I am interesting in hardwiring a radar detector into my car. I have a 2002 4.3L 4x4. Ideally i would like for the unit to turn on and off as I turn the car on and off so I was thinking about trying to wire it to the overhead console. Would this be a difficult job? Any advice on how to find a power source? Thanks in advance.

 

I ran the hot wire to the fuse box (drilled a small hole idown thru the dash padding)and tapped into a circuit that was hot only when the ignition was on and the ground to a metal brace in the dash.

 

You can always spend the money on a nicer radar detector (you do get what you pay for with these after all..), and they usually sell a hardwire kit for them. Includes remote display and extended run power wire. Then you just hard wire the power to a switched accessory port in the fuse box like vadatara did. The advantage to buying the nicer unit with remote mount is that unit itself is not visible, but just as effective. If you try to mount a typical detector at the roofline, you're obstructing a large portion of the receiver's 'view'.

 

I believe that the wire colors are the same on a 2002 as they are on a 2000. The orange wire should be +12V constant. The dark green wire should be +12V IGN/RAP (ignition switched and retained accessory power). So you would want to wire it in to the dark green wire (ties to RDO fuse). Test with a multimeter to make sure that you have the proper wires. Black with white tracer is the ground for the driver information center.

All of these wires are accessible in the overhead console.

 

I leave mine on 24/7. The only time it's ever drained the battery, was in the dead of winter(like when it's about 10 degrees), and I skipped a day of driving.

Mine is a cheap $90 Uniden?, that I bought like 18 years ago. It's saved me MANY times. Still works like a charm.

 

On a similar note, what is the best way to access the wires going to the overhead console? Is the console connected by those pressure clips or are there screws holding it in place. I dont want to break it by just pulling down on it if its screwed in place. Thanks.