I have mine mounted via suction cup on the left side of the windshield above my Edge. Used some extra 16-gage wire I had and extended it several feet. Just ran it through the fusebox (like the Edge) and up under the carpet to the back of the flow-through console.

 

I'm just looking to tap into a wire that is powered only when the truck is turned on.
I plan on mounting the GPS in the lower left where an Edge would go, and run the wire down through there to up under the dash. I just need to know which wire to tap in to. If someone could find a picture of which wire I should use, and maybe a suggestion on where to attach the ground I would be very greatful.
Thanks!

 

Hmm seems to me the easiest one to tap into would be your radio power/ground wires. All you have to do is pull off the plastic trim over the radio and unscrew the bolts (7mm?) holding it in place. Pull it out and you have your power and ground cables right there in the wiring harness. Tapping into those seems easiest since you have such easy access. Then it would turn on with the truck and turn off when you turn off the truck and open the doors. Just my opinion...

 

That's how mine is setup!

 

I can tap into the ground for the radio as well rather than attach it to a screw somewhere? That would be nice and easy.
I have an aftermarket radio with a wiring harness back there. Does anyone happen to have pictures of which wires I should tap into?

 

from what I remember, most aftermarket decks have labels on the wiring. the power should be red, but I think you'd want to tap into the remote wire to have it come on with the key. I haven't installed a deck in years, but I remember something about a remote wire when I hooked up an amp. I'd look into that before splicing anything.
Are there hard wire kits available for all GPS units? might take some of the guess work out if you had a set of instructions.

 

I didn't look for instructions online for the hardwire kit. I bet they're very generic though. They probably just tell you to tap into a power wire. They won't show me which one I need for a F150. There's a lot of wires back there, and I haven't opened it up yet and I can't remember if they're labled or not.
I was just hoping someone could make my life easier by posting a picture.

 

Found this online. So for the power (red wire from the female adapter) I would want the Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v, right? And for the ground (black wire) I would just splice into the Car Radio Ground, right?
This is why I prefer pictures. lol.

Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Light Green/Violet
Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: Light Green/Yellow
Car Radio Ground Wire: Black
Car Radio Illumination Wire: Light Blue/Red
Car Stereo Dimmer Wire: N/A
Car Stereo Antenna Trigger: N/A
Car Stereo Amp Trigger Wire: N/A
Car Stereo Amplifier Location: N/A
Car Audio Front Speakers Size: N/A
Car Audio Front Speakers Location: N/A
Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Orange/Light Green
Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Light Blue/White
Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Light Green
Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Dark Green/Orange
Car Audio Rear Speakers Size: N/A
Car Audio Rear Speakers Location: N/A
Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Gray/Light Blue
Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Tan/Yellow
Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Orange/Red
Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Brown/Pink

 

well, I just hope I haven't led you in the wrong direction. I just remember something about the power wire being on all the time to save your radio presets.

I started looking into a gps. do they all have a rechargable battery? so hardwiring it would basically be constantly charging it, or are you bypassing the battery?
When I get 1, I'd like it to be removable, that way I can bring it with me, or hide it in the console so nobody breaks in to grab it.

 

It may be different but for mine I used a wiring harness to install my Kenwood DDX512. On the wiring harness the battery wire is yellow and the ignition switch is red. If you pull out your radio you should have one black and one red wire. I'm fairly confident those are the two you should tap into. Just shave off a section of each with a knife and wrap the stripped GPS wire around each one. Solder and tape or heatshrink, whatever you prefer. Test it out before you reinstall the radio.

When I extended my GPS cable it had the positive wire in the center wrapped around plastic insulation with the negative wire surrounding the insulation. I used two separate wires for the positive and negative wires of the GPS. Not sure if yours will be the same, but something to keep in mind.

 

I guess I'll have to take it apart and mess with it. But I do want the 12v accessory instead of the 12v constant, right? The accessory only gets power when the ignition is on, correct?

 

Yes that seems correct.

 

All you really have to do is find a fuse in the fuse box that only has power when the ignition is on. You put the wire into that, you'll see there's room for a wire there, and just screw in the black wire to some metal. Attach cigarette lighter female underneath, and your done. Never had any problems when I had mine set up this way.

 

Is there an empty spot on the fuse box, or do you just stick the wire in with another fuse? This is how I had my radar detector set-up in my old Ranger and I never had a problem. This would be ideal because I wouldn't have to make any cuts or splices in the vehicles wiring.
I am embarrased to admit though... I don't even know where the fuse box is on my F150.

EDIT: I now know where the fuse box is. Is there an easy way to route the wire so that I can mount the unit in the middle of the dash? I was hoping to mount it on the left side, but I don't think I'll have enough wire.

ALSO: If I go this route, which fuse should I tap into that is only powered when the truck is running?

 

On my pioneer HU the red wire is the ignition wire, and the yellow wire is the battery wire. The yellow wire I have my bluetooth and xm modules off of. The red wire is what I have my radar decector off of.

I use those little connectors in many situations. When I need to extend a wire I use the shrink conectors. The ones that you squeeze to clamp the wires then use a lighter to make them nice and secure and water proof.