Hello everyone. New owner here. I recently acquired a 87 Fiero GT 20 years after I had to let go of my 86 Fiero SE SM6. The car had been in storage for over 10 years, and had never seen ice or snow in its lifetime. Needless to say, I want to keep it that way, but I also want to bring it into the 21st century technology wise. So, while I'm replacing the headliner, I want to install a bluetooth GPS smartmirror. This brings me to my question. I need to install a fuse tap at an ACC power location, but I am unsure as to which spot to install the tap. I've seen some fuse box diagrams on the forums, and know that there are multiple radio fuses and locations, but I'm unclear if I can tap into the RADIO fuse (10 amp I believe) or do I use the empty square RADIO location. Obviously, I only want it to power on with the key, so I don't drain the battery. Any tips or advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
------------------ No one dies a virgin. Life screws us all.
There are fused ACC taps accessible from the back of the fuse box, lower left hand side (or lower right hand side when fuse box is turned around). Two 7mm head screws in front hold the fuse box to it's mounting.
GM made several front located taps available on the fuse panel ( Square holes). No need to go behind the fuse panel. Some are marked BAT, some IGN. All are already fuse protected. You want one of the IGN marked spots. GM also made a snap in connector that fits those locations, so it's easy. The IGN taps use the Gauge fuse, so no additional fuse necessary.
You can sometime pick up the taps at the pick and pull, especially on the higher end GM cars of the '80's ( Cadilac, etc) where additional accessories may have been added. You can also buy new taps, and they are not that expensive. They are not interchangeable, so you cannot accidentally put a BAT tap into an IGN hole. http://www.repairconnector....use-block-tap-clear/ http://www.repairconnector....tap-power-always-on/
I go into the fuse box from the rear, the new wires can be better supported by the existing wiring, and the likelyhood of the wire being pulled out of the tap is less.
So my mirror requires both constant 12v and ACC. I've purchased the GM specific fuse taps for both IGN and BAT locations. My question now is this: does it matter which IGN or BAT location to use (there are two for each). Also, there is a RADIO location. Should the constant 12v be attached at the RADIO or BAT location?
According to my 88 factory manual, the BAT taps are "Hot at all times" through the BAT fuse, and the IGN taps are "Hot in Run, Bulb Test, or Start" through the GAGES fuse. This proved out for me when I installed my backup camera and monitor and my RKE. Sounds like you need to use one of each, connected accordingly.
Thanks for the replies. I think I've got a handle now on how to hook up the 12v and ACC lines. Now I'm trying to find a good ground location. The smart mirror has two ground wires, one for the power cable and another for the audio out cable that I'm hooking into an AUX input adapter directly behind the stereo. Are there any good chassis ground locations behind the fuse block as well as the stereo? Meaning one I can use without having to drill a hole in the firewall.