Hey all,
I have a 2008 F150 5.4L XLT and I'm trying to hardwire a few electronic devices I have (GPS, XM radio, etc.) and was wondering what would be a good 12v wire to use that's under the dash. Anyone know what color to use and where one is located?

Thanks in advance

 

*bump* *bump*

 

You could try the wires going to the power port and/or the cigarette lighter.

 

I wired my toys off of the cigarette lighter connection since it's right behind the dash under the radio. I remember right, the wire looked like an 18AWG circuit, so it's good for about 5-8A continuous though it's fused for 20A. Any of the power points are fair game also.

I took a standard 4-pin female molex connector from a PC power supply connector and wired the yellow wire to a continuous 12V line, the red to a switched 12V line, and the black wires to ground. Can't remember for sure, but I think I ran the switched 12V off the lighter and the continuous 12V from the radio. (or vice-versa) Double check with a meter.

Just connect each new toy with a mating connector pair like those found on CPU fans to which 12V you want. It makes future additions extremely easy -- I don't need to splice in new connections or look for new ground connections every time I want to add something.

My next trick is figuring out how I can mount my little 500W 12V->120VAC inverter somewhere inconspicuous and have an AC outlet somewhere convenient. The I can run my laptop and other small AC toys and not have to mess with 12V or wires running all over inside the cab.

 

I'll chime in here. I use a fuzeblock mounted under the hood close to the battery. Any electronic gear that I hard wire to the truck goes to this location. What I like about the fuzeblock is a relay is built in and you can choose to have it switched or unswitched depending how you position the fuse. I have my cab interior, backup lights and bed outlet running through this.



I use this same fuse block on my motorcycle and it works great.

hope that helps

Blane