Easy DIY relocation for the 12 volt outlet to somewhere more useful (puma 110)

[FeatherWeightDriver]

(oops - probably should have posted this to tutorials...)

Hi all,

I got bored on the weekend and relocated my 12v outlet (aka cigarette lighter) to above the passenger prayer bar, without the need for drilling / cutting anything apart from some foam. The end product is not visible unless you look up under where the passenger prayer bar is located. See this first picture for what it looks like with an appliance charging - note you can't generally see the new plug unless you look up at it from underneath:



Hopefully this proves useful to someone else as annoyed as I was about having cables forever hanging over / around the transmission and transfer case levers.

I did not bother cabling to / installing a new fuse as I don't plan to use both outlets (old and new) at the same time, and certainly not for 20A that the cigarette lighter is currently fused for.

Time:

- 15 minutes if you are quick
- most of an afternoon if you go for a run to the shops for groceries and/or stop for "drinks"

Parts:

- new 12 outlet [ame="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Waterproof-12v-Accessory-Power-Socket-Car-Motorcycle-Cigarette-Lighter-Plug-New-/191203075991"]e.g. this one on ebay[/ame]
- about 1m of 20a rated twin wire (less than 1m required)
- optional: 12v to USB adapter [ame="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12V-Mini-Bullet-Dual-USB-Car-Cigar-Socket-Charger-Adapter-Charging-Anytime-/281399626378"]e.g. this one on ebay[/ame]

Steps:

- key out of the ignition, or to be ultra conservative disconnect the battery
- undo the middle section of the dashboard: 2 screws, lever off the bottom catches then gently pull (4 clips). should be enough harness wire behind to leave it sitting in place while you work on it without unplugging everything
- undo the plastic cover over the passenger prayer bar: 2 screws, 2 clips
- feed your wire though the hole just under the rightmost screw location from the plastic cover over the passenger prayer bar (see the last picture in this post). This should drop in behind the middle section of the dashboard allowing it to be fished out. Alternatively use some wire (coat-hanger etc) to pull though.
- splice your new wire in with the existing cigarette lighter socket (+ve to centre, -ve to outside)
- cut a hole in the EPS (white) foam under the plastic cover over the passenger prayer bar to suit your new
- route your new cable under the white foam and in to the hole
- connect your new 12v outlet (polarity should be marked)
- push the outlet in to the foam
- reconnect battery if you disconnected it earlier
- turn the key to the accessory position
- test
- reassemble plastic cover over the passenger prayer bar
- reassemble middle section of the dashboard
- enjoy cable free gear changes once again!

[Larry]

Very neat, but what about corrugations & gravity making the plugs fall out (or at least enough to lose connection)?

[Avago]

Great idea, I understand your frustration with cables in front of the gear lever (not any more). Thanks for sharing.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Very neat, but what about corrugations & gravity making the plugs fall out (or at least enough to lose connection)?

Excellent question. I will report back once proper field testing is complete.

[Chops]

Top little idea that. No good to me now though, as I've made a glovebox to fit in there.
I guess I'll keep wondering how to reduce cables around the gear levers. At this point, I'm just going to start feeding cables around via under the body and through the dash at certain points, so as I can "hardwire" a couple of things.
Still toying with the idea of Mulgo's centre box.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Still toying with the idea of Mulgo's centre box.

I found Mulgo's ExBox very useful, but currently I'm loving it more for the better armrest and storage space it provides, rather than anything else.

Once you have an ExBox, there are further options for power either inside the ExBox itself, inside the standard Cubby Box (drill required) or out of the space between the cup holders.

On the list...

[Bavo]

Great post, thanks.
If you pull close to 20amps from the plug it will get pretty warm. What happens to the white foam when it heats up?
Cheers, Bavo.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Great post, thanks.
If you pull close to 20amps from the plug it will get pretty warm. What happens to the white foam when it heats up?
Cheers, Bavo.

No doubt about it, get that foam hot enough and it will burn for sure.

But I struggled to find anything I was going to use there that pulled more than 2 or so amps, and figured it would be fine. At some point I might swap out the foam all together and replace it with a bracket between the bolts to give the plastic above strength.

Plan B: I carry 2 fire extinguishers...