TheMoose

I want to drop down the trip computer from my 03 2500 so I can tap into the 12 volt to power my radar detector (I don't like the power cord running to the cig lighter).

It's a diffrent design from my 97 Dakota (I did the same thing with that truck), there are no screws visable from the out side & I don't want to be prying around on stuff in my new truck without knowing what I'm doing.
So I need to know how to drop it down & put it back in.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

TheMoose

Can anyone with a service manual or that has done this before help a guy out?? ??? ;D

Mexstan

I already did exactly that. It just pulls down. The front is easy but the two back clips are a bit of a pain. I reached in from the front and somehow squeezed them out of their holes. Everything just pops back for reassembly.

TheMoose

I just tried that, the front came down easy, but you must have small hands cause I couldn't even get close to the rear clips!!!
I'll mess with it in the daylight tomorrow. 8)

TheMoose

Anyone else have a suggestion on getting to the rear clips??
I'm afraid to pull it down too hard, I don't want to crack the plastic.
Any tricks I can use to get to the rear clips???

Mexstan

Wish I could remember exactly what I did, but sorry, my memory is blank. All I remember is that I had to use a fair bit of pressure with my fingers to pop out the rear clips. My hands are not small, quick big in fact, and it was a bit of a struggle to get them in.
I took it off because I wnated to mount an ultrasonic backup indicator on the rear of the unit and also to wire in my Valentine One with the remote. The remote sits in the ashtray with no visable wires. No wires visable for backup unit either.

TheMoose

I figured it out!! ;D
I saw there was no way my hands were going to fit in there so I sat & looked at it for a while.
I pulled down the front easy enough, then holding the sides I pulled the whole unit forward while pulling down (ya know there are times where having 3 hands would make things easier!! LOL) & they came loose.
Of course I'm at work & all my electrical stuff is at home so I just put it back in with the front clips & I'll pull it down tomorrow & splice in my radar detector. 8)

Thanks for the assistance Mexstan!!!

Mexstan

Glad you won. I have to pull mine down again soon for another mod so will try and remember your trick.

TheMoose

Well this is weird, the overhead lights only have 12 volts when the doors are shut & the lights are on the timer before they go out, there is only 10 volts constant at other times.
My Passport radar detector wasn't getting enough voltage to work properly.

Did you notice this Mexstan??
The red wire with the pink stripe was constant 10 volts
The brown wire was 12 volts but only part time then it was 0 volts, the 3rd wire (Pink I think) was ground.

I'm gonna have to find somewhere else to tap in to 12 volts for the radar detector.

Mexstan

Although I used that location I never tapped into any wires in the OH consol. My radar detector having the remote unit tapped into power under the dash and fed power up to the Valetine by the mirror.
What about stealing power from the feed to the compass?

TheMoose

I was afraid to take power from the trip computer/compass because I was afraid a power drop would screw everything up & I would be constantly recalibrating the compass & wouldn't know what that would do to the trip computer.
If I could have tapped in to the overhead lights I wouldn't have worried about it, I just don't know why there isn't constant 12 volts there. ???

Electrical has never been my strong point, I can build chassis & engines but electrical leaves me ???

Mexstan

Why can't you tap into the overhead lights?

TheMoose

[quote author=Mexstan link=board=17;threadid=17778;start=0#msg168655 date=1060128026]
Why can't you tap into the overhead lights?
[/quote]
With the doors shut & overhead light off there is not a constant 12 volts there, I just used a test light to hook it up & when I plugged in the radar detector it just made a weird sound.
I got out the volt meter & it only showed 10.2 volts!!
when the door was open I had 12 volts but the rest of the time it was 10.2 volts.