Backup alarm warning mod. (Lots of pictures!)
Thread Starter
Junior Member
SL Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 20
Backup alarm warning mod. (Lots of pictures!)
Hey everyone. Here's a simple mod I did on my xB. I hope you like it!
Backup alarm:
Here's the idea. I wanted to have one of those ">beep<...>beep<" backup alarms on my xB so people would know that I'm trying to back up.
(And I think it's cool too. :D )
Parts:
---------
BA-87 @ www.wolo-mfg.com (~$40).
Some wire. (I had some spare 18awg wire, about 45" long.)
1 U-shaped wire connector (medium in size).
Steps:
----------
1. I decided to use the black wire for the ground line, and the white wire for the positive line. Strip the end and twist the wire. Tin the end with solder. Put it into the connector, and then solder it to the connector. You can just crimp it if you want, but I like to make sure it won't come lose in a few years. Add some shrink-wrap tubing for that "pro" look!
2. Do the same to the back wire.
3. Cut the black wire to about 5".
4. Connect the U-shaped connector to the other end.
5. Here's how it will look, once we attach the alarm to the bracket, which will be screwed into the metal frame of the car (and hence give us a good ground).
6. Look for a good place to put the alarm. I chose to place it under the right-rear bumper.
7. Yeah, it'll fit there!
8. And I see a rubber plug that I think I can use to route the positive wire up and into the taillight, and into the reverse circuit.
9. Take the tail light access panel off.
10. Yep! There's that rubber plug. We're in business.
11. Disconnect the tail light wire. There's a little side-clip on it, so press it in and pull gently.
12. Use a small socket wrench and loosen the two nuts holding the tail light in place. (Wear a thick glove - when the nut(s) loosen suddenly, you may smack your hand inside!) Once loosened, just use your fingers to remove them. Then pull (with a bit of force) the whole tail light off the xB!
13. That same rubber plug. This is going to be easy! Remove the plug.
14. Take a small drill bit and drill a little hole right in the middle. Not too big - just big enough to push the wire through. (Use a little soap to make it slip easily.) Then push the end of the wire through the plug, and put the plug back into place.
15. Now let's get connected to the reverse circuit. Look carefully at the reverse lightbulb holder. See that little hole? Remove the plug, and remove the light bulb.
16. Take a small jeweler's screwdriver and push it into that hole.
17. Use just enough force to pop the metal clip out. Remove it and set it aside for now.
18. Strip, and tin the end of the positive wire. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture, my camera's auto-focus isn't fast enough some times!)
19. Push the wire up through the same hole. Bend it over with the jeweler's screwdriver. Make sure it's flush with the plastic.
20. Push the metal clip back into place, pinching the wire at the bottom. If you used thick wire (like I did), you'll need to push a little hard to get the metal clip to snap back into place. But don't worry if it doesn't snap back into place. When you put the bulb back in, and then put the whole thing back into the tail light housing, the pressure will keep the wire in place.
21. Good time to test the backup alarm. Wow! It's loud! (And that's good! :D )
Note: If your backup alarm doesn't sound when you put your xB into reverse, double-check which hole you put the positive line into on the reverse lightbulb holder.
22. Time to attach the bracket. Use the bracket as a template. Place it on the other side, and mark the holes with a pencil or felt-tip pen. Then drill two 5/32" holes. Note that you should drill the holes on the front-facing side because there's not enough room to get a drill up behind the rear bumper!
23. Using the two self-tapping sheet metal screws, attach the bracket.
24. Attach the wires to the alarm. Mount the alarm, and place the U-shaped ground clip under the bolt that mounts the alarm to the bracket.
25. Finally, zip-tie the positive wire down. Re-attach the tail light. Hook the wire back up to the tail light, and close the hatch.
All done!
---
Total time: About 2 hours. But I think it can be done in about 1 hour if you follow these directions and snap to it!
Cheers!
Backup alarm:
Here's the idea. I wanted to have one of those ">beep<...>beep<" backup alarms on my xB so people would know that I'm trying to back up.
(And I think it's cool too. :D )
Parts:
---------
BA-87 @ www.wolo-mfg.com (~$40).
Some wire. (I had some spare 18awg wire, about 45" long.)
