Putting in keyless entry April 21, 2007, 10:15:56 PM BackgroundBeen having problems getting locked out of the car when I get out, could be the lock mechanism seizing up or could be the power lock actuator (someone on here mentioned the actuator and my mechanic neighbor suggested the same thing). I'll see if I can get the actuator checked out and/or replaced, but I figure a failsafe would be to put a keyless pad somewhere on the car as well. I could hide a key (and I might do that anyway) but I don't want to have to untie a key from a hose while the car is running, and this happens too often to want to do that every time.Day 1I have power locks, power seats (transplanted TC seats), illuminated entry, and the trunk popper so I should have all the auxiliary circuits I need. I have an EVTM manual as well as the full schematics so no problem there.Have a keyless module from an 87 T-Bird with 2 feet of harness and a brand-new pad (with connector) from an '89. The plan is to mount the pad right behind the grille and run eight wires through the firewall grommet (God knows how I'll manage that with everything else I'm running through there already). The keyless module will go in its usual spot behind the rear seat. I would have loved to put the pad in the black strip that runs up the side of the door at the B pillar, but I couldn't figure out how it even gets attached to the door and didn't want to screw with it (if anyone wants to sell me one with a cutout for an '89 pad and tell me how to make the switch I'd pay dearly (hint, hint).Took out my "box o'goodies" (shoe box with lots of little things, switches, connectors, etc. from T-Birds and Cougars in my yard-hunting days). Cannibalized connectors and *just* had enough to put together a complete connector to match the pad connector. So far, so good.Was originally considering putting the keyless module under the dash above the glove box. It fit well, though it tended to slide around. However, found that it needs to tap all five wires from the illuminated entry module, which is behind the rear seat. Okay, fine, it has to go in its usual spot.Then the rear seat decided to kick my ass. Hard. It's nice red leather, taken from an IMMACULATE XR7 that some idiot sent to the yard ten years ago (my passenger seat came from it as well but someone had already gotten the driver's seat, so a dead TC kindly made an organ donation -- grin). Unfortunately, the last time I took my car to the autosound shop they seriously overtightened the T50 Torx bolt on the passenger side. I tried two ratchets, a breaker bar, and two T50 bolts. The big torque wrench wouldn't fit because the bolt goes in at an angle. I tried penetrating oil. No dice. I managed to get the bolt to turn once and that was it. The bolt is now just too stripped to go any further.Grumble, grumble, grumble. Fine. %(!@*$ autosound kids. Out comes the Dremel. I leave the bolt in place so the seat belt is secure, and cut through the steel strip binding the seat to the bolt. Almost set the insulation on fire doing it (whew!) The cut goes fine, but takes most of my sunlight with it. The lower part of the seat will hold the upper in place anyway and the other bolt came out fine, so there is still lower support. If I ever have to replace the rear passenger seat belt, the bolt will probably have to be drilled through.SCREEEAAAM!!!! The autosound people moved the illuminated entry timer to the limit of the wires. I'll have to lengthen them all, and sunlight is running out. I hurry up, splice 5 wires, lengthen them all, and run my leads out to the driver's side. In goes the keyless module and its harness gets run alongside. I tape all the wires up by feel since the sun is down (including the ends of the leads from the illuminated entry!!), and button 'er all up. I leave the keyless module electrically unconnected, since darkness isn't good for figuring out what friggin' color each stupid stripe is.Day 1 done. I have to tap 6 wires at the rear: the five from illuminated entry and the black/pink wire from the backup lights (which I just did a few weeks ago for the electrochromic mirror so I know exactly where that is). My back is killing me. Stupid &^@!$% seat...Fun with my camera...Here is how I plan to mount the pad...Plastruct plastic. The price tag is correct: I've had this piece laying around 18 years (God I'm such a packrat...) It's about 0.5mm thick and very flexible. The idea is to screw it to the plastic behind the grille so whenever I need to punch a code in I reach my hand in and type it. Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #1 – April 21, 2007, 11:29:38 PM Myself, I'd just install remote keyless entry (with a key fob) and be done with it. If you get into the habit of only locking the doors with the remote you'll never lock yourself out - I have never done so, anyway.This wouldn't solve your locking yourself out problem, of course, but repairing that problem should fix you up. I'm still not convinced the actuator would be at fault, mainly because you said it still works if you use the actuator but doesn't work if you use the lock /door handle. I think it's the latch and/or linkage... Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #2 – April 22, 2007, 12:09:43 AM Yeah, I have a (really old) Alpine alarm I had put in when I first bought the car. I still remember the experience vividly -- the salesman did his best to talk me OUT of features ("do you own a Vette? Oh, a Thunderbird; well, then, you don't need radar." "Bah, you're young, don't spend your money on having it roll the windows up, just hit the switch!"). Terrible salesman, but nice guy -- and great installation. I guess there's a reason the company isn't in business anymore, though the $525 price tag couldn't have been it. Unfortunately, remotes for it are made of unobtainium -- I've ded 4 and I hope that's all I need. As you mentioned, though, it doesn't solve the problem when I get out to mail something and get locked out. Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #3 – April 22, 2007, 07:30:40 PM Day 2Wires, wires, wires.Yikes...If I'd known it would be this much of a pain I might not have undertaken it. Too late now, though...5 wires to the leads from the illuminated entry plug I made last nite. No problem, but I realize that kelyess entry supplies its own illuminated entry and is mutually exclusive with basic illuminated entry. Sigh...it means that I'll have to pull the rear seat again to unplug the illuminated entry plug. Will do that as a later step..Tap into the black/pink backup lights wire. Had plenty of wire to work with from when I installed the electrochromic mirror, so that goes quickly.Now it gets harder. Have to plug into the driver's side seat switch (so that's what that plug was...). Two wires have to go under the rug, but it means pulling the seat for a moment. Find out that a wire has also come out of the seatbelt plug at some point, and have to repair that. A pain, but I get it done.Uh-oh. Have to tap into the door ajar wire going to the warning chime. I made that upgrade a while ago, but it means running a wire all the way to the front and pulling the headlight switches to get to the warning chime. Luckily, I had plenty of wire available from the prior upgrade. I take the opportunity to fix a couple of flaky grounds up there as well.As a side note, the basic digital dash has a light for door-ajar, and it's an easy upgrade if anyone cares to go through with it. I don't know if you need a special warning chime for it or if they're all the same, but when I did it I pulled a warning chime from a car that had door-ajar warning.Ugh. Have to tap into three wires for the power locks, and the "easiest" way to get to them is at the power lock relays under the passenger seat. Okay, out it comes. Three wires go under the rug and get hooked up. I take the opportunity to do some repair on the harness tape for the power seat (another prior upgrade).Tap into the trunk release. Purple/yellow wire, on the *right* side, and it's a thicker wire. I double-up on my tap wire to handle the current, but otherwise no sweat.Three wires stay unconnected, the ones that go to the door lock actuators if you have the factory alarm (mine is aftermarket). Those get taped off.Time to test the pad. Hook up the eight wires from the connector I cobbled together yesterday...Deep breath time. Lock the doors, plug in the pad. Key it in: *****Chunk. The doors unlock, and pressing 4/3 makes it try again as it should. I don't know how to test anything else, so I do a tape-up job on all the loose wires and finally pull the rear seat for a moment to unplug the old illuminated entry.Get out (for the hundredth time), close the doors. Reach in and lock them, then pull the handle. Dome light comes on and goes off after a moment, so the keyless entry module is performing its illuminated entry role too.Hide the connected pad under the rug by the door sill, and button everything up. Drive out to the street, and, as a bonus, the doors lock as soon as I start moving (as they should when you have keyless).Day 2 done. Next step (maybe next weekend) is to mount the pad somewhere. But for now, it's time to say hello to my friend Ibuprofen. Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #4 – April 23, 2007, 12:48:26 AM Well you have bigger ones than me... Swap a 5.0 in a TC, no problem... Add a factory '80s keyless system.... Never...I used a '98 Taurus Remote keyless module and just tied its outputs to the relays that operate the doors, trunk and horn.... All the necessary wires are in the harness that runs behind the glove box, toward the passenger door. RTV'd the controller to the heater plenum, works like a charm... Total time... a couple of afternoons... I also mounted a garage door transmitter and used the output of the keyless module that normally opens the passenger door(s), to provide ground for it's battery circuit... Two hits of the remote door unlock button opens my garage door :D... Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #5 – April 23, 2007, 02:55:11 AM omg... you answered my prayers. my white door has the keyless entry buttons. i might have to do this one day... but not now. i just got done putting on h.o. headers and 2.5" x-pipes. no more too soon. Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #6 – April 28, 2007, 04:26:52 PM Day 3Mounting the pad, final cleanupOkay, so I have a connected and working pad under the rug behind the driver's seat. Well, that doesn't help. Time to mount it somewhere. I start with several candidate places:1. Behind the grille. Easy to mount, but have to squeeze eight wires through the grommet at the firewall, and I'm running several wires through there already, including a heavy power wire to my radio amps. It doesn't look like I'll be able to fit them there.2. Vertically along the door on the satin black panel at the B pillar. I'd first have to figure out how to pull that off, and it looks like it would involve messy cutting through that and the door (which I would never be able to do cleanly). It would also introduce a rust path. No way.3. Upside-down on the driver's side mirror. I didn't look extensively at this. At first glance it looks like the pad and wiring behind it would obstruct the mirror, assuming there's even enough of a flat area under the mirror for a good mount. Nope.4. Somewhere in the rear, possibly around the license plate. This turned out to be a real winner. The wires were already at the back seat, so all I had to do was run a harness back to the taillights. After some inspection it looked like I could mount the pad upside-down above the license plate. Pros: potentially easy to do, and totally stealth. Cons: While you can stick your head in there and see the pad, that's hard if it's dark outside and you really have to learn to key in the code by feel. This turns out to be hard with an '89 pad that has little to no tactile feedback. Still, this is what I went with.Making a long harness was easy. Out comes the back seat, and I make a bundle of eight wires that I pass through to the trunk. I clip off part of the pad harness and connect the eight wires under the seat.It turns out that I don't need the plastic mount I made at all. I decide to just Dremel out a rectangular portion of the taillight and slide the pad in there. When the taillight is in place on the car it will hold the pad in place, though if I make the cut precisely that shouldn't be necessary.I pull the taillight. I have to drill two holes in the plastic that holds the bulbs: one that lets the wires enter from outside and another on the inside of the bulb enclosure that lets the wires go alongside the bulb wires. I partially pull the bulb enclosure, drill two holes (easy through plastic) and run the wires through.Ok, the home stretch. Connect up the eight wires to the end of the long bundle I routed through the trunk (behind the felt trunk trim) and get ready to cut the taillight.The cut has to be precise. It's 107mm x 24mm: the pad backside itself is 107mm x 22mm, and the extra 2mm is to allow the taillight to fit back into the bulb enclosure. The cut goes well, and I find that I have to gently bevel the taillight plastic at one end because of its thickness.Pop the pad into the taillight. It fits snugly, just about a perfect fit, and I put the taillight back into place.I key in the code, *****. Locks unlock, pressing 5/6 pops the trunk, and hitting the last two together locks the doors. 3/4 unlocks again. Everything works :D So the final product looks like this: Quote Selected
Putting in keyless entry Reply #7 – April 30, 2007, 10:55:38 AM Quote from: Quietleaf;1434104. Somewhere in the rear, possibly around the license plate. This turned out to be a real winner. The wires were already at the back seat, so all I had to do was run a harness back to the taillights. After some inspection it looked like I could mount the pad upside-down above the license plate. Pros: potentially easy to do, and totally stealth. Cons: While you can stick your head in there and see the pad, that's hard if it's dark outside and you really have to learn to key in the code by feel. This turns out to be hard with an '89 pad that has little to no tactile feedback. Still, this is what I went with.well,,,, apparently you have done a lot of work but you forgot one CON>>>ever wondered why the license plate in the rear gets so dirty / wet / snowy / or the underside of the trunk lid corrosion is so frequent?that tail end collects stuff,, its like a vortex is created on the face of that license plate. Hope it does not let you down.looks like a clean job though, you really put a lot of work into that.i have a wire leading up to the underside of the hood near the driver wiper that is spliced into the unlock button on the door. I just reach in and touch it to ground and the driver door unlocks.time,,,, 30 min max:hick: Quote Selected
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