Hardwired Radar Detector Help

TexasCutter · 04-01-2014, 06:25 PM

Hey guys,

I bought my M coupe almost exactly a year ago. Couldn't be happier with her.

However, this afternoon after getting off of work, I had a slight problem. My radar detector (Valentine One) frequently becomes un-suctioned from the window and hangs from where it's hard wired next to rear-view mirror. No big deal.

I got the car with the hardwire already installed (I bought the V1 and simply plugged it in). More to come on this...

So I go to put it back like I do every now and again, and it just wont stick. Okay. So I'm sitting there fumbling with it frustrated and it's going on/off/on/off/on/off/on because the connection to the device has become loose---most likely due to warming from Texas heat. Finally, I give it a good push up against the window and it stops working all together. I fiddle with it, and mess around...nothing. Okay..

My buddy has a hard wire also, so when I get home I plug it into his and it works perfectly. Great! A $500.00 radar detector isn't broken.

I figure out from the boards that that there's two possible locations where it could be hardwired. I find only the review mirror initially, take off the domelight assembly etc and find nothing. Bah. I go back in and find out that there's the fuse box method...

I go outside and I find that it's indeed routed to the fusebox with a 'Add a Fuse' through the A-pillar etc. I find where the the connections are, and find out at the 1 AMP (250 V) fuse is blown. Awesome! I'm going to go get a new fuse and fix this.

The fuses are the glass fuses. The 'Add a Fuse" doesn't look like the typical one that you see. It looks like the inline fuse holders, where two modular pieces unscrew and the glass fuse screws in inbetween--- Looks kind of like this: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=32420_0_0_

Also, there aren't two prongs that fit into the fuse box itself. There is a single prong that fits into a single slot of one of the fuse sites.

I go buy 1 AMP fuses and go to replace the fuse that was burnt. I plug it back into the 2 slot (a 5 AMP) slot from where it came. Go to turn on the car...aaaanddd...nothing.

I check the fuse and it's blown...This happens over and over as I move it to different fuse slots.

I'm kind of confused on what's going on here? That 1 AMP fuse was there for over a year without a problem and without getting burnt..and now suddenly I replace it with the identical fuse and it keeps getting blown? Should I be doing something or missing something that I'm not understanding?

My understanding is that the radar detectors pull less than 1 AMP of electricity..? Is my radar detector somehow malfunctioning and pulling more causing the fuse to continually blow?

Any help would be appreciated. I have almost zero understanding of electrical work.

dschultz · 04-01-2014, 06:35 PM

Does it blow if you don't connect the detector? Could be a short (to ground) in the wire between the fuse and the detector, or in the detector plug. Is it chafing somewhere? If it only happens when you connect the detector it's probably the detector.

Pheonix · 04-01-2014, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dschultz

Does it blow if you don't connect the detector? Could be a short (to ground) in the wire between the fuse and the detector, or in the detector plug. Is it chafing somewhere? If it only happens when you connect the detector it's probably the detector.

The Radar works perfectly with the OP's buddy so it must be a short somewhere on the power cable. Get a new cable and re-wire.

TexasCutter · 04-01-2014, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheonix

The Radar works perfectly with the OP's buddy so it must be a short somewhere on the power cable. Get a new cable and re-wire.

I'll essentially reply to both above posts. It doesn't blow if the radar isn't connected.

I also took the hardwired connector that Valentine provides and put a phone cable into it and then into my radar. I should have mentioned this. It still blows the fuse...

The HACK · 04-01-2014, 07:46 PM

There's a short somewhere along the line. The cable must have chaffed.

Pheonix · 04-01-2014, 07:47 PM

Sorry but I am so confused right now!
1. Your radar works perfectly with your buddy's hardwired setup?
2. You connected your hardwired to the phone code then to the radar and fuse blown?
3. What happen when you plug the detector using the cigarette lighter outlet (using the coil power cord)?
I still think the problem is somewhere in your hardwire power cord. Check the connector and see if anything shorten out.

TexasCutter · 04-01-2014, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheonix

Sorry but I am so confused right now!
1. Your radar works perfectly with your buddy's hardwired setup?
2. You connected your hardwired to the phone code then to the radar and fuse blown?
3. What happen when you plug the detector using the cigarette lighter outlet (using the coil power cord)?
I still think the problem is somewhere in your hardwire power cord. Check the connector and see if anything shorten out.

Bah. Sorry for the confusion:

1. His isn't the hardwire setup. His setup is directly spliced into the wiring in the overhead light unit. I plugged into his jack just to make sure nothing was explicitly wrong with the Valentine itself
2. Yes. It was Fuse Box Slot #2 ---> Add a Fuse ---> Connector provided by Valentine ---> Phone cord ----> Valentine. The fuse still burns out.
3. I haven't been able to find my cig lighter for the life of me. I haven't used it ever and can't seem to find it in the house anywhere.

Pheonix · 04-01-2014, 09:32 PM

Spliced onto the mirror power source is also called hardwire. Anyhow, definitely a short somewhere on your power line. I strongly recommend that you dont replace the fuse and try again. Just replaced the wires/cable.

jdoublehcubed · 04-02-2014, 08:10 AM

The power cable is just a piece of CAT11 phone line (I think, I know thats how Escort does it). Just pick up a black phone cord at radioshack, cut one end off, and hook back into your add a fuse. Good to go.

