Another Radar Detector Hardwire (Escort 9500 smartcord)
#1
03-02-2008, 01:37 PM
Another Radar Detector Hardwire (Escort 9500 smartcord)
I spent an hour yesterday hardwiring my Escort 9500 to my fuse panel. The hardwire method described here is the same the GeoT3 on Rennlist came up with a few months ago (GeoT3 George's Hardwire Method).
The main difference with my hardwire is that I hang my radar detector just to the left of the rear view mirror while George uses his above mid-dashboard.
To route the Escort smartcord (probably same 4-pin phone jack connector as V1) from the rearview area down to the fuse box I used a bunch of Velcro. As McGuyveresque as it sounds, it works great! Black Velcro is available from your local hardware store – I think I paid about 6 bucks for 15 feet. What you need to do is to run the ‘bristle’ (i.e. the firmer) type Velcro along the path shown in the pics below. If you feel with your fingers, you will find that there is quite a large gap (‘dead space’) tucked along the perimeter of the windshield and the roof or pillar. It’s actually surpisingly deep! Line this area with various strips of bristle Velcro. Then, prepare the smartcord with ‘furry’ Velcro as shown below. I placed a small tab of the furry Velcro near the phone connector which allows the cord to be tucked out of place when not in use. You only need to wrap the first few feet of the power cord with furry Velcro. Once completed, tuck the furry covered cord into the ‘dead space’ with your fingers or a soft probe. It is now firmly in place, but removable without damaging anything. From the bottom of the pillar, push the wire between the dash and pillar as shown in the pics. The cable then runs down the weather stripping and out into the electrical area.
To connect the smartcord to the fuse panel, I followed GeoT3’s directions. There are a plethora of fuse taps available but I liked the one GeoT3 used. It is available on Ebay. The power side of the Escort smartcord comes with a female connect on it. Cut that off and strip some wire. The fuse tap comes with a crimp type connector. Simply insert the stripped wire and crush it with pliers. I put a little electrical tape around it to make myself feel professional.
Remove the fuse box cover using the finger grip. There are two Phillips head screws on the top of the fuse panel and one at the bottom. Remove these three screws and the carpeted section can be easily removed revealing a cornucopia of wires. Positions C1 and C5 (see pic) do not have fuses in them. They can be used as switched power supplies for accessories – C1 for RWD and C5 for AWD. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure why this is but I know it works!!! Start by placing the groud wire for the smartcord. There is a 10mm nut (see pic) which can be easily loosened and used to ground. The small hoop connector of the smartcord should be sliced to make it more easily fit over the exposed threads. The power end of the fuse tap then fits into the fuse box as shown. Note that you need to put a fuse in the tap as shown (I used 10A). These taps are meant to hold two fuses – one to replace an existing fuse in a panel and a second one to piggyback. Since the Carrera has these extra spots open on the fuse panel, there is no need to piggyback.
Coil up the excess wire of the smartcord and wrap it with some tape or a twisty. Replace the carpeted section surround the fuse box. You will notice that the red wire of the fuse tap gets crushed a bit. To alleviate this, I made a small notch (see pic) in the fuse box covering so that the red wired is no longer crushed. Replace the three screws and put the fuse cover back on. Start your car – voila.
Again, major kudos to GeoT3 for the inspiration.
The main difference with my hardwire is that I hang my radar detector just to the left of the rear view mirror while George uses his above mid-dashboard.
To route the Escort smartcord (probably same 4-pin phone jack connector as V1) from the rearview area down to the fuse box I used a bunch of Velcro. As McGuyveresque as it sounds, it works great! Black Velcro is available from your local hardware store – I think I paid about 6 bucks for 15 feet. What you need to do is to run the ‘bristle’ (i.e. the firmer) type Velcro along the path shown in the pics below. If you feel with your fingers, you will find that there is quite a large gap (‘dead space’) tucked along the perimeter of the windshield and the roof or pillar. It’s actually surpisingly deep! Line this area with various strips of bristle Velcro. Then, prepare the smartcord with ‘furry’ Velcro as shown below. I placed a small tab of the furry Velcro near the phone connector which allows the cord to be tucked out of place when not in use. You only need to wrap the first few feet of the power cord with furry Velcro. Once completed, tuck the furry covered cord into the ‘dead space’ with your fingers or a soft probe. It is now firmly in place, but removable without damaging anything. From the bottom of the pillar, push the wire between the dash and pillar as shown in the pics. The cable then runs down the weather stripping and out into the electrical area.
To connect the smartcord to the fuse panel, I followed GeoT3’s directions. There are a plethora of fuse taps available but I liked the one GeoT3 used. It is available on Ebay. The power side of the Escort smartcord comes with a female connect on it. Cut that off and strip some wire. The fuse tap comes with a crimp type connector. Simply insert the stripped wire and crush it with pliers. I put a little electrical tape around it to make myself feel professional.
Remove the fuse box cover using the finger grip. There are two Phillips head screws on the top of the fuse panel and one at the bottom. Remove these three screws and the carpeted section can be easily removed revealing a cornucopia of wires. Positions C1 and C5 (see pic) do not have fuses in them. They can be used as switched power supplies for accessories – C1 for RWD and C5 for AWD. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure why this is but I know it works!!! Start by placing the groud wire for the smartcord. There is a 10mm nut (see pic) which can be easily loosened and used to ground. The small hoop connector of the smartcord should be sliced to make it more easily fit over the exposed threads. The power end of the fuse tap then fits into the fuse box as shown. Note that you need to put a fuse in the tap as shown (I used 10A). These taps are meant to hold two fuses – one to replace an existing fuse in a panel and a second one to piggyback. Since the Carrera has these extra spots open on the fuse panel, there is no need to piggyback.
Coil up the excess wire of the smartcord and wrap it with some tape or a twisty. Replace the carpeted section surround the fuse box. You will notice that the red wire of the fuse tap gets crushed a bit. To alleviate this, I made a small notch (see pic) in the fuse box covering so that the red wired is no longer crushed. Replace the three screws and put the fuse cover back on. Start your car – voila.
Again, major kudos to GeoT3 for the inspiration.
Last edited by Coochas; 03-02-2008 at 02:22 PM.
#5
03-02-2008, 03:33 PM
Thanks Brian, but I'm an Escort loyalist. I really like the GPS based signal lockout that the 9500 has...it works quite well.
#10
03-03-2008, 10:05 AM
I was too, till mine ran out of batteries and I got nailed!!!
Switched over in '94, never really looked back, but I REALLY wished the V1 had the signal lockout, I've never used it, but mine goes off all the time.... but I don't think the arrows can be beat!