hardwiring a power inverter

[Zona4R]

hey all, i just got a 97 sr5 in june and am finally able to afford some mods. I've got a bunch of stuff planned that I can do no prob.

I'd like to hardwire a power inverter to my 97, and was wondering if anyone has attempted this. Since I don't smoke, I figure I could go through the space where the ashtray is, maybe even add a second 12v plug there as well.

 

[Cleric]

Just make sure you use a proper wire guage to suit the power consumption of your inverter and wire it all the way to the battery with a fuse. Anywhere you put it should be okay, so long as it won't overheat.

 

[ErikJeanna]

I did this on my 98 to power my PS2 and laptop. I used 8 gauge wire from the power in the inverter straight through the firewall (via a rubber grommet and some silicon) to the + on the battery. I have a 50amp fuse in between the connections in case of a surge. I don't have any photos, but if you NEED to see what I did, just send me an e-mail.

 

[Zona4R]

Hey,

Thanks guys for the info.

I found the inverter (Xantrex Portawattz 400, it has convenient external battery lead and good safety features).

Now i just gotta find where to put it.

thanks again.

Carl

 

[twhiteside]

We're also considering hardwiring a 400Watt power inverter directly to the battery through the dash. We installed an Optima battery and are in the process of researching best practices for modifying the dash molding to accomodate the inverter. We'd like to be able to slide out the inverter for extended applications outside the car.

Please note that we tried using the cig lighter adapter that came with the inverter and it blew out the cig lighter fuse within an hour. We're now trying to find the cig lighter fuse, which is not mentioned ANYWHERE in the Haynes book we live by!

I'll be watching your post to see if anyone has had luck with installing an inverter hooked directly to the battery, not the through the cig lighter.

Best,
Terry

 

[Zona4R]

Seems like it's a pretty simple job. The thing being drilling through the firewall. The rest is pretty straight forward. A lot of invereter companies recommend a max 6' 8-gauge wire. They also say anythin pulling over 200-300 watts should be hardwired and not use the 12v socket. You may want to look into a longer, larger wire for the application. Some sort of spring loaded reel (like seatbelts have) might be a nice way to store cable so you use outside of your runner.

The whole "using it with the car off" now has me seriously considereding a second battery supply. I'm really starting to see how this mod things goes, $$$$$$$$$.

Carl

 

[ErikJeanna]

I believe that the fuse for the cig lighter is actually behind the cig lighter itself. As far as making some cool thingy for the inverter to slide in and out to be able to use it... as cool as it might seem, I think it's a waste of time. Just get an extension cord and run it from the plug on the inverter to whatever you are using it for outside the truck. Mine came with an extra plug that can be mounted anywhere within like 2 feet of the inverter. Here is what mine looks like.

 

[Techenigma]

Most inverter manufacturers actually recommend nothing over 150 watts being pulled through the cigarette adaptor. As opposed to the 200-300 I heard on here.

 

[Zona4R]

Erik

extension cord. yeah, i completely overlooked that one. Much easier than fabbing some sort of reel.

 

[scottiac]

Please note that we tried using the cig lighter adapter that came with the inverter and it blew out the cig lighter fuse within an hour. We're now trying to find the cig lighter fuse, which is not mentioned ANYWHERE in the Haynes book we live by!

The fuse for the cig adapter is a piece of fusible link wire on the back of the socket itself. It is a bit of a pain to replace, but cheap and not too difficult. Pull the center console, unhook the power/ground lead to the adapter, and you'll see a small piece of wire that goes about 1/4 of the way around the back of the socket. Test it with a multimeter if you like, you'll probably find it is "open' if you've blown the fusible link.

Some have replaced it with straight wire, but I can't recommend that.

From yotatech...

Back on topic, I'm thinking I'm going to hard wire mine to under the drivers seat, and run extension cord into the center console with plugs like ErikJeanna. Nice install!