Rewire cigarette lighter to have power with ignition off

[mtgjudge]

Hi folks!

I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can find directions on how to rewire my 2004 Mazda 3 so that the cigarette lighter stays powered with the key not in the ignition.

I'd like to be able to charge my iPod and cellphone when I am not in the car, and this feature has made it a bit problematic.

As always, thank you for your collective wisdom and insght!

 

[njaremka]

just cut the wires, and run them to the battery with a fuse.

 

[mtgjudge]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I was hoping to do something with the fuse box, thus eliminating the need to run a wire through the firewall. There's gotta be an easier way. Anyone have a less intrusive method?

 

[Rotus8]

It reallly depends on what you are going to plug into it. If you put a lighter in it, it really sucks the juice so you need a healthy power source. If you are only going to plug your phone charger or iPod, you can get away with less. Just make sure you have a fuse appropriate for the size of wire to avoid a possible fire. You might have someone plug a tire inflator compressor in it and get a surprise.

 

[njaremka]

find a fuse spot that has constant power with the car off, and run the wires there with an add-a-circuit adapter.

 

[MikeHTally]

find a fuse spot that has constant power with the car off, and run the wires there with an add-a-circuit adapter.

Or find a constant-hot lead and splice in a cigarette lighter socket. A combination of add-a-circuit and lighter socket should do nicely. Make sure you fuse the new connection.