Install custom side markers!

[Cameron]

Good luck. Take pictures!

 

[Dre]

it's probably too late now for this but I hope you remember to measure once and cut three times? or something like that....

 

[Spas]

HOLEE MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER AGAIN! What a horrible nightmare!:fire:

#1) The euro-sports place that I went to was pretty busy, so it took about 2 hours for them to get to my X. The nice gent who cut the holes accidentally dropped the aluminum retaining bracket INSIDE the fender.
--two and a half hours later, after pulling the whole deal apart, we get it back. Then we realize that the OTHER bracket fell in the OTHER fender as well (Lucky me, I got it out on the first try and we didn't have to take that fender apart)

#2) I talk my poor bone-tired-after-a-long-day-of-work electrician Fiance into 'helping' me splice and dice the wires to hook the buggers up (IE: he did all the splicing, I sat back and watched). Apparently he's REALLY tired, and also an addict to those tiny little clamps that allow you to splice two wires together without cutting, so 9 clamps and two hours later, we still can't get the blinkers to work.

#3) Quick run to Radioshack just as they're closing (in his truck) for more splicers, get back home and try again. Okay, so now they blink, but only when the lights are on. And they blink out of rythym to the factory blinkers. I say "F**K IT, I NEED SOME SLEEP" and I settle for what I can get.

#4) I have some lovely brand new scratches on the bumper, fenders, and wheel flares, and the passenger side hole was a little too big for the marker (1002 uses for electrical tape!)

Moral of the story for those of us who know little to nothing about electrical work in Explorers: Get a professional to do it!!!!!!!!

On a happy side note, they DO look pretty slick!

Hmm...maybe I ought to put this under the WHOOPS heading.......

 

[Dre]

was in it fun though? I hope you get them to work........ But really, (LOL) I think that "proffesional electrician" that was splicing the wires didn't really know what he was doing if he couldn't get the lights to work.... shame, shame.... old saying........ but, heck, forget about it.....

Cameron? looks like we might be able to open and run a pretty profitable business installing all those gadgets..... something like ?Car Boutique???
naw...... that was just a thought. I'm installing mine this weekend so will let you know...... (if I can get the sockets for mine).

 

[Spas]

Ha HA!

Okay, I apologize for the dirty truck in the pics, but I wanted you all to see how the (almost) finished project looks....
Here's the lit and unlit:

 

[Spas]

hmmm, for some strange reason I'm having problems posting more than one pic at a time, so I'll just post three replies (sorry again!)

 

[Spas]

Annnnnnd....

Last but not least,

Here's us trying to run the wire through the inner fender. My boyfriend DID have one clever idea, which was to take some thick gauge- hard- to- bend wire, run it through the opening first, and then tape the marker wire to it and pull it through that tiny little opening. Now all I have to do is get the lights to work with everything else ....

 

[Cameron]

Spas,

Welcome to the dark side. You're first (un-reversible) vehicle modification. Sorry to hear you had such problems. I know it's all water under the bridge now but a copy of your service manual would have saved you a lot of time. Your side markers had two wires right? One to the power on the turn signal wire and one to the power on the headlight. My side markers blink off sink to the turn signals too. That can be changed by connecting the wire leading to the turn signal to the other wire leading to the turn signal. I like it that way.

Your side markers look great though. Congratulations.
Dre, you joke but you would be surprised how many people would pay to have this done for them…

 

[Spas]

Your side markers had two wires right? One to the power on the turn signal wire and one to the power on the headlight.

Actually, Cam, there's three to each turn signal.....two black, one brown I'll get to figure it all out this weekend, when it will get fixed, lol. One question for ya-you said that your signals stay on when your lights are on....Do the sidemarkers stay dim until the blinker is triggered (they would blink bright, returning to dimmer in the space between blinks), or do they blink completely on, then off? Stupid quesion, really, but I'm just curious Mine blink completely on then off and stay lit at their absolute brightest when the lights are on..I was wondering if I could change that...

 

[Cameron]

The side marker blinks on and off when the turn signal is activated and is on bright when the turn signal is not activated.

I know there are three wires to your turn signal light but I was asking if they're where only two wires from your side marker?

