Now, onto the alarm

Try putting the control box in the center console, ahead of the shifter and under the audio system.

I believe the door locks are + pulsed.

Look for the circuit in the kick panel fuse box for a fuse marked IGN, you can try tapping the wire to that fuse (after the fuse).

Prestige/Audiovox is not OEM, it might be the one that the particular dealer installed.

Spent Sunday and Monday installing it. I also brought home a video camera from work that they wanted me to figure out, so I made a video of installing the alarm.

Turned out to be an expansive weekend; the camera would only work with Windows 2000 and Linux by accessing the Memory stick; it didn't know how to deal with the tape. The manual said you needed XP to access the tape...

So...I now have a copy of XP. Only the second time I actually had to buy an OS; usually I got them free by working for distributors or a large company like GE. I did buy Windows '95, because they didn't have a Distributor Support program for '95, but they did for NT (Never figured that one out...), all the rest have been freebies from my employers.

As for the alarm, it works slicker than...well, it's pretty slick. I made one mistake during the installation; I yanked the wrong IGN wire from the Ign cylinder. I tried using the +12V IGN instead of the STARTER wire; 30 seconds later I swapped them.

I made up a little harness for the IGN kill relay and took a spade lug from some Toy parts I had hanging around, so I didn't have to CUT any wires, it all snapped back together just like Factory.

It arms itself; it locks the doors when it arms and unlocks them when it disarms, and it locks the doors when you start the car and unlocks them when you turn the engine off.

Just like New York!

It's tough having to pay for something that you are accustomed to getting for free. Now you know how I feel when I have to fork out money for cars and service. ;-)

Smart man! Spade lugs are the way to go - I am not a fan of Scotch Locks.

Some day, I'll tell you about a company-owned Supra that was stolen about

100 times in a year and a half.

THat sounds like the better deal to me!!

I've cut into too much wire using Scotch Locks. I did have a couple just in case.

What I did for the power and the praking light flasher and the door locks was, I tinned the wire about 2/3", and stuffed it into the connector so it was at the bottom of the contact, and then tie-wrapped it in place. I gently move the wire to one side so the contact slides a little and then when you remove the pressure the contact slides back to it's normal postition so the wire is captivated. The tie-wraps keep it from sliding out.

Um, I just get a discount of 15% on Collision and Comprehensive.

I have $1100 into the car. It books at $2850. If it gets ripped, I *MAKE* $1400!!!!

Yeah, I miss having to try to remember what color my car is when I come out of the mall and renewing the new car smell by getting a new car!

Good way to preserve the factory wiring!

OK, I guess it's some day now. The Supra was originally assigned to the son of a high ranking executive (the family name happens to be the company name) while the son was attending college in the Boston area. The car was stolen, written off, and forgotten about for 3 or 4 years. Lo and behold, the Boston PD recovers it many years later in very good condition. They called our office and asked if they could keep the car to test a new theft recovery device and since the car was already written off, the manager agreed. They installed a prototype LoJack and parked it in some unsavory neighborhoods. The car got stolen and recovered about twice a week. The Boston PD was happy with the chance to confirm that the LoJack worked, and the car got a little fame in our office.

HAHAHAHA! I remember you telling me about the Supra that got stolen, but you never mentioned the part about LoJack!

We had LoJack here for a while before it spread, because the company is from Cambridge, I think, and it was developed in conjunction with the MASS State Police and the Boston Police.

Interesting that Toyota was a manufacturer that helped them develop it!

And, I wish I had that Supra. Except for being stolen a few times, it's probably low miles...

Oh, hay, I got a question for you.

I chased the wire from the Driver's door back to the Fuse block, tapped into it, and the alarm works Just Fine... from the Driver's door.

I am assuming there is some function from the Driver's door grounding switch that is NOT activated by the passenger's door. On all my other Toyotas, I have followed this wire back to the fuse block, tapped into it and had no problem. On one car it even activated when the hatch was opened.

So, I need to find a grounding connection common to both doors; possibly the dome light.

Any ideas?

Oh, I thought it was the 'glow rings' around the Driver's door lock and the ignition, but these are activated when you lift the handle on the driver's door...

Actually, Toyota did not help them develop the LoJack system, just provided a vehicle to help convince the Boston PD of its effectiveness.

In the 3 or 4 years that it was originally missing, it only had around

12,000 miles, and the Boston PD put another 4 or 5 thousand miles. According to the officer that returned it to our office, it had about a dozen driver's windows installed and around 40 or 50 driver's door and ignition lock cylinders installed, plus lots of body work on the driver's door.

I would use the dome light circuit because it does both doors and I think it also does the hatch.

I was looking for it! Any idea where it might be? Or, what color wire am I looking for?

The paper I dl'd from the internet gave the colors for the doors, but for "Dome Light Supervision", it said "none"

Sorry, off the top of my head, I have not idea what color or where the dome light wires might be. you can pull the dome light assembly to see what color the wires are, and then look at the bottom of the driver's side A-pillar and see if you can find it.

When I did my Corolla I used an ohm/volt meter, but that method didn't work this time!

If it ever STOPS RAINING here, I'll give it a go!

You need to get one of those awnings with aluminum pole frames that you can park a car or boat under. I think they are around $300 at Sam's Club/BJ's/Costco. As long as there is no lighting in the area, they are pretty slick.

I know some Boy Scout troops that use those when they go camping, although our troop uses traditional canvas dining flies with wooden poles, guy lines, and stakes.

I live in a semirural, mountainous area and a lot of people use those for carports. I have a 20 x 20 one that I ordered by phone after seeing an ad in a racing equipment catalog (a lot of people use them as paddock shelters at race tracks). It cost me all of $150, and that was with optional anchoring "feet" that cinder blocks or sandbags can be placed on.

They sent me the aluminized tarp, the corner pieces with thumb- screws, and a bag of elastic ball-ties. It was all neatly packaged in one of those heavy plastic tote-bins with the interlocking lids. The catch is that the actual frame pieces are made of electrical conduit, which you have to purchase and cut to size yourself. The instructions have the dimensions.

I bought it from a company in Chicago called Shelter Systems. There's a Shelter Systems on the Web

systems.com), but while they make a lot of cool stuff, I don't see anything on their Web page like what I have. But there are other manufacturers out there who make similar things. I'll post the phone number tomorrow.

Geoff

Those shelters make great semi-permanent shelters. I know of some Boy Scout troops that put them up for a weekend campout, and while they are roomy and sturdy, we can put up an old fashioned canvas and wooden pole dining fly much more quickly.

You mentioned that you live in a semirural, mountainous area - Bay Area? East Bay?

Santa Cruz County -- Boulder Creek, to be precise.

Geoff

IIRC, that is a very scenic area. I used to love taking Route 17 from somewhere around San Jose to Santa Cruz.

I was kitty-corner across the bay for a year in Benicia, where Toyota brings cars in to N. CA, then in the city for a year, and then Concord for a couple of years.

: I bought it from a company in Chicago called Shelter Systems. : There's a Shelter Systems on the Web

: systems.com), but while they make a lot of cool stuff, I don't : see anything on their Web page like what I have. But there are : other manufacturers out there who make similar things. I'll : post the phone number tomorrow.

It turns out that the company I mentioned above is a different Shelter Systems than the one I bought my canopy from, and that the one I dealt with is still in business (I called them).

Their toll-free number is 800-650-7004. They can mail you a catalog if desired.

Geoff

I'm not really in the market for one of those big shelters, but thank you for the offer and information!