Passport 8500 Hardwire Installation
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05-04-2003, 10:13 PM
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Rockville, MD
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Passport 8500 Hardwire Installation
I searched through the forums looking for information about hardwiring a radar detector, and I came across posts about either piggybacking on the rearview mirror's (homelink) power supply or using the cig lighter sockets and taking apart the dash to snake the cabling around discreetly.
Wanting to achieve an installation that mirrored what I'd done on my last car, I decided on a slightly different path: Hard wiring through the overhead panel, which exposes minimal cabling and is relatively easy to do.
(Sorry I didn't pictures at every step, but hopefully the instructions will fill in the gaps. Perform this at your own risk.)
Parts needed:
- Radar detector
- Hard-wire kit (sold both by Escort and Valentine1), or you can DIY with the provided coiled plug with some splicing and cutting skills.
- T-15 or T-20 torx screw (I can't recall which).
- Flathead screwdriver.
- 22-18 gauge tap-in "squeeze" connector (for splicing two cables together). I got mine (part #64-3053) at RadioShack. $1.99 for a pack of 7.
- Pliers.
1) Unplug the rearview mirror's wiring (from the back), and remove the mirror using the torx screwdriver. Once unscrewed, you'll need to slide the unit up and off its bracket. Remove the rectangular plastic cable guides.
2) Removed light/sunroof switch panel. Simply slide a screwdriver alongside the back, and gently pry down. The unit simply snaps out, but is tethered by two cable bundles (to the back and to the right). There's not much slack, but you need to depress small release switches on both to separate the male from the female ends. It took a little patience, but it wasn't too bad.
3) With one hand, thread the RJ-45 (phone) plug end of the hard-wire kit's cable towards the windshield. With the other hand, poke your finger up where the windshield meets the headliner (where the homelink's wiring exits) and feel around for the RJ-45 plug. It might take a little patience making the connection. Once found, yank it through about 8-12 inches.
4) Cover the end of the grounded wire from the direct-connect kit with electrical tape, since there's no screw I found in the area to ground the cable onto.
5) Locate the cable bundle on the right. Using the squeeze connector, splice the solid black cable (-) along and the end of the direct-connect kit. (See red connector in photo above.)
6) Using the squeeze connector provided with the direct-connect kit (see blue connector in photo above), splice into red/black cable. Attach male insert.
7) Cable-tie the bundle (see photo above), and then tuck it up in the right-hand corner.
8) Reassemble everything in reverse order. Thread both the original Homelink cabling along with the RJ-45 plug through the rearview mirror's rectangular plastic casing. It should now look like:
9) Mount your detector using the suction cups. Connect the mirror and the radar detector.
"If everything's under control, you're going too slow." -Mario Andretti
Wanting to achieve an installation that mirrored what I'd done on my last car, I decided on a slightly different path: Hard wiring through the overhead panel, which exposes minimal cabling and is relatively easy to do.
(Sorry I didn't pictures at every step, but hopefully the instructions will fill in the gaps. Perform this at your own risk.)
Parts needed:
- Radar detector
- Hard-wire kit (sold both by Escort and Valentine1), or you can DIY with the provided coiled plug with some splicing and cutting skills.
- T-15 or T-20 torx screw (I can't recall which).
- Flathead screwdriver.
- 22-18 gauge tap-in "squeeze" connector (for splicing two cables together). I got mine (part #64-3053) at RadioShack. $1.99 for a pack of 7.
- Pliers.
1) Unplug the rearview mirror's wiring (from the back), and remove the mirror using the torx screwdriver. Once unscrewed, you'll need to slide the unit up and off its bracket. Remove the rectangular plastic cable guides.
2) Removed light/sunroof switch panel. Simply slide a screwdriver alongside the back, and gently pry down. The unit simply snaps out, but is tethered by two cable bundles (to the back and to the right). There's not much slack, but you need to depress small release switches on both to separate the male from the female ends. It took a little patience, but it wasn't too bad.
3) With one hand, thread the RJ-45 (phone) plug end of the hard-wire kit's cable towards the windshield. With the other hand, poke your finger up where the windshield meets the headliner (where the homelink's wiring exits) and feel around for the RJ-45 plug. It might take a little patience making the connection. Once found, yank it through about 8-12 inches.
4) Cover the end of the grounded wire from the direct-connect kit with electrical tape, since there's no screw I found in the area to ground the cable onto.
5) Locate the cable bundle on the right. Using the squeeze connector, splice the solid black cable (-) along and the end of the direct-connect kit. (See red connector in photo above.)
6) Using the squeeze connector provided with the direct-connect kit (see blue connector in photo above), splice into red/black cable. Attach male insert.
7) Cable-tie the bundle (see photo above), and then tuck it up in the right-hand corner.
8) Reassemble everything in reverse order. Thread both the original Homelink cabling along with the RJ-45 plug through the rearview mirror's rectangular plastic casing. It should now look like:
9) Mount your detector using the suction cups. Connect the mirror and the radar detector.
"If everything's under control, you're going too slow." -Mario Andretti
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