Thread: Access to 12V ignition wire in a Puma?

2 options if you want to come off a fuse...
I've seen these used before but no idea who sell them or what the correct term is.
They slip in beside a blade fuse and then you just use the terminal.



When at Jaycar I spoted a blade fuse with a wire attached that could be used too.


On my puma I got ignition power from the wiper fuse in the under seat fuse box when I moved it to the Ex-box.
Maybe you could pick this wire up at the switch?
The cigarette lighter is on the accessory circuit so useful for the UHF but not an Engine Saver.

Hi,
I found a couple of vacant fuse spots (ABS & Seat warmer) that I thought would be usable. There is no power to them however (either side), so that was a bit of a blow.
I put a spade plug in there and checked voltage with the ignition on.

All my other vehicles I've mucked about with have been old, and access to wiring was easy.

Ideas welcome - I'm stuck at the moment.

Cheers

A bit of reading.........


and....



might solve my problem.

cheers

Hi Austastar,
I was reading this post last night and was going to take a pic today of that very same product, I've got two of them and they work a treat, I would recommend them.

As a side though, I also found you could get power from some spare lugs in the fuse box under the drivers seat. Before I got my aux battery, I grabbed a supply from there to an extra fuse box that then ran to some extra cig lighter outlets.

Originally Posted by robh

Hi Austastar,
I was reading this post last night and was going to take a pic today of that very same product, I've got two of them and they work a treat, I would recommend them.

As a side though, I also found you could get power from some spare lugs in the fuse box under the drivers seat. Before I got my aux battery, I grabbed a supply from there to an extra fuse box that then ran to some extra cig lighter outlets.

That pin is one of the main links... there is a copper bus bar that runs the length of that line, and you should be able to get power from there no worries.

For a truly OEM install, you can run a fusible link from there, run it thru a relay and make a whole new circuit fairly easily. There is a few spare relay spots in the block...

Originally Posted by Toxic_Avenger

That pin is one of the main links... there is a copper bus bar that runs the length of that line, and you should be able to get power from there no worries.

For a truly OEM install, you can run a fusible link from there, run it thru a relay and make a whole new circuit fairly easily. There is a few spare relay spots in the block...

Mate,

Having followed your build thread you obviously know what you're doing with auto electrics, but I think I speak for a large percentage of people on here that I have absolutely no idea what you wrote in the quoted post...

Sounds a great option, but "layman's" description please...?

Cheers,

Lou

Hi,
It's all in and working.

I found 2 empty spots in the fuse panel with a power connection only on one side. Thus I didn't have to lift a fuse and put it in the piggy-back.
I did however put a 10A fuse in the piggy-back for the line tapped out to the Engine Saver.

I went 10A as I put two USB sockets in while I was mucking about.

Some years ago I put a USB socket in near the cigarette lighter, but cables from it got in the way of gear changes. I caught the cable once, grabbing a gear in a hurry, and ruined my el-cheapo chinese gps.

I put one new USB socket in for the navigator.

A bit of mousing around got the wiring behind the dash.


A bit of weed-eater cable and a bit of yellow tongue and you can get almost anywhere.

The position I wanted had to keep cables out of the way, and would mostly be used for charging phones.


This keeps the phone on the shelf and out of the way.

The dash top cover goes back over this lot, and the socket is still accessible.

I did similar on the driver's side but put it upside down in the small pocket on the right hand side of the steering column.


I also put the red LED from the Engine Saver there, as it is in direct view as I drive and is well supported. It fits snugly in a 5mm hole.

The Engine Saver module got cable tied to a 70mm length of 20mm aluminium strap. This sits up inside where the RH speaker is mounted, and by loosening one of the dash mounting screws, pushed it in the gap and tightened the screw.

All done for the moment, I was going to use a fuse block for the 3 items, but Jaycar were out of stock.

Now I have ignition switched 12V I have another few things to wire in, so will do the fuse box next time I'm in there.

