paulmaley Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Hi, can anyone point me towards the best method to install a 12v power socket onto Sigma powered car please? I ticked the option box on the order form when the car was new but all I seem to have is the socket (no wiring) & no instructions. All feedback welcome... Cheers, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Call Caterham in the morning to ask how they do it on factory cars. Sometimes there's a spare fuse in the fuse box you can tap into. Otherwise, simply run a fused wire from battery to positive, and a wire back to the battery negative. Mine is the latter. John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pikey Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Mine was fitted above the passengers feet on the heater panel. The hole came out about 3 inches from the battery and wired via a 15a fuse direct to the battery. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmaley Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Jason & John - thank you v much for your replies. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Mine was fitted above the passengers feet on the heater panel. The hole came out about 3 inches from the battery and wired via a 15a fuse direct to the battery. Mine is exactly the same. Hardly seems worth the £40 they charged to fit it, and the 12v socket that they fitted isn't even waterproofed. I suggest that you go to a marine chandler and buy one that is designed for a boat. Nick It's life Jim, but not as WE know it! Edited by - Mort on 23 Aug 2010 10:38:35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred_gustafsson Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 You can connect it to a spare blade on the ignition cylinder. I think there are a couple of them. This way it will not onlly be fused but alse activated when the key is turn to position 1, quite useful when you only want to charge your deivce without powering up the rest of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Pearce Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 But not so good if you want to use it with a battery conditioner. Better to have it connected directly to the battery with an inline fuse in the positive side as close to the battery end as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenmad Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 The sigma loom is already wired for a power socket. The fuse is "O" , that is the 15th from the right in the fuse panel, should be 10 amp. The wire from the fuse is purple and red and runs from under the dash along the transmission tunnel to a connector just above the diff. Caterham have fitted some sockets between the drivers seats, hence the position of the connector. I didn't like this position so traced the purple/red wire from the fuse to just above the entry to the transmission tunnel, and cut it at his point (after having removed the fuse!). I then pull the wire back from the fuse box end and redirected it a 12v waterproof socket I had positioned at the left hand end of the dash. I used a nearby earth point for the -ve. This gives a permenantly on 12v socket, and uses the intended wiring in the loom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmaley Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Thanks All, this feedback has been priceless. I'm still yet to experience a problem this forum hasn't solved. Cheers, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pikey Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I just bought one of these from Polevolt. Not your normal rubbish cigar light socket and has a big plastic nut to secure making it perfect for fitting on the bulkhead. The one at the bottom Edited by - Jason Fletcher on 23 Aug 2010 22:01:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenmad Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I used this one from Maplin, comes with chassis mounting plate (if needed) and is waterproof, is marked for marine use. here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Hemsley Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I found I needed 20 amp. fuse. probably because I used it as a cigar lighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattie Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 For reference, not all looms end up with the 12v socket wiring run back to the diff area. Mine at least ended up with the tails folded up and cable tied behind the dash, tucked up out of the way. Took me ages to find! Martyn R300GRR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffi Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 My Sigma had the tails near the diff, so I connected there and ran back a new cable pair through the tunnel to a 3-way socket which I fixed under the dash above the passenger foot-well. I left the tails in the diff area just in case I needed 12V behind the seats for an intercom or hair dryer or cappuccino machine for Mrs Jeffi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bricol Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Buy a 4 way adaptor frmo Halfords or equivalent. Chop plug off. Wire, with fuse, direct to battery (mine goes via a new feed to a new auxilary fusebook - for the socket, the heated seats, the autocom etc). Then you can use the sat nav, the MP3, charge a phone and still have one left for that thing the other half brings . . . The 4- way socket is tye-wraped to the heater casing, just above the tunnel - within belted up reach, but out of the way. Bri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Sorry for the hijack but... Bricol, you have heated seats?! John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irrotational Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 I did the Bricol route...I wasn't sure about fuses so I got one that already had the fuse in-line. It's just velcro'd onto the tunnel top under the dash. Its deliberately temporary so I could remove it if I didn't want it and/or it breaks or whatever... edited to add it is permanently wired on, but I put a connector into the cable so I can disconnect it if its being left for long periods...hopefully the best of both worlds... (it has a small led that may or may not be enough to run down the battery over time) --- my mind is blank.... Edited by - irrotational on 25 Aug 2010 16:19:27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Mine also had a small LED, but with a small screwdriver you should be able to dismantle the unit and remove it with some snips John _________________________ myothercarsa2cv Bugsy: '82 2cv6 😬 Talloulah '08 1.6K Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Prob a very basic question relating to this but I have a 12v socket wired straight to the battery. The cable used to run through a hole meant for holding the inertia switch to the bulk head but as I have now put the inertia switch back no the bulk head I now need to route the wire through the hole in the tunnel. Is there any way to do this without removing the tunnel top? Its obviously only a thin wire and seems a lot of hassle go removing the tunnel top just for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadsport06 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Thread it in reverse, where the main wire loom passes through the front of the tunnel top push the wires through there. Keep pushing and you'll see them in the engine bay (just above the gear box. They can then connect to the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Auton Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Beat me to it *smile*On my SV I ran a Optimate socket wire tail through the hole in front of the gear lever into the engine bay. It's a tight fit but went through with a bit of pressure applied.Then connected to an Optimate fused connection to the battery. Quite a neat job, If I say so myself. It gives you a couple of options for connecting the Optimate and for charging a phone or connecting a sat nav etc. Edited by - Jerry on 15 Mar 2011 18:13:26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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