09xb1

Hi all - I have a 09 xB and plan to install a 2nd outlet, which will be powered by tapping into the fuse box under the steering wheel. I have 3 questions:
1. Which kind of fuses are they? Mini, low-profile mini, micro2 or micro3? I will need to get the appropriate add-a-circuit kit for the fuse.
2. What do you typically use to get the fuses out of their slots? I tried needle-nose pliers, but the fuses are so close together that I can't get a good grip. Is there a trick to removing them?
3. Since the fuse box is located below the left side of the steering wheel, and my future outlet will be somewhere on the right side of the center console, I am looking at about 2 ft of wiring. Does anyone have a recommendation on the wire gauge I should use?

Thanks for any tip or info, esp. if you have done something similar before.

Greg S

iTrader: (1)

First question will be what are you planning on powering with this additional outlet? That will determine what gauge wire and amperage fusing should be used.

For removing the fuse the stock fuse puller works great. If you don't have it I have always used a small pair of needle nose pliers, pair of tweezers should work well also.

As a prior car stereo installer I never recommend add-a-circuit fuse taps. I've just seen too many issues with them over time. If you think you'll be adding more devices that need power I recommend running a power line from the battery and then using relays triggered from the key to power the devices separately, or even adding a second fuse block if you are adding enough stuff.

09xb1

Greg, thank you for your reply. I work in home-health and because I need to use a laptop all day long, I wish to have the capability to recharge it while driving. So I was planning to have an inverter plugged into the additional outlet, to be used when my laptop runs low on battery power. The existing outlet is already taken up by my dashcam, GPS and phone charger. If you have any advice for me, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks again.

BTW I haven't had time to try tweezers on the fuses today, but that'd probably work... My wife is soon going to wonder why she can't find her tweezers anymore!

Greg S

iTrader: (1)

Don't bother looking for the tweezers.

If you are going to be running an inverter then you absolutely need to run a power wire from the battery. They take a fair amount of current draw and the existing wires going to the fuse box would be close to maxing out with just them running it.

What you will need is an 8-ga power line from the battery, with a 15-20 amp fuse at the battery, and a SPDT relay so that you can use it as a switched source for the second outlet. I would recommend using the power wire for the stock outlet as your trigger for the relay, that way they will both work the same.

Here's a quick video on how to wire the relay,

Also, if you want to free up some space around the outlet you can get one of these dual USB ports and put it in the blank next to the shifter. It can be wired to the back of the power outlet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-12V-24V....c100009.m1982

09xb1

Greg, thx for your advice. Is there a particular advantage to using a relay, instead of wiring the additional outlet directly into the car's battery? After reading a bit about the various methods (but prior to seeing your post above), I was thinking of running a wire from the battery -with an in-line fuse- through the firewall, to power the future outlet.

Greg S

iTrader: (1)

Yes, the biggest advantage is that the outlet won't be on all the time and you won't run the risk of draining your battery because you left it on or something plugged into it while the car was off. The relay makes it so that it will only work with the key in the ignition and turned at least one notch forward.