[Nikothevirgo]

As the the title says I'm looking for a better way to wire up my EWP. I got my positive from the green wire that powers the power antenna. Has been fine for almost a year but I don't like not being able to cut my radio off whenever I want. I know about the harness from Gary but I'd like to make use of what I already have and not wait weeks for anything. I'm not all that electrical savvy and a bit of a caveman in that world so please explain in layman's terms if even possible. Pics would help too.

 

[Sinister]

I used this with my pump.

https://www.amazon.com/Painless-Wiring-50106-Water-Relay/dp/B00063097U

Put power to it from the aux post, grounded it and used the ignition wire that fed the ABS module I deleted years ago to energize it.

Quick and painless install that has been working just fine for over a year now.

 

[Fred Kiehl]

You can use the post on the fuse block, but you need a separate fuse for the line. You also need a relay for the pump, and a separate fused circuit to energize the relay when you turn the engine on. The circuit for energizing the relay can also be tied to any "hot in bulb check, start, and run" circuit.

 

[Nikothevirgo]

You can use the post on the fuse block, but you need a separate fuse for the line. You also need a relay for the pump, and a separate fused circuit to energize the relay when you turn the engine on. The circuit for energizing the relay can also be tied to any "hot in bulb check, start, and run" circuit.

Wow ok I see. Only thing in your reply that was provided by the company was the inline fuse. For what these Meizere pumps cost you'd think they'd include a couple more odds N ends. But... oh well, too late to complain. Since I posted this I came across an Ellwein video that referred to the FSM (somehow forgot I had one) and from my understanding, what I could do is run the brown ground wire for the air pump relay to a different ground that isn't controlled by the PCM. And tie in the 2 red wires that go to the actual pump into my positive side of the harness.

 

[BALLSS]

IMHO get Garys EWP harness. With that said having a EWP for over 23 years (before Garys harness was made) I used a Painless Wiring EFP harness for my EWP. It has a relay and a fuse lead for the +12vdc draw

You want the relay trigger wire connected to a key on +12v wire (pink IIRC) and the relay connects the +12v from AUX post to the EWP with that wire having a inline fuse.

Don't F around with sketchy wiring for a EWP. That source from antenna is way sketchy

 

[Fred Kiehl]

Make sure you use at least a 12 gauge wire, 10 is better, to handle the current of the motor running all the time. The "hot in bulb check, start, and run" is probably pink with a black trace, or vice versa.

It can not understand why anyone would use the antenna wire to power a water pump, Not only is it too small (it is not designed for constant draw that the pump demands), and only works when the radio is on.

 

[Nikothevirgo]

Make sure you use at least a 12 gauge wire, 10 is better, to handle the current of the motor running all the time. The "hot in bulb check, start, and run" is probably pink with a black trace, or vice versa.

It can not understand why anyone would use the antenna wire to power a water pump, Not only is it too small (it is not designed for constant draw that the pump demands), and only works when the radio is on.

Again, I'm not wiring savvy. Used this method off what another guy told me was an easy way to get the positive power with the down side of not being able to cut the radio. From an electric work newbie prospective it didn't seem like a bad idea at the time. But luckily me eventually getting annoyed by that inconvenience led me to the better solution, before it was too late.

 

[Fred Kiehl]

You need to find another "guy" who knows more about wiring. Be careful who you rely on for advice. Check their credentials before taking their advise.

 

[Nikothevirgo]

You need to find another "guy" who knows more about wiring. Be careful who you rely on for advice. Check their credentials before taking their advise.

He was in the "LT1 Tech and Performance" group on Facebook and I recall him giving good advice in the past so I assumed the advice was golden. But evidently not... I guess that's what I get for deleting the post before others chimed in. I'm starting to realize when someone says something wrong or misleading in a thread after a while someone will speak up against it with a more logical method. If I never came here I'd never know it was not a good or safe idea not even just an inconvenience . So thank you!

 

[Nikothevirgo]

Thanks to everyone that replied! I used the Ellwein method and everything is working like normal. But I will definitely purchase a Painless harness in the near future to "clean up" everything.

 

[Sinister]

Best to stay away from FB and YT when it comes to repairs. Sure there are some great minds on both platforms but they are a minority.

 

[SSandman]

Probably not worth it for a single pump, but if you plan to add more accessories, you can do what I did and add a mirror image factory fuse box to the driver's side. It's a bussed relay/fuse box meaning it has a lug for power and then you can wire in relay/fuse combos in that are all powered by that central lug.

What I did with mine was run a 2 gauge cable (IIRC it was 2, not looking at it now though) from the alternator to the fuse box. From there I ran a key on source from under the dash right out the grommet and straight to the fuse box to trigger the relays. From there, you just have to pin up some 10 gauge wire from your power side being fed by the alternator wire to the power post of the relay, and then pin up a relay ground wire. I used the key on source for my heat exchanger pump (like an electric water pump but for a blower) and also another relay to feed a key on accessory fuse box under dash. This way I have a 10 gauge feed going to an under dash fuse box where all the fuses are powered key on by the relay. Makes adding multiple in-cabin accessories like gauges very easy since you just need to run a power wire from the fuse box and a ground.
I also ran my twin fuel pumps using a trigger from the original fuel pump so they prime as factory. Think I might change that to solid key on though since the bypass regulator bleeds pressure quickly and makes cold starts on e85 a bitch.

I swear its much easier than I made it sound LOL

Alternative is just run it to any old relay harness (aeromotive makes a beautiful one with wire sleeving and everything) . Hook up the key on source to a whatever loose key on source you can find (you can pin one to a spare port in the fuse box, I believe there are a few, or splice into an existing key on wire under the dash if you don't have tools to pin metri-pack connectors), wire a 10 gauge power to the alternator, ground (self explanatory) and power out to your accessory.

 

[SSandman]

Reading your posts again, if you're new to wiring just skip the whole first thing I wrote lol.

I would just go with a pre-made relay harness with 10 gauge power, run the power wire of that harness to the alternator, run the relay trigger wire to one of the pink under dash key on wires, ground to a good ground and 10 gauge power out to your pump, I wouldn't run less than 10 gauge power in/out for a water pump that runs constantly and I wouldn't splice power from any other source (except for the relay trigger, which is ok to splice), direct to the alternator or battery to power a relay is the only safe/correct way to wire for that.

 

[BALLSS]

The AUX buss stud is a perfect place to wire the relay full 12v for.