Underhood Battery Terminal access

I’m installing the Garmin PowerSwitch on a ‘24 Trailhunter and have Two questions.

On the passenger side relay box, I cannot find the correct tabs to get the protective cover for the battery terminal to release, circled in red in the attached photo. Any help appreciated.

Second, could anyone post a pic of the correct connector / wire to tap for the parking lights for the Trailhunter headlight. I want to use this as a signal for the PowerSwitch.

TIA,
David

 

Don’t you have the OEM accessory switch panel? Why would you not use that?

 

I want to add more than three circuits.

 

Grill LED power source, not INJ fuse

 

I believe this highlighted post is where you would want to get a power source for a 2024 Hybrid Tacoma.


Side View of post


As far as power to use for a parking light trigger, I would suggest using this connector at the headlamp. I don't recall which wire is used for DRL, but that can be checked.


You could tap the proper wire, or use one of these. https://www.aspireautoaccessories.c...light-accessory-adapters-for-tacoma-2024-2025

 

My understanding is that it’s a fusable
link-protected 200A run to the battery. I’m putting a 100A circuit breaker inline, and know a lot about emergency vehicle equipment installs. Toyota just makes it really hard to get to. Thanks for your concern tho’

 

Here is how I tapped a power source.

I tapped into that power source post with a 7ga red wire following the same path downwards and then back up to the circuit breaker. The post cover folds upward and snaps in place with 2 side clips and one clip inside next to the bolt and must be removed first. The feed is from the inverter several inches to the rear with a very heavy wire, but I am not sure what size, maybe 2ga for what I believe to be a 200amp circuit. I built my own bracket for a 60 amp inline fuse and made it fit with space between the inverter and the fuse box using only about a 14" of 7ga wire. I will then run another 8ga wire already fused across the rear engine bay to where I have mounted my AuxBeam 6 gang switch next to the driver side fuse box.

These next 4 photos are on the passenger side fuse box area. The aluminum brackets I got on Amazon and were used for mounting solar panels. I had to do some trimming and additional holes to make everything work. The silver bracket is fitted just under the fuse box and bolted with the bolt closest to the power source and is held in very strong. This is a tight fit, but I feel there is good enough clearance to get the job done and not obstruct anything.






I will saw off the black triangle area hanging over my aluminum larger bracket to make it easier for the fuse box cover to come on and off.


These next 2 are on the driver side in front of the fuse box. On my truck there is a nice area to mount the AuxBeam switch since I don't have a compressor which I think it is used for on the Trail Hunter or as an option on the Pro. Was a nice place to mount my brackets and still have plenty of room to work lots of lighting wiring for the switch. The brackets came with the switch and with a little modifications I made them work just fine.


The AuxBeam bracket bolt on the right needed about an 1" plastic spacer that I had and used since the 2 compressor bolt holes on the body were at different heights.


This second 60amp circuit breaker I installed a few weeks earlier on the driver side, but after consideration of having a 7' 8ga wire wrapped around the engine rear, under the wiper motor panel area and unprotected by a fuse, I decided it would be best to put a breaker in much closer to the power source for a better fused protection. I don't really need to keep this second 60amp breaker on the driver side, but I may just leave it since it is already installed and won't hurt anything. Unfortunately there is no easily accessible high amp power source on the driver side fuse box on the hybrid models, and not much space to install a switch and all the associated wiring either. I didn't want to mount the switch and breaker on top of the fuse box cover as I have seen others do in their install videos.

This is still a work in progress. I have a bunch of lighting still to install and connect. Next I will power the switch for its own electronics using a tap-a-fuse on the 10amp INJ fuse and route the wire out one of the existing harness exit points.