Spencer_P

I've got and . My plan is to use something like and plug it into a constant power slot, preferably an empty one, that way I'm not taping into any factory wiring. I'll ground it to the stud in the drivers footwell, the one used to upgrade the instrument cluster ground. Any issues with this plan? I'll need to look and find out what fuse slots are constant power. I don't have power windows, locks, cruise, or abs, so those fuses are empty, but I'm not sure any of them are constant power. I'll post all pictures of the finished product here. Thanks in advance.
1996 Jeep Cherokee SE

Spencer_P

Anyone know what fuses are constant 12v on the fuse panel? I haven't gotten out with DMM yet.

boxburn

Unless you specifically want it to have power at all times, I would wire it to an ingition live like my own camera is.

As per usual this is all from the 95 diagrams, LHD.

Constant power:
4 9 11 12** 13 14** 15 16 17 18 19
Ignition power:
1 2 3 5 6 7 8 10**

** Unused in the diagrams but shown so may have a useable feed for you, 12 is not listed but looks to have a space next to 14.
Fuse 10 is from a high current set of circuits so is likely very suitable for a camera to easily take power from.
Fuses 12/14 area is also part of an existing high current circuit so should be fine.

Just use these numbers as a guide and double check that you get voltages as expected. The diagram for the fuse board also shows a few possible ports, as my RHD uses a different board I coudln't check if they are visible or on the back.

Spencer_P

Thank you. I have hardwire kit that will kill power if the battery gets to somewhere near 11v but I'm not certain if I will install it, yet at least, because I don't drive the Jeep every day and whenever I'm home it's parked in the garage.

moonsandals

Personally I don't like fuse taps because I've been convinced the wiring on XJs is just barely adequate, and a fuse tap adds load to an existing circuit.

Also, if you do go with a fuse tap, you can orient it two ways. I believe orientation matters.

Also, if you use a fuse tap you need to make sure the area around it has enough clearance for it. If a fuse or something next to the slot you choose is too tall the fuse tap won't plug in all the way.

I like the idea of using the power ports as already suggested.

When I wired my dash cam, I used a fuse tap on the clock circuit for a while. But it didn't quite fit and I didn't want to overload the circuit so I took the second fuse out so only the dashcam worked.
Recently I wired a secondary (ignition switched with relay) fuse box from the battery, took the fuse tap out and wired the dash cam to that.

I didn't trust the voltage sensors so I just wired mine up to the ignition sourced power. Since I wanted it to record while the car was parked I got a battery. It charges on ignition, and powers the dash cam for about 2 days if the Jeep is sitting. Like this https://www.blackboxmycar.ca/collections/battery-packs
These are expensive, but to me worth it for leaving the Jeep at trail heads while backpacking.

Spencer_P

I do agree with the wiring being underrated, but a fuse tap is fused so I'd like to believe it is safe enough to get me by till I add another fuse box as you did. Clearly, I'm not too knowledgable about wiring, but getting my dashcam installed is a high priority because I've been hit twice, thankfully not in the Jeep.
I do have a good bit of empty fuse slots so maybe I'll just use one of those, constant or ignition. I'd like to know how a professional would go about installing it in this situation.

RockyMtn96XJ

As far as recording while the jeep is not running, I believe some of the cameras have an auto ON function. When it feels any type of movement or vibration it will automatically come on and begin recording instantly. Not sure how that has to be hard wired in, but the ones I saw simply plug into the cig lighter or something that has constant 12V in the cab. So I assume you could simply hardwire it into any empty 12V constant under the hood.
Regardless of the jeeps having insufficient wiring, I would think that it wouldn't matter because you are using the wiring from the camera... no? So you can certainly use a fuse tap to be safe, but I don't see how it would add stress to the jeep wiring since you're going right into the fuse box with the fuse and camera wiring. Maybe I'm not thinking about it the way ya'll are...

boxburn

The idea of extra stress would be on the wires that feed the fuseboard in this instance. I wouldn't be too concerned however as these feed wires are themselves fused via the PDC and a dashcam uses a very small amount of power.

My own dashcam has a record feature which can turn it on if it detects a bump. This feature uses the cameras own battery to operate while it's power feed (ignition) is off.


Just an extra idea for the OP, I have 2 additional fuse boards in my XJ, one on top of the battery as a constant 12v supply and another tucked under the dash powered by an ignition controlled relay. This gives me plenty of safe to use power sources for my various additions.

Spencer_P

My camera has the auto-record feature but I don't think it has an internal battery, additionally, I don't want it taking up the cig lighter. I very much like the idea of adding a fuse box I just can't get into that right now.

moonsandals

Exactly; that was my point I was trying (but failing) to make - fuse taps can stress the wires feeding the panel. But you make a solid point; it's not going to mske a big difference with a dash cam.

Also a lot of circuits changed over time, so for example the clock circuit I used intially was a whopping 10A but the clock drew next to nothing (and I replaced the clock with a USB port, which draws like 2A). That fuse originally powered more stuff and was left with a bunch of room to power more devices. I still wasn't super comfortable using it for everything at once, but that was me being safe.

What you have is exactly what I have set up. My second fuse box is really nice and makes everything very clean.

Also my camera is wired to a battery (external one mounted under the rear seat) and the battery charges off of ignition switched power. I also recommend this. It runs for about 30 hours capturing events (bumps, things walking in front, snow or rain triggering the camera)

Spencer_P

Thank you all for the input! I think I've got a good idea of what I'm doing now. First I need to call around and get the windshield replaced (the seal really)

boxburn

Hopefully no rust underneath the screen.

Spencer_P

My Jeep is pretty clean but I am prepared to clean and paint it if there happens to be any rust present or starting.

2DrXJRegulatorFix

Rear defroster relay will have a constant 12v to it and should draw plenty of current for a camera without affecting the rear defroster. It'll be the wire going to pin 87 on the relay.