Does anyone know of a wire that is easy to access (possibly under the center console) in the cabin that gets 12-15V when the headlights are turned on?

 

If US cars are the same as UK ones*, the light & wires inside the ashtray is easy to get to. Pull the surround off around the gear lever (it literally pulls up).

*Ashtray near elbow, behind gear lever.

 

What'er you using it for?

 

If you must use the headlight signal you can only get it under the hood at the IPDM. The light switch on the steering wheel sends communicates on a multiplexed line with the BCM. The BCM comunicates with the IPDM with a CAN signal. The IPDM turns on a relay to turn the headlight on.

KPtechnologies made a module to pick signals out of the multiplexed BCM signal, but we arn't done with final testing (there is a bug that needs to be worked out).

 

What ever you're going to do just hold on a little longer and i'll post some pics of what you need when i get home from work today. I get you a Tech Sheet to do it right. I'm an Car Audio & Alarm Install Tech. trust me, just wait till i get home.

 

Well i'm home now so here goes. Unfortunately, i don't have access to a degital cam. but this will have to do for now.

Note:This wire can be found in the driver kick panel and requires that you test all noted wires for proper volts in order to validate. Wire location can be found under fuse block. Noted wire is Red/blue and falls under Parking lights +. This wire will produce a 12 volt output when headlights are turned on. Test to validate. Once this wire has been found and validated, just tap and complete desired modifications. I don't recommend that any wire be severed from OEM spec. Tap wire using a T tap. If you should have any questions in reguards to this tech, just let me know and i will help you to the best of my knowledge.

Again, sorry for the poor pic quality.

 

His post asked for a wire that had 12vdc when the headlights were on, not the parking lights, there is a big difference.

In a post above you say your an audio and alarm installation 'tech' and you recomend using ttaps? Thats interesting. How long have you been installing?

 

Dude, calm down. I was not trying to discredit you by any means but instead i was trying to help which is what this forum is for. FYI, i'm not claimind to be some bad *** Install tech but i've been doing it for 4 years. I learn new things every day. I've started from the bottom with no tech training with only my determination to learn and excel. I've been paying my dues. If "T" taps is not something that i should use then tell me how and what should be used instead. When i installed my Alarm system(Python 881XP) into my car, this tech sheet indicated that this wire lead would by acceptable. This wire lead tests possitive for 12vdc when the head lights are turned on. If i'm not mistaken, isn't this what he was asking for? If i am wrong, then i can accept that. If i am wrong then school me. If not, calm down and SHUT THE FAQ UP!.

 

njsho, if this info doesn't help you then i apologize. Maybe next time. Aloha.

 

I just asked you a few questions, that is all. I wasn't trying to be 'mean' about it. Sorry if I offended you.

"T" taps are prone to failure. You have the crimp joint on the wire you are tapping in to, a crimped on end on the wire you are hooking up, and the connection between the two wires. 3 possible fault points. When I was installing I soldered and taped every connection I made, and it seemed like a lot of the connections Best Buy made (they used butt connectors and "T" taps). It really comes down to a personal preference, but soldering is by far the best route to go (as far as long term reliability).

He asked for a wire that read 12vdc when the headlights are on. While your wire will read 12vdc when the headlights are on, it can also read 12vdc when the headlights are off (if only the parking lights are being used). This may or may not be acceptable, based on the application at hand. The original poster didn't give much information about what he is trying to do, so for the sake of being cautious I would assume that a parking light wire would NOT suffice. However, depending on his application, that wire may work just fine.

 

See, come on now, even you got to admit that your response now was more civil then the last. It was like you were going through some power trip or something...I could be wrong. Anyway, the posters original question was not very specific and in fact should be concidered "general". As for T taps, your absolutly right, but unfortunately it's not a technique that i have time to practice on a regular basis being that i work under time restraints as a Car Audio Installer. Don't get me wrong, we are not in the buisness of "hack n slash" or are we a "Backyard Shop", we do take pride in our work and our shop and do practice good work habits. We do very good work here and back up all our work all the time. I feel like i need to defend my honor or something...sheezzz.

 

You make me laugh. Let your work speak for itself, no need to defend your quality of work online, I was merely asking a question. I'm not on a power trip at all, I just wanted to clearify that the wire you listed may or may not be the right wire for this application.

And if the original poster would post again telling us what he is trying to do we will be able to determine if the parking light wire will or will not work.

To show you that there are no hard feelings I'll offer to teach you how to solder all your connections if you pay for my air fare, food, and lodging Oh, and it may take 2-3 months to get the technique perfected!

 

Thanks for the invite but my not so luxurious pay and limited budget prevents me from making any kind of arrangements of that sort. Nice try though. How comical this has all become.