Jon - thank you very much for your detailed reply. You obviously spent a lot
of time on it, and I appreciate it.
I'm glad to know there isn't a set-in-stone way to do this. If it was really
easy/well defined and I couldn't figure it out I'd feel pretty stupid.
I think I've got the information I need to get the job done one way or the
other, so at this point it's just a matter of finding the best way to do it. I
don't think I ever spelled out what I was after. I need one 20amp always-on
circuit in the cab under the dash for the brake controller. I also need a
30amp ignition-switched circuit run to the back of the truck for the charge
wire on the trailer connector. People suggested I use auto-reset breakers for
these (I don't really know why breakers instead of fuses, I guess).
In my 2004, I checked it out, and they did wire up the bus side on the spares
in the power distribution box under the hood. So that's good, but I think I'll
go with one of the other methods mentioned to limit my chances of screwing up
any factory wiring. I did find a couple of simple fuse blocks and terminal
blocks at the local auto parts stores. If I can just use fuses, one of the
fuse blocks in conjuction with a relay for the charge wire circuit would work
great for me. I already have the circuit breakers anyway, so it's probably
better to use them anyhow. I just need to decide where to mount the stuff
(under the hood or in the cab) and find a ignition-switched wire somewhere (I
found a spare in the interior fuse panel that is switched), and I think I'll be
good to go. It's not as daunting of a task as it was yesterday.
Thanks again,
Korey
In article <d7ag15$3pd$1@bent.twistedbits.net>, jon@dakota-truck.net writes:
>
> Yep, the manufacturers don't exactly build their vehicles to be easy
> to customize/accessorize. They basically figure somebody is going to
> buy it, take it to the dealer for its regular oil changes and then trade
> it in on a new one. For the most part, they're right. :-) So adding
> electrical accessories is something of a compromise; a lot of times,
> exactly how you do it depends on what you are trying to do, your future
> plans for the vehicle, etc.
>
<snip>
> -Jon-
>
> .-- Jon Steiger ---- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com --.
> | 1970 Barracuda - 1990 Dakota 'vert - 1992 Ram 4x4 - 1996 Dakota |
> | 1996 Intruder 1400 - 1996 Kolb FireFly - 2001 Ram QC 3500 CTD |
> `------------------------------------ http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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