Wiring Help Needed 2012 1500 Laramie
All Star
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 824
Likes: 1
From: Alberta
DON'T try and hook it in there build your own power supply. Thing with these new trucks is they are all really current sensitive. Any small current spikes (like from a radar detector) Could smoke your ECU. Everything in these trucks are all hooked into that ecu, its the brain, you smoke that and your done! Warranty aint gonna cover that and its a few thousand dollars for a new one, not to mention reprogramming fees.
My opinion, go out an buy a fused distribution block. I don't have a pic on me right now but if you don't know what that is PM me. Pull right from the battery, and use a relay to control it, that relay can tap into any switched 12V source, there are tonnes everywhere!
You might ask why you can tap a relay in but not a radar detector? A relay will only pull what it needs to energize the coil. A standard 4 pin relay pulls somewhere between 0 and 1 MILLIamps...thats .1 of an amp MAXIMUM! That will not hurt the system but pulling a radar detector you COULD see spikes of up to 10 amps even tho the radar detector might only pull 3.
Yes I know the circuits are fuse protected, all but a few run through the computer, the fuse may blow the circuit but because there are no individual fuses on the computer i'm not willing to take that chance. You can still tap into the mirror, I don't know what wires are which you will have to meter them out, but as you can see from above, I highly DO NOT recommend it. For the price of what a distribution box costs, and labor, it is a lot cheaper then a computer. Not to mention if you plan to install any more electronic devices you already have that, all you need to do is put a crimp on and attach it. All is done. NEVER will you hurt your computer by doing it this way. Also if you ever have to take it out cause your selling your truck, No damage is done to the truck just remove what you installed and they will never know!.
JMO but do as you like....
My opinion, go out an buy a fused distribution block. I don't have a pic on me right now but if you don't know what that is PM me. Pull right from the battery, and use a relay to control it, that relay can tap into any switched 12V source, there are tonnes everywhere!
You might ask why you can tap a relay in but not a radar detector? A relay will only pull what it needs to energize the coil. A standard 4 pin relay pulls somewhere between 0 and 1 MILLIamps...thats .1 of an amp MAXIMUM! That will not hurt the system but pulling a radar detector you COULD see spikes of up to 10 amps even tho the radar detector might only pull 3.
Yes I know the circuits are fuse protected, all but a few run through the computer, the fuse may blow the circuit but because there are no individual fuses on the computer i'm not willing to take that chance. You can still tap into the mirror, I don't know what wires are which you will have to meter them out, but as you can see from above, I highly DO NOT recommend it. For the price of what a distribution box costs, and labor, it is a lot cheaper then a computer. Not to mention if you plan to install any more electronic devices you already have that, all you need to do is put a crimp on and attach it. All is done. NEVER will you hurt your computer by doing it this way. Also if you ever have to take it out cause your selling your truck, No damage is done to the truck just remove what you installed and they will never know!.
JMO but do as you like....
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
For what it's worth the snow plow installation guide says the cigar lighter is the only acceptable place to pull an ignition run feed. It says to can take a full 2A off it if you don't use the lighter.
See:
http://www.dodge.com/bodybuilder/201...ram/ramspi.pdf
See:
http://www.dodge.com/bodybuilder/201...ram/ramspi.pdf