ive got a valentine one radar detector.

i put it in last summer and hardwired it. the wires i used for the power were from the OBD2 port by my left knee if im sitting in the drivers seat.

i put this same detector in my old cobalt LS and never had no problems. worked perfect!

well last summer i put it in my SS/TC and for somegoddamnreason i cant find a wire from the OBD2 port that looses power when the car is turned off.

i havent looked at which color wire i tapped into off the top of my head but the wire i had it hooked up to had power on it,so everytime i got out of my car id have to turn the detector off. well one night i forgot to and go to start my car the next morning and NOTHING! car was dead (yea yea yea,i heard how big of a dummy i was lol)

well now i finally have some nice weather and stuff so i was just wondering if i should tap into a different colored wire that looses power when the car is turned off.

any help would be appreciated!


i cant remember the model # of the valentine one i have. but theres a small black box with a black and a red wire coming off of it. a telephone wire plugs into that black box and then the other end of the telephone wire plugs into the radar detector.


thankssss!

 

All Valentines are pretty much the same. I hardwired mine into the sunroof line where the switch is above your head. OR you can get creative and use a add a fuse for the sun roof where the fuse box is inside the car on the passenger side. Thats probably the best way as there is a ground right next to it also inside the compartment. Lastly you could tap into the stock boost gauge power.

 

i dont have a sun roof lol

can you find the boost gauge wire under the dash by your feet?

 

Ehh I think it would be a hassle. Get a splitter and split into it behind the pillar then run the lines to your radar. Do you have it mounted up near the rear view mirror?

 

yea,well ive used a test light and been stabbing into wires for the ODB2 port trying to find one that has power when the car is on and no power when the car is off but for some reason i couldnt find one to save my life.

if i tap into it behind the apillar id have to run a wire through the dash,down by my feet,i have that little black box where the red and black come out of that i dont think id be able to fit behind the apillar.

i had the detector (if your sitting in the drivers seat) in the upper left corner of the wind sheild. where you oil change sticker would normally be

 

Ah alright. I really think the easiest way would be behind the pillar. Theres a decent amount of room there. I just helped someone install a boost gauge and the pressure box to determine the boost level fit behind there and it was about the size of that thing I would assume. That would be my first option personally. I wouldn't feel safe tapping into the OBD2 port because its kinda important if you mess something up. Like I said the add a fuse option is probably the smartest. You know you will get power and its a direct power source. Really easy to run the wires to the driver side of the car also.

 

My escort is going to be hardwired with my gauges. I used an add-a-circuit off of my injector fuse under the hood.

 

getting mine hardwired Saturday. IDK how they are going to do it but I got my escort 8500 x50 and they are gonna hardwire it for only $29.99

 

easy to do yourself (unless that price includes the cord)

thats the same detector i got.

 

ehh id rather put it in myself. but right now im going the trial and error route lol

 

The mirror doesn't have 12V going to it for onstar?

 

I suck at doing things myself. with my luck and automotive I would break something. $30 is not much

 

I have my Escort 9500iX wired into my radio harness. Since I installed my radio myself I knew exactly which wire to use lol

 

lol dammit. im going to take a look at it here on saturday or sunday. see what i can come up with

 

can anybody please post pic of where they mounted the radar after hard wiring it ? doing mine tomorrow

 

Run your switched power to your windshield wiper fuse with an add-a-circut. there like 5.99 at autozone and another 3-4$ for fuses. i have my wideband/boost/volts gauge hooked to it and it works like a charm!

 

Just power it using the radio key on. I have mine hardwired to my sunroof and mounted in the upper left of my windshield so it in in my view without distracting me.

 

I just used an add-a-circuit there like $3 and makes everything much more cleaner. Cleaner=better

 

I wanted to put mine above the rearview mirror but the suction doesnt stick to the stupid dot matrix.

 

First "mod" I did when I got my SSTC on monday was installing my Valentine one. I always use an add-a-circuit on the sunroof fuse in any GM car. Even if you don't have a sunroof you should have the fuse still. Just ground to the bolt at the bottom of the fuse box.