Hi guys, new here. I should be getting a 09 ram 1500 st this week and have been doing alot of research on things about it. I have you guys to thank for alot of that info. So i figured this would be a good place to ask.

I was looking at dash kits and wiring harnesses for it and noticed that most the harnesses dont have a 12v ignition wire. Or if they do, its separate from the harness. Why is that? I have seen separate grounds, but never an ignition.

Thanks

 

I'm not exactly sure of your question, but here's some feedback that might help. You don't need to attach the radio, or anything else for that matter, to the Ignition circuit, there are quite a few other circuits that are activated when the ignition is turned to ON or Accessory - the harness of your choice will indicate the choice it recommends. This will allow you to have the radio turn off when the ignition is off. There are also several "always hot" circuits on your fuse panel(s) - you'll also be using one of these connections to keep the radio from forgetting what all your settings are. Finally, you'll need a ground - this can be a ground wire or any good connection to the body under the dash.

I would recommend getting a schematic of your trucks radio circuit and match that up with the new radio's needs - you'll be very close. Once you have done this, you can either get an adapter harness that fits your truck on one side and the new radio on the other and you have NO splicing to do. This leaves the ON/Off, Settings Power, Speaker Feeds, Fuses, etc still intact from the old setup. If you do this, you'll only have a few bits of mounting to take care of and you should be in business.