hello, im looking for an 12v power sourve that is located under the steering column. One that turns on and off with the car. I need to connect the 12V power for my gauges, but i dont want to have to take the dash apart for it. Anyone know of a wire that would be good to tap? Or maybe one side the engine bay that would do the same thing?
2006 Black Cobalt SS Supercharged G85
13.91@102.77
Well your all gonna think i'm a moron but the easiest thing i could find was to run a small positive wire from the rear license plate lamp. It turns on and of with the parking lamps, doesn't blink and is very easy to get to. Also their is a very convenient air vent on the passenger side rear on the car that you can run a wire through. I just ran it under my door sills with my amp wire. Took about 5 minutes. For the negative just ground to the frame anywhere.
03 Cavalier LS
Ecotec 5 Speed
well why did you run it all the way back? couldnt you find the wire under the hood or steering column?
2006 Black Cobalt SS Supercharged G85
13.91@102.77
why dont you connect this wire to your ignition fuse or any other interior fuse that stays on when you turn on your ignition?
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try the pink wire at the sterring column it should be the ignition wire.
Okay so I didn't read the post right, I thought by gauges he meant like an overlay but now that I'm away I see that is obviously not the case as he does not want to remove the dash.
I hooked mine into my parking lights and couldnt get anything easily from the column or fuse box.
Is that pink wire on the top or bottom of the steering column. I am going to be rewiring for a new amp and want the remote turn on done right. I have it spliced into the factory amp now, its 6 volts but turns on my amp.
03 Cavalier LS
Ecotec 5 Speed
I believe the pinkish/red wire is the CONSTANT 12v, and the Brown wire in the steering column harness is the 12v switched wire. There is a black harness, and a grey one, use the black. Try a test light to make sure.
never use a test light on any newer vehicle use a digital mutlimeter. dont want to go seting any air bags off now do you?
Brown wire in drivers side kick panel in the black loom........switched 12 volts
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wow, i love all the wrong information thats given out in this place.
under the dash if you cut back the loom you will find six very thick wires. they are as follows.
Red - constant 12
Red - constant 12
Yellow - starter
Pink - ignition
Brown - electronics
Orange - hvac
you can use any of the last three. you could also just use a fuse tap on the wiper fuse in the fuse panel.
americonium, that brown wire is switched, but its parking light switched, not ignition switched lol. in this case, americonium is right, seeing if these are GAUGES to be turned on at NIGHT, then yes, tap into the brown wire in the drivers side kickpanel. you should see about three of these, one of them being thicker than the other two. use that thicker one.
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
knightryderjbody wrote:never use a test light on any newer vehicle use a digital mutlimeter. dont want to go seting any air bags off now do you?
whoever told you to never use a test light on any newer vehicle had good intentions but thats totally untrue. The only wires you need to worry about testing in a j-body that will set the airbag off is the ones in the heavy yellow loom. they are also marked with tags that warn you of thier danger for the ignorant people of this world. Using a test light to test for such things as 12 volts, ignition and accessory wires is perfectly acceptable, especially when they are big red, pink, brown, orange, pink w/white, or yellow under the steering column. Also viper it is often much easier to access the ignition harness by removing the underside of the steering column where you will find the ignition plugs. If you would like you can unplug these plugs and pull the harness out about 6 inches to make things especially easy. Also while you have the steering column apart you can access the brown parking light wire which will be in a plug on the top left side of the steering column.
I find that a test buzzer is better, because sometimes you may be in an area where you can see the light, so at least this way you can hear it instead.
“Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely
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