Arsonism · 04-02-2014, 09:25 AM

I don't think this will matter with your chaffed/shorted power line, but I'm almost positive that the hardwire is a 2 amp connection. It should be the same as the cigarette lighter power adjuster, but then again I remember seeing a 1 amp fuse somewhere as well.

04-01-2014, 06:25 PM	#1
TexasCutter New Member 0 Rep 9 Posts Drives: BMW Z4M Coupe Join Date: May 2013 Location: Austin,Tx iTrader: (0)	Hardwired Radar Detector Help Hey guys, I bought my M coupe almost exactly a year ago. Couldn't be happier with her. However, this afternoon after getting off of work, I had a slight problem. My radar detector (Valentine One) frequently becomes un-suctioned from the window and hangs from where it's hard wired next to rear-view mirror. No big deal. I got the car with the hardwire already installed (I bought the V1 and simply plugged it in). More to come on this... So I go to put it back like I do every now and again, and it just wont stick. Okay. So I'm sitting there fumbling with it frustrated and it's going on/off/on/off/on/off/on because the connection to the device has become loose---most likely due to warming from Texas heat. Finally, I give it a good push up against the window and it stops working all together. I fiddle with it, and mess around...nothing. Okay.. My buddy has a hard wire also, so when I get home I plug it into his and it works perfectly. Great! A $500.00 radar detector isn't broken. I figure out from the boards that that there's two possible locations where it could be hardwired. I find only the review mirror initially, take off the domelight assembly etc and find nothing. Bah. I go back in and find out that there's the fuse box method... I go outside and I find that it's indeed routed to the fusebox with a 'Add a Fuse' through the A-pillar etc. I find where the the connections are, and find out at the 1 AMP (250 V) fuse is blown. Awesome! I'm going to go get a new fuse and fix this. The fuses are the glass fuses. The 'Add a Fuse" doesn't look like the typical one that you see. It looks like the inline fuse holders, where two modular pieces unscrew and the glass fuse screws in inbetween--- Looks kind of like this: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=32420_0_0_ Also, there aren't two prongs that fit into the fuse box itself. There is a single prong that fits into a single slot of one of the fuse sites. I go buy 1 AMP fuses and go to replace the fuse that was burnt. I plug it back into the 2 slot (a 5 AMP) slot from where it came. Go to turn on the car...aaaanddd...nothing. I check the fuse and it's blown...This happens over and over as I move it to different fuse slots. I'm kind of confused on what's going on here? That 1 AMP fuse was there for over a year without a problem and without getting burnt..and now suddenly I replace it with the identical fuse and it keeps getting blown? Should I be doing something or missing something that I'm not understanding? My understanding is that the radar detectors pull less than 1 AMP of electricity..? Is my radar detector somehow malfunctioning and pulling more causing the fuse to continually blow? Any help would be appreciated. I have almost zero understanding of electrical work.
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04-01-2014, 07:46 PM	#5
The HACK Midlife Crises Racing Silent but Deadly Class 1821 Rep 5,337 Posts Drives: 2006 MZ4C, 2021 Tesla Model 3 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Welcome to Jamaica have a nice day iTrader: (1)	There's a short somewhere along the line. The cable must have chaffed. __________________ Sitting on a beat-up office chair in front of a 5 year old computer in a basement floor, sipping on stale coffee watching a bunch of meaningless numbers scrolling aimlessly on a dimly lit 19” monitor.
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04-01-2014, 07:47 PM	#6
Pheonix Major 378 Rep 1,001 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4 M Coupe 2012 e93 M3 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (8) Garage List 2007 BMW/Z4MC [0.00]	Sorry but I am so confused right now! 1. Your radar works perfectly with your buddy's hardwired setup? 2. You connected your hardwired to the phone code then to the radar and fuse blown? 3. What happen when you plug the detector using the cigarette lighter outlet (using the coil power cord)? I still think the problem is somewhere in your hardwire power cord. Check the connector and see if anything shorten out.
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04-01-2014, 09:32 PM	#8
Pheonix Major 378 Rep 1,001 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4 M Coupe 2012 e93 M3 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (8) Garage List 2007 BMW/Z4MC [0.00]	Spliced onto the mirror power source is also called hardwire. Anyhow, definitely a short somewhere on your power line. I strongly recommend that you dont replace the fuse and try again. Just replaced the wires/cable.
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04-02-2014, 08:10 AM	#9
jdoublehcubed Mechanical Engineer 96 Rep 1,025 Posts Drives: 2006 Z4MR, Imola Red Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Anaheim, CA iTrader: (1)	The power cable is just a piece of CAT11 phone line (I think, I know thats how Escort does it). Just pick up a black phone cord at radioshack, cut one end off, and hook back into your add a fuse. Good to go.
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04-01-2014, 06:35 PM	#2
dschultz Private First Class 26 Rep 195 Posts Drives: 07 Z4MC Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (2)	Does it blow if you don't connect the detector? Could be a short (to ground) in the wire between the fuse and the detector, or in the detector plug. Is it chafing somewhere? If it only happens when you connect the detector it's probably the detector.
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04-02-2014, 09:25 AM	#10
Arsonism Captain 158 Rep 747 Posts Drives: '08 M Coupe Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (3)	I don't think this will matter with your chaffed/shorted power line, but I'm almost positive that the hardwire is a 2 amp connection. It should be the same as the cigarette lighter power adjuster, but then again I remember seeing a 1 amp fuse somewhere as well.
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