I didn’t mean to say one to the power of the headlight. Got a brain cramp there. It sounds like you have it installed correctly. The two wires from the side marker to the two power wires of the turn signal.

 

[williecume]

so is that how you can have the side marker stay on when not using turn signal, by splicing the wires (on my x) +/- into both of the power for the turn signals and the park lamps.

mine the spliced + to turn (i thnk labeled major on plug) and - to ground on plug.

 

[Cameron]

You don’t want to connect any of the wires to the ground. That’s why your side marker doesn't turn on with your headlights. It's only powered by your turn signal signal. You have two positives and one negative wire going to your turn signal. Attach the side marker to the two positive wires and your set. Trust me. I know this sounds contradictory to what you think is the proper way to wire a light but in this case, if you want the side marker to illuminate when you turn on your headlights and blink synchronous to your turn signal, make sure you have both wires connected to the two hot positive wires of your turn signal.

 

[Dre]

I know Cameron...... and even now I'm writing up a story about installing a CB antenna and extra lights on the roof rack and fishing wires through the roof...... reversible process I might add.....

I might start making money.

 

[williecume]

thanks cameron. i'll see if i can get the time to do that between moving sometime soon.

 

[Spas]

That’s why your side marker doesn't turn on with your headlights.

I'm not explaining this very well, lol. My sidemarkers blink fine when the lights are ON, just out of synch. When the lights are OFF, they won't blink at all. That's the part that I'm trying to figure out...

We actually left the battery plugged in to test which lines worked and which didn't. (for all the good that did! ) So, you're saying I should splice BOTH of the sidemarkers' two wires to the SAME positive wire of the turn signal? Or to the MAJOR, MINOR wires? ARGH! I'll be VERY happy when this is done and over with, LOL Thanks for being patient with me, Cameron!

 

[williecume]

on my x when i unplug the harness going to the bulb, the harness says major (blinkers), minor (park lamps), and ground. what he is saying is to splice the positve side marker wire into the major (blinker) and the negative into the minor (park lamps). i dont know if yours says the same thing on the harness plug as mine did, but those are the 2 positive (hot) wires that you should connect to. hope this helps.

 

[Spas]

on my x when i unplug the harness going to the bulb, the harness says major (blinkers), minor (park lamps), and ground. what he is saying is to splice the positve side marker wire into the major (blinker) and the negative into the minor (park lamps). i dont know if yours says the same thing on the harness plug as mine did, but those are the 2 positive (hot) wires that you should connect to. hope this helps.

Thanks, Willie, that does help out an awful lot. And my sidemarkers will work just like the blinkers if I splice that way? I'm gonna tackle them one more time tonight, and pending that my fingers don't freeze (it's supposed to be in the 20's tonight >sigh< I really need a garage...) I should have them working properly by tomorrow! Thanks again!

 

[Spas]

Hoo HA!

They blink when the headlights are on AND off now!!!! YAY
Here's a little chart of what's what on my X, just so nobody else does the same screw up that I did:

Two wires from sidemarker- positive and negative
Three wires from blinker- Major, Minor, Ground

Positive + Major, Negative + Minor = Sidemarkers blink when lights are ON only, stay ON as running lights

Positive + Minor, Negative + Major = Sidemarkers Binks only when lights are OFF, do NOT stay on as running lights

Positive + Major, Negative +Ground = 'Markers will blink regardless, but do not stay on like running lights (this is how mine is set up now)

Positive + Ground = BURNT FINGER

I didn't try the Positive + Minor, Negative + Ground because I was a little scared of getting elecrocuted again

Hope this helps!!!!!!!

 

[weebo]

Awesome install Cam!

I'm finally getting my '97 this weekend and this is going to be one of the first projects I've got lined up for this weekend as well. My girlfriend has a Jetta and I've seen tinted side marker lamps on the volkswagon driver's gear website, so I think I'll go with those. They should look really cool with the gold paint. And I love these mods that don't cost too much (though some work which I can do) and make a noticable difference.

So, for this weekend....K&N FIPK, Warrior Shackles & TT, Side Lamps, indiglo gauge kit from nrauto, and the Aux. filter for the tranny.

The following weekend...new tires (31's or 32's), tow hitch, yakima racks (from my '92), and window tint.

Randy
aim: rhammond1022