1 U-shaped wire connector (medium in size).
Steps:
----------
1. I decided to use the black wire for the ground line, and the white wire for the positive line. Strip the end and twist the wire. Tin the end with solder. Put it into the connector, and then solder it to the connector. You can just crimp it if you want, but I like to make sure it won't come lose in a few years. Add some shrink-wrap tubing for that "pro" look!
2. Do the same to the back wire.
3. Cut the black wire to about 5".
4. Connect the U-shaped connector to the other end.
5. Here's how it will look, once we attach the alarm to the bracket, which will be screwed into the metal frame of the car (and hence give us a good ground).
6. Look for a good place to put the alarm. I chose to place it under the right-rear bumper.
7. Yeah, it'll fit there!
8. And I see a rubber plug that I think I can use to route the positive wire up and into the taillight, and into the reverse circuit.
9. Take the tail light access panel off.
10. Yep! There's that rubber plug. We're in business.
11. Disconnect the tail light wire. There's a little side-clip on it, so press it in and pull gently.
12. Use a small socket wrench and loosen the two nuts holding the tail light in place. (Wear a thick glove - when the nut(s) loosen suddenly, you may smack your hand inside!) Once loosened, just use your fingers to remove them. Then pull (with a bit of force) the whole tail light off the xB!
13. That same rubber plug. This is going to be easy! Remove the plug.
14. Take a small drill bit and drill a little hole right in the middle. Not too big - just big enough to push the wire through. (Use a little soap to make it slip easily.) Then push the end of the wire through the plug, and put the plug back into place.
15. Now let's get connected to the reverse circuit. Look carefully at the reverse lightbulb holder. See that little hole? Remove the plug, and remove the light bulb.
16. Take a small jeweler's screwdriver and push it into that hole.
17. Use just enough force to pop the metal clip out. Remove it and set it aside for now.
18. Strip, and tin the end of the positive wire. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture, my camera's auto-focus isn't fast enough some times!)
19. Push the wire up through the same hole. Bend it over with the jeweler's screwdriver. Make sure it's flush with the plastic.
20. Push the metal clip back into place, pinching the wire at the bottom. If you used thick wire (like I did), you'll need to push a little hard to get the metal clip to snap back into place. But don't worry if it doesn't snap back into place. When you put the bulb back in, and then put the whole thing back into the tail light housing, the pressure will keep the wire in place.
21. Good time to test the backup alarm. Wow! It's loud! (And that's good! :D )
Note: If your backup alarm doesn't sound when you put your xB into reverse, double-check which hole you put the positive line into on the reverse lightbulb holder.
22. Time to attach the bracket. Use the bracket as a template. Place it on the other side, and mark the holes with a pencil or felt-tip pen. Then drill two 5/32" holes. Note that you should drill the holes on the front-facing side because there's not enough room to get a drill up behind the rear bumper!
23. Using the two self-tapping sheet metal screws, attach the bracket.
24. Attach the wires to the alarm. Mount the alarm, and place the U-shaped ground clip under the bolt that mounts the alarm to the bracket.
25. Finally, zip-tie the positive wire down. Re-attach the tail light. Hook the wire back up to the tail light, and close the hatch.
All done!
---
Total time: About 2 hours. But I think it can be done in about 1 hour if you follow these directions and snap to it!
Cheers!
Senior Member
SL Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 114
From: Aurora CO
OMG i wish you would have posted before doing that, are you aware that they make light bulbs with a built in alarm so that when the power goes to the reverse lights it also does the "beep beep" thing you were trying to acheive. and they are as easy to install as a light bulb
But i geuss i have to say that they are not very loud as i had one in my 86' ford escort...
...yes i said 86' ford escort( c'mon it was a GT)
But i geuss i have to say that they are not very loud as i had one in my 86' ford escort...
...yes i said 86' ford escort( c'mon it was a GT)
Senior Member
SL Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,489
From: between DC and Baltimore
why did you waste time jamming that wire into the light bulb socket when all you had to do was connect it to the reverse light wire in the taillight harness? Its red w/ black stripe if memory serves correct.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
SL Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 20
Originally Posted by BrianxB
why did you waste time jamming that wire into the light bulb socket when all you had to do was connect it to the reverse light wire in the taillight harness? Its red w/ black stripe if memory serves correct.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
minter66
PPC: Vehicles
0
Dec 15, 2014 01:45 PM
