The power outlet in my wife's 01 Civic LX only works when the ignition is on (just like it's supposed to). The problem is that she hates this and wants it be hot all the time. Never had a problem in all my old cars wiring something in but I want to be sure this is done right; didn't want to just cut the wires and jump it over to the fuse box without some extra input. Can someone help me out with what would be the best way to get this outlet to be hot no matter what the ignition status? I put in keyless entry/alarm system a couple years ago but nobody has instruction for rewiring the power outlet like they do for installing the alarm.
Well, it helped out a little bit. It looks like the "kit" they sell is just a jumper with an inline fuse. The fuse box in the picture is different than the one in my wife's car but I used the same principle of jumpering a constant 12v source up to the power outlet's location in the fuse box. This gives me power to the outlet when the car is off but it also powers the radio too. The book looks like the power outlet is on a differnt fuse than the radio so I'm not sure why the radio is effected. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks in advance.
How about just a simple 16ga wire direct to the battery? Determine the hot wire using a meter if you can't tell from just looking at it. Run a wire to the battery and install an inline fuse for say 10 amps (more than enough!). Or you could add an accessory cig lighter and leave the original alone. Good luck!
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R Jackson
Owner/Installer
TRM Emergency Vehicles
Information is advice only and should be confirmed with OEM or quality test equipment.
Boyertown, Pennsylvania