Need some help installing alarm

[ericcarney]

Got some lock actuators and an alarm with a motion sensor to help secure the blazer with the new soft top and I am attempting to install it myself. I was able to install the lock actuators and run all the wires for them, now i have moved into the actual alarm wiring but the diagram that I have for my ignition wiring is not right. Anybody have any experience in alarms?

 

[Fordum]

I have had some. Somehow, never installed one except for some I built myself from scratch.
But never a prebuilt one. I have worked on a few.

From your post, it sounds like the schematic that came with it does not match your ignition system.
If that is all it is, then it should be fairly simple to translate it if you have a good schematic of your system.

What make and year is it? And any chance of scanning the schematic you have?
If we can just go by what they want to hook to, then we can find that in the correct schematic.
For instance, if they want to break the starter circuit, then all you have to do is find out what wire it is in your truck, and run that through the alarm so that when its tripped the truck will not crank.

 

[ericcarney]

For instance, if they want to break the starter circuit, then all you have to do is find out what wire it is in your truck, and run that through the alarm so that when its tripped the truck will not crank.

That's actually the problem, the schematic says my starter circuit wire is yellow, so I cut the only yellow wire in my ignition loom and my truck still cranks:-/ So I found a purple wire that gets power when I crank it and I cut it and it doesn't crank but it is about an 8 gauge wire and the instructions suggest not to connect to the high amperage starter wire, which it seems like it is.

 

[Fordum]

Thats what I figured. We need to get the correct schematic for the make and year of your truck.
But, purple was used a lot for the starter solenoid. Whether or not you should use it directly depends on their definition of high amperage.
Since the solenoid has to not only close the contacts for the starter, but also engage it, it will draw more current than a Ford one.
But, I don't think its more than a couple amps. Don't know for sure, someone here who has done some work in the area might know.

If you have a 20 amp ammeter, it should be fairly easy to measure. But when we find out, we are still stuck with what they call high amperage.

Easy enough to add a relay in the circuit to take the load off the alarm contacts though.

 

[nsxxtreme]

What is the make and model of the alarm?
What is the make and model of the car?

Most alarm relays that come with built in starter kills have 30 amp relays in them. More then enough to kill a blazer starter. To be perfectly honest starter kills are somewhat worthless except to a complete tool of a theif. They are very easily bypassed. Depending on how much you care about the truck I would also install an ignition kill and a fuel pump kill.

You can go to www.the12volt.com to get wiring color codes for your vehicle. Use them as a reference and test the wire with a multimeter FIRST before splicing into or cutting it. Those color codes can be wrong and its best to double check things.

 

[ericcarney]

It is an '88 K5, the alarm is a prestige aps25c.

 

[nsxxtreme]

It is an '88 K5, the alarm is a prestige aps25c.

Ok let me know if you have a specific question after getting the color code from the12volt

I dont have the wiring diagram to your specific alarm but I'm searching for it. Prestige isn't the greatest brand of alarm just so you know.
I'm trying to determine if your alarm has a built in starter kill relay or the wire you mention is made to connect to an exteral relay. Once I find the schematic I'll tell you witch. If you could post up the schematic that would be helpful

 

[ericcarney]

That is what I'm working with, I cut the yellow one first and my truck still started, so I started testing other wires and the purple one returned voltage when starting.

 

[Fordum]

OK, forget about the do-not-cut-a-high-current suggestion.
That square that you see orange wire going to, with picture of the "low current" solenoid wire attached is a relay that should easily handle the current.

By low current starter solenoid wire, they are talking about the purple wire, whether they know it or not.
Just run it like they show with the scissors, and it will do fine.

They just did not want someone trying to hook the main battery starter feed to that relay.

Let me look at what you have a little longer and I will see if anything else comes to mind.

 

[Fordum]

OK, here are a couple of schematics that should be for your truck. Its interesting that one of them shows a yellow wire from the ignition switch to the neutral switch of an automatic transmission and then it becomes purple.

Not sure if that is accurate or not. If yours is a manual, that might explain the difference.
Either way, if you use the purple wire from the solenoid then it will work.

Well, ran into a file size limit even compressed. So I will send the other part in the next message.

 

[Fordum]

Other half.

 

[ericcarney]

The relay says 30/40 amp, which should handle the current when I am cranking it for a few seconds. I was just worried about some day when I am having trouble with it and starting it over and over, if I will burn that relay up.

 

[Fordum]

Nope, that solenoid will only draw about 5 amps max, and I suspect a lot less than that.
You can crank until the starter motor burns up and the relay will never notice.

 

[ericcarney]

Well I just finished wiring everything up, door lock actuators don't work and neither does the kill start, haha. I'm gonna have to quit now and start again tomorrow, I knew this would be hard but daaaaaaang.

 

[ericcarney]

Ok, fixed the door actuators, they work now, but the kill start is still not working, not sure what I'm doing wrong. If I arm the alarm and then use the key and open the doors and the alarm goes off I can stick the key in the ignition and it will hesitate for a second and then start with the alarm still going off.

 

[nsxxtreme]

Ok, fixed the door actuators, they work now, but the kill start is still not working, not sure what I'm doing wrong. If I arm the alarm and then use the key and open the doors and the alarm goes off I can stick the key in the ignition and it will hesitate for a second and then start with the alarm still going off.

How did you wire the relay? You can wire it normally open or normally closed. Most alarms require you wire it in the normally closed configuration such that you can start your car if you remove power from the alarm.

My Guess is you just have a wired hooked up wrong on the relay. Can you start the car when the alarm is off?

The way that alarm works is when the alarms is going "off" it activates the realy which should open the circuit and prevent the starter from functioning. My guess the way you have it wired when the alarm activates it closes the circuit and allows the starter to function.

Try going here for an explanation
http://www.the12volt.com/relays/page2.asp