I had a look at the fuses under the driver's seat, but this wiring is all under the dash. I may use the under the seat fuses for another job.

cheers

Originally Posted by Loubrey

Mate,

Having followed your build thread you obviously know what you're doing with auto electrics, but I think I speak for a large percentage of people on here that I have absolutely no idea what you wrote in the quoted post...

Sounds a great option, but "layman's" description please...?

Cheers,

Lou

Hi Lou (and others),

On the side of the fuse block there is a thick wire and lug which bolts on with a 13mm nut - this is the power IN to the board. I haven't put a multimeter on it, but I presume it's a direct feed from the battery.
When you follow it underneath the fuse block, that wire hooks directly to two copper 'bus bars' which run current along the 2 rows of fusible links (those little square fuse looking things). NB there is heaps of spare spots, one of which the quoted post has a multimeter on (Huston, we have power!).
These fuses are a J type, and are easily sourced... this is the first piece of the puzzle.

Now let's suppose one wanted to make a new circuit which is switched on when there is ignition - we have 2 options:
1) Piggy back on an existing circuit that is ignition switched (running the risk of drawing too much current thru that circuit, and melting stuff...
2) make a new circuit, and build it to your specs!

Not familiar with the engine saver, it is likely that it's not going to draw massive power, so option 1 would be the most attractive. Option 2 is for serious players, and is undoubtedly the hard way, but something that would fool all bar the most dedicated concours d'elegance judge (if that's your thing).

If one were to want a factory appearance, and utilize the existing blank spaces in the fuse block, it is a fairly simple task to make a new circuit. One would need to:

1) Tap power from the main bus bar, and whack a fuse in there to suit the expected load
2) Run a wire from the other side of the fuse (on the under side of the fuse block)...
3)...and connect said wire (step 2) into terminal 30 of a SPST (single pole, single throw) relay. Ensure the relay is rated to handle the current of the circuit (higher than the fuse you installed in step 1). Think of a relay as an automatic, electronic switch- when a small circuit gets a little bit of power, it will active a bigger circuit that will run the power hungry stuff you connect to it.
3a) connect the load (ie the IGN wire of the engine saver) to terminal 87 of the relay - the earth of the engine saver device will complete the high current circuit of the relay
3b) Tap into a IGN source within the fuse block - this can be done with a *gasp* scotch block, or ideally spliced into a signal wire and soldered. Connect this wire to terminal 85 of the relay (this is the trigger, and will only draw a small current (approx 0.15A) from that circuit to 'close' the relay). Finding this signal wire may take some hunting with a multimeter to find, but will show 0V with the key off, and 12V when the vehicle is keyed on. Usually the fuse diagram on the lid of the driver's seat box will give you some clues- think about what accessories don't work when the key is off... cigarette lighter, headlights, radio, wipers, etc.
3c) Terminal 86 of the relay goes to ground, and completed the signal circuit of the relay.


Depending on the level of execution, what you've actually done is create a new circuit which provides power to the engine saver only when an ignition signal is present (ie vehicle key is set to accessories or ON).... and it would look almost factory in appearance.
All the space you could want is within that fuse block, it's just a matter of sourcing some fancy land rover / Jaguar relays to look the part!

What I've done in my ex box build is just this, but on a scale that will handle 100A for a range of accessories. This sort of current needs to be transacted outside of the factory fuse block though... but it's the same in principle.

Like I said, doing it this way is not the easiest, nor is it the most practical but as a thought exercise, it definitely is possible! Reasons for doing it this way may just be for a 'stealth' install, or because of space limitations, or aversion to random wires getting in the way. When you build your own circuit, you've designed it to handle the applications which you need it for- so you don't run the risk of drawing too much power thru a factory circuit, and causing electrical fires, shorts, or breeding gremlins. Plus you'll not need to top your land Rover back up with Lucas replacement wiring harness smoke. That **** is costly.