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Change Front 12v Power to Switched from Always On?


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Here's how I did it. Rather than trying to change my sockets to switched, and since I was needing the power in the overhead shelf area instead of down low on the console, I added extra connections to the overhead shelf and tapped the power from spare switched fuse locations. For convenience, I added a small accessory fuse box behind the glove box. Then used that for all my future add-ons. The link below is for when I added USB outlets, but at the end added an additional 12V sockets. That topic has links to the other stages of the build.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I believe the BCM monitors battery voltage & will "turn off" all accessories, including 12V outlet, if the battery voltage gets to a certain point. I have run the radio for 3+ hours several times while doing yardwork and stuff, without the key or engine and had no trouble (just gotta hit the power button on the radio every hour when it turns off). My old GPS was a pile and would randomly turn itself on sometimes, when it happened on a weekend it could sometimes run for 12+ hours and I'd have no idea. That said, the GPS never killed the van battery after turning itself on.

I think you're worrying more than you need to. Reminds me of a buddy, he'll put his truck radio on at a party and then start the engine for a couple seconds every 30-45 minutes, lmao. I told him that cranking that starter and only running it 1-2 seconds uses way more juice than the radio does... Especially when he does it to his Cummins Dodge rather than his gas Chevy! I also told him that I run my radio for 3+ hours at a time with a battery half the size of his (or 1/4, in the case of the dual-battery Dodge), but he won't listen, lol.

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  • 10 months later...
7 hours ago, Mike Walton said:

Does front 12v powerpoint and lighter on 2012 TC use the same fuse? My lighter and rear powerpoint work and front does not. I suspect the wire is unplugged, but looks like a real pain to access.

 

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I saw in another thread that lighter, front PowerPoint, and rear PowerPoint each use a different fuse...in North American vehicles in contradiction of the owners manual. Has anyone discovered the fuse number for these three items?

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  • 4 years later...

For those who say the van has a power feature that will switch off when the battery is low or after 30 minutes. I have installed a dash cam and it never shuts off and does kill a perfectly good battery. I know it is not shutting off after 20 minutes because when I forget it will record for days straight.  (2017 Ford Transit Connect Cargo)

 

Edited by cjkersh
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This is a relatively old thread, but I actually also sat there and watched my radar detector the other day to see if it turned off after 30 minutes. It doesn't. I always assumed the "timer" feature people talked about was added in later generations. Perhaps there's a variable setting in the computer?

 

In any event, aside from running your own replacement outlet off switched power, there's a very simple way to modify any const. outlet to switched. Interrupt the +12v wire (either by cutting the factory harness, or if that's undesireable, fabricating an extension) and run it through the I/O pins on a standard relay. +control on the relay then taps any source of switched +12v, for example, the "red" radio wire. Standard relays are 30A, and power outlets tend to be fused at 10-20A, so there are no safety concerns there.

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The front cigarette lighter socket is always on. Other Fords have outlets where the power will time out after the ignition is turned off (F150 for example) There are numerous circuits that turn off with the ignition. Look at the fuse list in the owners manual. Then find the fuse you want in the block behind the glove box. Use an add-a-fuse connector to tap into the circuit.

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My 2020 turns off after around 2 hours. I tested it once by checking periodically after parking. IIRC, it was still running after the 1.5 hour point, but when I checked it shortly after 2 hours it was off. So I've always assumed a 2 hour delay and have never had battery drain issues. But I'm just using a pretty basic dashcam with fairly low power draw.

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I thought that something like that, in a modern car, could be turned on or off via the body control module.

 

It can be done with a SPST relay.  Tap a "key on" circuit for the coil to trigger the relay.  Cut the 12v power line.  Use the fuse end for common.  Use the power port end for normally open.  When the ignition is turned, the relay will send power to the power port.

 

 

 

 

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  • 5 months later...
  • 8 months later...
On 6/19/2017 at 9:26 AM, JohnnyV said:

Hi,

Just bought myself a 2016 TC XLT LWB.  Love it!

Want to mount my GPS up front, but have found that the front 12v power outlet is always on, leaving me vulnerable for a dead battery.

Any thoughts on how to do this?

Thanks in advance.

-Johnny V

Old thread, but it is still helpful. I noticed in my 11TC the rear 12v is always on as well. Found that out last night when I plugged in my air compressor. My compressor turned right on, no need to start the van.

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