Al wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Does anyone know where I can get information on installing a car alarm for
> my '94 accord? I got one of those Pro Guard System 3 alarms, and i have alot
> of experience with electronics and wiring, but never with cars. I found some
> stuff on the different relays etc. at '12Volt' but i don't know what areas
> of the car to remove, fit,...
I, for one, think that old cars need new gadgets. I once installed a
keyless entry system in a '96 Accord. The '96 is the same generation as
your '94, and an alarm system has about the same connections as the
keyless remote I installed.
You will need some sort of wiring documentation for the car. You can
find what looks like a factory service manual at
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.hondahookup.com/manuals/CE1_CE2-94.zip." target="_blank">http://www.hondahookup.com/manuals/CE1_CE2-94.zip.</a> This manual is for
the coupe, if you have the sedan there may be some minor discrepancies.
I remember looking at ht Haynes manual at the library before doing the
install. It did not have all the information I needed, but the Mitchell
guide did. I was not aware of the above referenced web site at the time.
You can find the installation instructions for the factory security
system at
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/instal/aii/pages/accord/1995/16659_04.html" target="_blank">http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/instal/aii/pages/accord/1995/16659_04.html</a>
This is good reading, as it has instructions on removing panels and
accessing wires etc. that you need even with an after-market system.
A convenient place to put the alarm unit us under the driver's side of
the dash. Remove the lower dash cover to get access, it is held in place
by a screw(s) and clips. I seem to remember having to remove the coin
pocket to reveal one of the screws. Once you get the lower dash cover
off, you will see a metal piece going across, this is the knee bolster.
Remove it by taking out one bolt in each end. I had a mishap when
removing the bolt on the right, it slipped out of my fingers and fell
into the console. Finding it was a PITA.
Some alarm manufacturers say not to mount the unit rigidly to the
chassis, as you get more consistent performance from the shock sensor if
the mounting is more flexible. I used nylon wire ties to tie the unit to
one of the big wire bundles under the dash. Pretty much all the wires
you need to tap into are available under the dash.
The fuse box has 4 options connectors that are convenient for getting
constant power to the alarm as well as to hook up the parking lights
flash wire. See page 23-34, or page 1054 of the .pdf file referenced
above. Options connector "D" has battery voltage at all times. It is
fused with a 50A fuse under the hood only, so you need to add another
smaller fuse in line with your wiring. Must alarm systems already have a
fuse in the wiring harness for this purpose.
Options connector "C" is the parking lights connector. This connector
will have battery voltage when the light switch is in "park" or "on".
Most alarm systems have a wire that puts out battery voltage to flash
the parking lights, this wire should be connected to options connector
"C".
The alarm also needs an ignition sense signal. Options connector "B" is
ignition switched, BUT it is live only with the key in "RUN", not in
"START". This means that if your alarm has a starter cut relay, you can
NOT use option connector "B" for ignition sense. With a starter cut
relay you need IG1. See page 23-40 (.pdf page 1060) for wires connected
to IG1. Seems to me the YEL wire to gauge assembly, backup lights etc.
would be a good candidate.
Virtually all alarm systems tie in with the doors witches (the ones that
turn on the dome light). In the '94 Accord, each switch is diode
isolated from the other. If you tie into one of them, only that door
will trip the alarm. The wire you need to tie into is the BLK/WHT wire
that goes from the dome light to the safety indicator in the dash. Tying
into this wire will ensure that opening any door will trip the alarm.
If your alarm has its own siren, follow the instructions that came with
the alarm. If the alarm uses the car horn, then you need to tie in to
the coil side of the horn relay. That would be the light GRN / BLU wire
on page 23-234 (1254 of the .pdf). I don't remember exactly where I
found this wire, but it was not hard to find under the dash.
And for the icing on the cake, if you car has power door locks, you can
easily tie these into an alarm system to get keyless entry (unless you
already have it). The wiring is already there (at least it was on the
'96 I worked on). There are a total of 3 wires involved, two of them
connect directly to the alarm's lock / unlock outputs, the third can be
ignored unless you want to get really fancy. The third wire is used if
your alarm system has the "priority unlock" feature, i.e. the first
press on the unlock button unlocks only the driver's door, the second
press unlocks the remaining doors. This requires the installation of a
relay inside the driver's door. I can't remember any wire colors etc.
for this.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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