12volt socket power.

[marantz]

The power to the socket is staying on ,have noticed this as the dash cam is plugged into it,and when I checked an hour later when locked the dash cam was still on.

[Micro]

You may find that it is "permanent live", did it do this before? It may also go off after a period of time (> 20 minutes) if you car is fitted with a battery protection relay.

[paul1867]

I have the same "problem". 12V power outlets (cigarette lighters as we used to call them) are permanently on. Needless to say handbook is silent other than do not leave equipment connected when engine not running. I can find nothing in the "systems" to change this. I have never had a car where these outlets did not switch off with the ignition off. This seems so basic when there are so called "eco" modes that switch the radio off after a set period. I fitted two dash cams and left them plugged in I mean how much power do they use, surely next to nothing I thought. Everything was fine when I was using the car almost every day. Then I did not use the car for about 5 days and found the battery absolutely dead flat. That's when my problems really started!!!

Talk about turning an inconvenience into a crisis. When I first had the vehicle the first thing I did was get a full size spare wheel, I mean who wants to be on a long journey and get a flat in the night. Ford expect you to spend £45 to foam fill and then recommend not to drive far on foam filled tyre, so basically just to repair garage. So pay for foam and repair.

Now following the flat battery I am having, as yet unresolved, immobiliser problems and engine will not start.

I dream of my Triumph Spitfire days, basic and simple.

[Micro]

It's not a problem so to speak, it's just how the cars have been wired. Mine were originally permanent live also.

You can simply convert your socket to a switched live. There are lots of guides on here on how to do so.

[ToXIcG]

On 24/10/2017 at 12:09 PM, Micro said:

It's not a problem so to speak, it's just how the cars have been wired. Mine were originally permanent live also.

You can simply convert your socket to a switched live. There are lots of guides on here on how to do so.

Is there a way to do it without cutting into any wires?

[Micro]

2 hours ago, ToXIcG said:

Is there a way to do it without cutting into any wires?

Run a suitable wire from the fuse box (using a fuse tap, find a switched live fuse capable of supplying the 10-20A, and run it directly to the cig lighter). If they're like the normal style, you can flip the connector 180 degrees on the bottom (leaving only ground connected), and then crimp a spade terminal onto your new switched wire, and attach to the bottom of your socket.

You can also run a smaller gauge wire from the fuse box, and fit a relay at the socket, if you so desire.

[ToXIcG]

1 hour ago, Micro said:

Run a suitable wire from the fuse box (using a fuse tap, find a switched live fuse capable of supplying the 10-20A, and run it directly to the cig lighter). If they're like the normal style, you can flip the connector 180 degrees on the bottom (leaving only ground connected), and then crimp a spade terminal onto your new switched wire, and attach to the bottom of your socket.

You can also run a smaller gauge wire from the fuse box, and fit a relay at the socket, if you so desire.

I was trying to work out a while ago if it would be possible to do all this at the fuse box, so make it so the fuse for the cig lighter only worked if an ignition live fuse had power.

I guess what you would do is fit a relay to the cig fuse that is switched by an ignition live fuse but just how I'd go about doing that (or if it was possible) was confusing me.

The only reason I would want to do this is just because this would make it a lot easier and also means it would be easier to remove it at a later date if needed.

[Micro]

6 minutes ago, ToXIcG said:

I was trying to work out a while ago if it would be possible to do all this at the fuse box, so make it so the fuse for the cig lighter only worked if an ignition live fuse had power.

I guess what you would do is fit a relay to the cig fuse that is switched by an ignition live fuse but just how I'd go about doing that (or if it was possible) was confusing me.

The only reason I would want to do this is just because this would make it a lot easier and also means it would be easier to remove it at a later date if needed.

Theoretically you could probably insert a fuse tap backwards into the cig lighter fuse space (with no bottom fuse in), and then run a switched live supply to it that way. My method (relay at the socket), or others methods (simply pulling a supply from a switched live fuse - as per other guides on here), are easily reversed with no wire cutting or damage to car wiring.

The problem is these fuse boxes are no longer dumb, pieces of crimped metal, but rather intelligent computers that run your car. Pulling too much current, or putting current where it is not safe, could result in a very expensive repair.

[Stoney871]

I make wiring to do just this.

Fusetap on one end to plug into an ignition live fuse port then a connector on the other end that you swap with the original socket connector.

Top picture is how I normally rig a piggyback for adding a spare socket to a car that can be hidden under the dash so dashcam wires are totally concealed, this leaves the original socket as a permanent live for normal usage.

Bottom pictures are of a right angle plug that fits the bottom pins on a Ford power socket thay I can add instead of a spare socket so you can turn a Ford permanent live into an ignition switched socket.

[ToXIcG]

17 hours ago, Stoney871 said:

I make wiring to do just this.

Fusetap on one end to plug into an ignition live fuse port then a connector on the other end that you swap with the original socket connector.

Top picture is how I normally rig a piggyback for adding a spare socket to a car that can be hidden under the dash so dashcam wires are totally concealed, this leaves the original socket as a permanent live for normal usage.

Bottom pictures are of a right angle plug that fits the bottom pins on a Ford power socket thay I can add instead of a spare socket so you can turn a Ford permanent live into an ignition switched socket.

Where can I get this right angle plug?

 

I've also heard about some fords have a batter protection relay fitted (that switches the socket off after like 20 mins), is that something that can be added?

[Stoney871]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F130873525986

Afaik the timed socket ability depends on how it's fed from the gem / ecu.

If you want a cable knocked up ready to fit like I described earlier I'll happily do so for a very reasonable price.
I'd just need to know the distance from the fusebox to the socket (allowing for all bends, moving parts and a bit of slack for assembly etc).

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[ToXIcG]

12 hours ago, Stoney871 said:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F130873525986

Afaik the timed socket ability depends on how it's fed from the gem / ecu.

If you want a cable knocked up ready to fit like I described earlier I'll happily do so for a very reasonable price.
I'd just need to know the distance from the fusebox to the socket (allowing for all bends, moving parts and a bit of slack for assembly etc).

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

You don't happen to know how to get the trim off to get access to the socket?

I've had a look and found some threads but I still cant figure it out.

[Micro]

Ideally you need to remove the gearstick gaiter to have access under the socket so you can push up. The metal sleeve fits into the outer plastic collar. I broke a  clip on mine so my sleeve is now loose (oops), but as I don't ever remove my phone charger, i've left it as-is. The gearstick gaiter unclips either from the top or the bottom - do not pull on the material you will pull the staples/glue off the plastic trim.

You can use a double / right angle plug like Clives made, or you could run a single (fused, switched 12v) wire to the cig lighter socket - put the original ground side of the plug back onto the ground pin but turned 180 degrees, and then put a new spade terminal on your new wire and attach to the spade lug on the bottom of the socket. Saves running two wires and locating somewhere to ground it when the ground is still suitable at the socket harness.