2007 F-150 KR - Valentine1 hardwire

Old Jan 19, 2007 | 06:28 PM
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From: Grande Prairie, Alberta
2007 F-150 KR - Valentine1 hardwire

I hardwired my V1 into my 07 KR last night. I read a few threads on this site prior to doing so and I have also previously wired my V1 into my Nissan Maxima, so I felt relatively prepared even though I am pretty green at these sorts of DIY ventures.

I ran into a few obstacles that I will address below and I will also list a brief how-to that might be useful to fellow newbs like myself. Sorry, I did not take any pictures.

Note that I used the hardwire "kit" provided by Valentine Research and my 07 KR does not have an overhead console (not sure if any do) other than the map light console.

OBSTACLES:
  1. Find a power source switched with the ignition - I pulled out the electrical harness plug connected to the rear-view mirror (squeeze tab and pull up) and found a switched power source. In my truck it was the white wire with the light blue stripe.
  2. Find adequate ground connection - THIS actually proved to be the most difficult part of the entire process for me. I tried every screw and metal connection I could find in the headliner but they are all painted and therefore the ground connection was not adequate. I considered running a wire across the headliner and down the A-pillar to find a good ground, but I ended up soldering a connection to the ground wire used for the overhead map lights. See how-to steps below.
  3. Find good overhead location to "hide" all the extra cable/wire - Space is fairly restricted up here, however, there is a gap between the truck roof and the metal liner in which I ended up tucking everything.
  4. Ensure there is no headliner rattling after-the-fact - I took an old, soft towel and wrapped everything up in it and taped it before tucking it in above the metal liner.

STEPS:
  1. Remove screws holding sun-visors and headliner in place (phillips).
  2. Unplug electrical connector at rear-view mirror. Note that this connector is actually located right on the RVM window support.
  3. Find the white wire with the light blue stripe and confirm this is a switched 12V power source.
  4. Find the main wire harness in the headliner. Note that with the screws removed you should be able to pull the headliner down from the front enough to give you at least 6" or so to work with. The main wire harness is taped black and contains A LOT of wires in it for my truck (sunroof, map lights, power rear window, rear-view mirror).
  5. Cut about 3" of the black tape on the main harness to expose the wires inside. Locate the white wire with the light blue stripe.
  6. Use the supplied wire tap and connect to this wire for power.
  7. Remove the map light console. To do this you'll need to "pull" it down gently to release the clips and disconnect the 3 electrical plugs going to the back. Before unplugging the connectors, find one of the black ground wires and note the copper "tracing" that this wire is connected to. I used this tracing as the ground connection. NOTE: A person could also tap into one of the black ground wires in the main headliner wire harness. I chose the route I did because I did not have another wire tap on hand.
  8. Solder a short jumper wire to the copper tracing ground connection. Solder the other end of the jumper wire to the VR supplied ground prong.
  9. Plug the map light connectors back in and replace the map light console.
  10. Plug in the phone power cord to the small V-1 supplied power distribution box. This box is connected to power through the previously connected wire tap.
  11. Zip-tie (or tape) all of the extra cord / cable as tightly as possible to minimize space. Leave about 18" of the phone power cord protruding (or as much as you need to reach the location of your detector.
  12. Wrap the cables with a soft cloth and tape it over top (to prevent future rattles).
  13. Tuck the wrapped cables into the space between the metal liner and the truck roof. Note that this space is fairly small so you will need to have done a good job wrapping your cable.
  14. Pull the phone power cord you left protruding from the cables through the front of the headliner directly above the location where you will mount your detector.
  15. Re-assemble the headliner back into place.
  16. Mount the detector and plug it in. Note that I used three of those little plastic phone cord clips with foam tape to secure them. I mounted the detector about 6" below the rear view mirror which I believe to be the optimum spot for the V-1.
  17. Enjoy!

Hope this helps somebody. As noted, there may be easier ways to do some of the above steps but this worked okay for me.

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any damage / injuries cause by following the above procedures.
 
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