Seeking ignition switched power in trunk or near battery

[George Helser]

I am seeking to tap a wire in the trunk or near the battery of a 99-E430 which is hot only when the ignition is on. I want to power a GPS and a relay (about 200 mA) when the car is running.

Any idea where to find switched power in the back of the car?

Thanks!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona

[George Helser]

The CD changer is in the trunk. Maybe it has a wire which is hot when the ignition is on even if the radio is off? I can feel wires under the changer but no idea how to pull the changer or to access the plug.

I’d rather tap 200 mA in the trunk rather than run a wire back from the dashboard. Any tips will be appreciated.

Happy Holidays!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona

[mjhawkins2346]

My CD changer has a bracket holding the changer to the edge of the trunk lip. Pull those screws and gently lift -- don't kink or bend the fiber optic cable.

You should be able to test for a hot lead with everything off and a VOM with one side grounded.

There is also a large handful of unused leads for a factory COMAND system or cell phone behind the left sidewall card board panel -- the one next to the CD player (You still need to pull the CD player first to get room to move the panel without hurting anything)

Good luck.

[George Helser]

Mike,

Thanks for your tips.

I just pulled the CD changer and found the power is hot all the time with a Wake-Up signal line to control it. I guess that is so the changer has power after ignition is turned off so it can park itself?

Probably just easier to snake a fused wire from the front of the car to power the GPS in the trunk for the APRS tracker.

I apreciate your help!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona