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Which fuse to tap in the cargo area for installing a dash cam with a hardwire kit?
I previously had two dash cams installed on my Accord, both of which were connected to the battery using a hardwire kit. When the car was turned off, these dash cams could typically record any motion for a couple of days.
Recently, I removed both dash cams from my Accord and installed them onto my 2024 GLE. To identify a suitable power source, I measured the voltage at various fuse slots in the cargo area when the car was turned off. I finally decided to tap into the fuse slot assigned to the refrigerator. Unfortunately, the dash cams ceased to function after two to three hours, despite the voltage measured at the battery's terminals remaining at a steady 12.65 V.
Based on this, my assumption is that the car automatically cuts off power to the refrigerator fuse slot after a predetermined period of time. Therefore, I'm wondering if there is an alternative fuse slot that I could utilize to maintain a constant 12 V over extended periods of time.
I have attached pictures of the booklet that is available in the fuse box.
The hardwire kits usually have three cables for GND, ACC, and Battery on one end. The ACC draws power from the car when it is on and the Battery line draws power when the car is off. The fuse slot used for the Battery wire should be hot even when the car is off.
I have read the thread you shared a couple of times before, but don't remember having seen a suggestion for the Battery wire in the cargo area fuse box.
The video also shows only one fuse tap, so I assume it is the ACC and only works when the car is powered on. I measured the voltage at 457 (Cigar lighter, front) and 458 (Socket 12V in center console), and they both show 0 V when the car is powered off.
I again measured the voltage at the refrigerator fuse and it showed 12.6 V. So I'm not sure if there is a temporary voltage drop that makes my dash cam stop working or something else that is the issue.
I will update my post if I find the problem/solution.
Fuse tap into an empty switched slot in the trunk panel and ground to one of the exposed bolts is all you need. I forget which slot (it was one of the empty spare slots) that was switched. I'm running a vantrue e2 front/rear cam without any issues with voltage drops, additionally I had a Uniden R3 tested back there that also had no issues. I ended up relocating to the drivers side panel since my wiring wasnt long enough (fyi, no spare switched slots in the front fuse panel).
Last edited by vincheung; Dec 13, 2023 at 07:16 PM.
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Which fuse to tap in the cargo area for installing a dash cam with a hardwire kit?
