Does someone know what wire to use for the switched power for a radio? I hooked up a new radio the same way the old one was hooked up with both constant and switched on one wire. That caused a parasitic draw. So I checked the schematics and found the "azure" or "light blue" wire from the ignition was switched 12v and that doesn't appear to work either. It works... when the car is off but as soon as I start it the radio turns off. Not to mention it's a 12 gauge wire so if anyone has insight into what wire to hook switched power to preferably not 12 gauge but maybe 16 gauge wire for a radio for an '82 308 I'd appreciate it.
This may be related to your radio being overly "fussy" about needing a full +12V on the switched wire. The light blue (A) wire (or any switched wire) will droop down to about 10~11V when the starter motor is operating (which might cause the radio to turn itself off). Have you measured the voltage on the light blue wire when the starter motor is operating and when the engine is running? Once you start the engine (and the radio has turned off) can it be turned on with the engine running?
I'll grab my meter and just do some testing. I wasn't crazy about connecting to that wire anyway since it's such a large gauge. I'll find something in the fuse panel hopefully.
Yes, I wouldn't cut/spllce the large light blue wire, and it should remain directly solo connected to the top of fuse #2. However, all of the male spades at the tops of fuse #1 and #2 are connected together so there are options for easily adding another wire or for adding another male spade for another wire like these: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Another question that I should've asked earlier: Why are you starting the engine with the radio "on"? Virtually every automobile manufacturer specifies having all of the accessories "off" during engine starting.
The old radio was fine with it being on, on start. Most of the other cars I have, the radio is left on, but those are wired to a switched accessory, so they don't stay on when the car isn't running. I don't really know why they wired the original radio the way they did... but in any case I'll have to find a switched wire that stays on 12v after the car is started. I think the blue is just to start. I'll probably do like you illustrated above just tie into the #1 since I think that's the fuel pumps as well... and I know those have to stay on.
No, the light blue wire going to the top of fuse #2 runs everything that is switched on the car (ignition, alternator, and all the stuff on fuses #1 and #2) -- it should be at the battery voltage when the key is "on" and the engine is not running (or when the starter motor is cranking) and at the alternator output voltage whenever the engine is running. You won't find a "better" switched voltage source.
