Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SteveD]

I'm fitting an S type socket to my 2000 Omega Estate facelift and need to locate the nearest supply to the boot that's live only when the ignition is on. It doesn't have to be high power - it's only to switch a relay.

Does anybody know what's nearest?

Cheers.

[spiketheskinnydog]

How about the rear cigarette lighter? It could be a little more difficult to route the cable on an estate, but it did the job on my saloon.
I used that supply for a relay on my towbar, operating one of those low current boxes. I read that if you just take the power from the rear light feeds directly to the tow bar socket you could get all sorts of false bulb failure warnings when you link up to the trailer. These boxes avoid that problem by sensing when a current is flowing to any of the rear lights, and then uses that information to send an identical current to the tow bar socket, thereby avoiding all the potential problems.
I got mine from Indespension, but I should imagine that most tow bar places could supply them.

[Martin_1962]

There is a wire in the trailer socket on the car loom - you may need to add a fuse though - not looking now it is too cold.

I used mine for the flasher relay and something else, and layed a new wire for the split charge relay

[SteveD]

I've used all the wires in the standard towbar plug for the N type socket. I used the 30A supply for power to the bypass relay. The one I need is a switched live that only comes on with the ignition - this will be used to switch the relay on the S towbar socket (to disconnect power when the engine is not running to prevent a flat battery).

I'll try the cigar lighter but I assumed they were live all the time (they were on my old Omega) but am probably wrong!

Thanks for the suggestions so far  

[Martin_1962]

The split charge relay cuts off when engine stopped - I have had no issues with three different cars and towing

[Matchless]

Check the haynes wiring diagrams, there must be an ignition live for aerial amp / tank sender / sat nav aerial etc somewhere.