude Online, I started this DIY a little late but I'll try my best to explain what the pics don't show...

What you need:
Quick-Slice Adapters (Autozone)


Electrical Tape

10 or 12 Guage Automotive Wire (About 1ft length)

Plyers for the quick splice connectors

Navigation Direct-Wire Kit: $17 GPS Cables
**!!This kit brings the voltage down to 5V. You will ruin your nav if you cut the cigarette adapter off the regular plug becuase the cigarette brings the voltage down!!


Radar Detector: Buy the "Radar Detector Hard-Wire kit" from Best Buy in the Automotive stereo section. **Note, kit does NOT bring voltage down to the required 5v. ($20 I think)

XM Satellite Radio: There is not a hardwire kit available for any satellite radio kits!! You must install an extra female cigarette adapter to plug into. See my photos. (Radio Shack sells these for $7) ** These come with a fuse !!


Before I go on: MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS USE A FUSE FOR EACH CONNECTION! OTHERWISE YOU RISK RUINING YOUR STUFF TO A POWER SURGE!!! The female cigarette lighter adapters have a fuse built in. I actually didn't use a fuse for the radar/nav because the nav direct-wire kit has the 5v limiter. As I'm typing this, I think I'll probably go back and add a fuse to it. You can buy fuse adapters at autozone or radio shack.

txdude

I wired EVERYTHING to the 12v accessory wire going into the steering column. This is the only YELLOW wire that goes into your ignition. I chose the accessory wire because it is only hot when the car is on (My radar detector & sat radio turn off automatically whenever the car is off).

If you want your stuff to work when the car is off then you will have to find your 12v CONSTANT wire going into the steering column. Not sure which one it is but you can find it with a tester or search for the diagrams.

Sorry no pics here, but here's what I did... I removed the 2 panels on the steering wheel (top and bottom) to reveal the ignition wiring. I then followed the YELLOW wire all the way down towards the gas/brake/clutch pedals (lay with your head next to the pedals & look up). All of your ignition wires are wrapped in black tape so you will have to CAREFULLY cut the tape off.

Once you've got ahold of the YELLOW wire, connect it to a quicksplice connector. NOW connect your 10-12 guage wire (1 ft long) into the connector & use your plyers to mash the metal piece into the wires. If you can't close the plastic flap on the quicksplice connector then you didn't push the metal piece in far enough, it should almost be flush with the plastic. Now wrap it in electrical tape.

Now we have 1 ft of wire connected to the accessory line that is hot when the car is on. We will always add NAV/SAT/Radar with quicksplice connectors to the 1 ft of wire you just installed. I do this because it gives you plenty of room to work with, rather than jacking with your factory wiring system all the time. Once you're done installing everything, you can cut the extra wire from your 1ft line and tape it off with electrical tape so you don't have a HOT wire hanging loose.

txdude

Here is my added 1 ft of 10 guage wire. The 2 square things wrapped in electrical tape are quick splice connectors. The left connector is my TomTom hardwire kit. This kit has the built-in 5v downgrader. You can't see in the pics, but I actually quick-spliced my radar detector into the TomTom wiring right in front of the 5v limiter becuase the radar hard wire kit does not come with one.

See the small black wire coming out of the left one? That is the Nav direct-wire kit. On the right connector, you see a second thick red wire coming out that is going into the extra female cigarette lighter adapter.

**Again, this 1 ft added wire is connected to the YELLOW 12v accessory line. I'm sorry I didn't get the picture of that.



Cigarette lighter adapter. That red wire is coming form the picture above. The black negative wire is grounded.


Now lets push that sucker in the floorboard behind the stereo. You can see the cigarette lighter/power cord for my satellite radio plugged in. I will never take it out OUT OF SITE, OUT OF MIND


Here's a close up of what the quick splice connector looks like. When you push that metal piece down with plyers it makes the 2 wires connect to each other. I'm ashamed to say but I didn't know about these until a couple days ago when my boss told me about them. In the past I've always stripped the wires, twisted together & taped them or used those wire connectors where u push the male into the female. The old way takes a LOOOONG time, it takes less than a minute to quick-splice, from beginning to end & it's flawless everytime

txdude

Radar detector & TomTom positioned in the top left corner. All wiring is running down the a-pillar. TomTom is set to "upside-down" so I can get it all the way up towards the ceiling & slide it down to remove it.


NAV close up


Who the hell would do this to their car? Seriously, this is the worse stereo install job I've ever seen. I'd like to smack the dude who did this. Oh well, it'll give me a project some day to clean it up...hopefully that won't happen anytime soon. That's what happens when you buy a used ride with 215K miles!!


Satelite Radio power cord, antenna, and stereo connector. I'll most likely end up drilling a hole inside the ash tray to make this nicer. You can't see it, but I put the antenna on the right side of dash next to windshield, just ran the wire behind the glove box and up the side.

txdude

This weekend I'm connecting a 110v outlet in the passenger side floor board. I'll be splicing into my amp power wire that runs directly from the battery. That way my wife can watch movies on her laptop when on a road trip.

DeyAinRdy4Ds

what wire should i tap into to hardwire my radar besides the yellow ignition wire...i tried tappin into it but its too thick so i couldnt get the T-tap on there....also i think my cigarette lighter doesnt work so thats out as well (might just be the fuse...any1 know wich one it is?).....soo any other wire i can tap into?

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Prelude1897

Looks good...I'm happy with my Kenwood indash screen with the built in Garmin. I got it for a crazy deal

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rayslude

these type taps are MUCH easier to use: crimp it down on the wire to be tapped into, put a male end on the wire that needs the source and plug it in. Much easier than trying to hold 2-3 wires in place and crimp all at the same time.



When I worked at the car audio store these things were lifesavers.

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02 Maxima GLE <---- Daily Driver

If you joined January 2008 or after, please search before posting!!

DeyAinRdy4Ds

ya thats exactly what i was using but the yellow ignition wire i was tryna use was too thick so the thing wouldnt close and stay....i need either a thicker ttap or a thinner wire to tap into

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txdude

It's okay if you aren't able to close the quick splice connector completely, just so long as you use pliers to push the metal spice into the wire as far as you can. As long as you get it at least 1/2 way then you are good because you just need to get a current/connection. Use electrical tape to wrap it up as tight as you can to keep it from coming loose. Afterall, you're only tapping into a little 12v wire, so you don't need it to be 100% mashed down. Or if it REALLY bothers you then just buy a bigger connector.

All of the wires coming out of the steering column are the same size. The yellow one is the only 12v line that is not hot when the car is off so I'd stick with that one if I were you.

rayslude

they make different sizes of this t-tap, I think the one you need for ticker wires is yellow.

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92 Prelude H22a-turbo 4WS <---Sold
02 Maxima GLE <---- Daily Driver

If you joined January 2008 or after, please search before posting!!