Want to hook up a fridge and need constant 12v. On defenders there is an unused constant power feed to the rear of the truck, Anyone know if this is the case with a d2 and if so wire color code ?
is there an unswitched power wire to the rear of a d2 ?
- Thread starter Doug C
- Start date
On Euro build there is a feed to the towing socket connector, I'll have to check if that is live all of the time, and if it is carried over to NAS spec vehicles.
Peter
Peter
Just make the existing accessory socket hot. Pull the engine bay fuse box out and flip it over, find the green/white wire on one of the connectors, snip it, splice it, and run straight to the battery. The whole job takes 4 minutes. The fridge draws something ridiculously low like .8 amps with a start-up max draw of 2 amps (mine is an Engel 45). I think running 10 or 12 gauge back to the socket is complete overkill. I have been running my fridge this way for years and have never had any trouble. I have also never needed power for anything else in the back of the truck. If you know you're not going to need anything more than low-amp power for a fridge in the back, save yourself a bunch of time and money.
Wiring diagram attached.
Wiring diagram attached.
Any over head dome light has a battery hot. Look at the wiring diagram you'll find the 'on' circuit is battery hot. Using the rear (cargo space) overhead dome light you'll find that wire harness in the passenger side d pillar. Just pull the upper portion of trim around the alpine and quarter glass find the three wires from the rear overhead dome light. Either use the wiring diagram or a test light and you'll find the constant hot.
Last edited:
ptschram
Well-known member
Um, all four of my DIIs had/have a cigarette lighter socket in the left rear loadspace.
IIRC, this circuit is fused for ten or 20 amps.
IIRC, this circuit is fused for ten or 20 amps.
ptschram
Well-known member
Once again, the answers lie in the ETM.
(Scurries off to review circuit diagram)
Alright, it looks like the accessory sockets can be powered easily enough by jumpering the relay base.
Last edited:
I think it's more of, is there a constant hot, anywhere back there. or what can be made hot.
I wish you would have made it clear that this worked on the front lighter socket, not the rear accessory socket. I eventually figured that out and decided to quit for the day. Then when I tried to lock the doors, I just got a horn beep instead. 2003 D2.
Horn beep means one of the doors is open. Did you bend the switch under the hood by accident? Maybe left the rear door open?
Checked every door, two doors checked twice. Opened the hood and reclosed it. Still did not lock. Dug back into the wiring and restored everything to where it was before I started, now it locks just fine and everything works like it used to.
If the BCU/IDM senses voltage when it shouldn't, like when the relay that switches on the lighter socket is bypassed, it thinks something is wrong and honks at you.
This method has been working perfectly on the rear socket only on my 2003 for something like 4 years and I have never had any issues with locking the truck. Are you sure you tapped in to the correct wire?
Just to be sure, you should be going from the battery to the harness, not going from the battery to the bottom of the relay. The wire you cut should be capped coming out of the bottom of the fuse box. If you go from the battery to the fuse box it will probably throw these kinds of tantrums.
Oh, I will try this. I apparently put the power to the wrong wire.
Might not get to it for several days, thanks very much for clarifying.