Hello. How are you?

I'm hoping you can help me out.

I work for a police department, Several months ago we seized a 2002 Acura TL type-S. We were just finally awarded the vehicle to keep.

The previous owner had set up a "hide", a hidden compartment to store drugs. This hide was electronically activated by manipulating three different switches at the same time. This would cause three relays which were wired in series to close and send electricity to the open/close device.

Right now it is open. We need to close it. We have figured out what two of the buttons are in the car, but we can not figure out the third. It receives the signal from a wire that is located in the driver's side rocker panel harness that runs from the firewall to the trunk.

Can anyone point me towards a map of what color-coded wires run which electronic devices, specifically in that harness in the rocker?

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum.

The info your looking for will be hard to come by. Im not by my manual till tomorrow. Do you know what the third is? (color/stripe)?

 

Hey thanks for the response. I just got to work to take a look at it.

The four wires are:
White wire, yellow stripe, 1 silver band
White wire, red stripe, 1 silver band
Green wire, blue stripe, 2 silver bands
Green wire, orange stripe, 1 silver band

We really appreciate it! Thanks

 

Ok. When i get back later ill look in the manual and see what i can find

 

Greatly appreciated!

 

That's genius!

Anyone know how I can make one of those?...DIY write-up perhaps?

 

you listed four wires but you said there are three buttons?

also just to make sure, you're referring to the wiring that runs under the front driver door sill, that's it?

 

There's a green/blue wire going to the back of the car for the left turn signal (and hazards).

There's a green/YELLOW (not orange..) wire going to the back of the car for the right turn signal(and hazards).

Maybe those are the ones you're reffering to?

I'll try to find the white wires now...

 

Whatever you do, Don't Go to "Racing and Competition" Threads. That is just a myth and nothing else. I Promise

 

ok now there's a white/red wire for the main power window power and there's a white/yellow wire going to the left rear power window switch to make it go down...

I'll look at other possibilities now..


edit: do I get a reward of some kind if I help find what you need?

 

Damn, talked about determined criminals...unbelieveable!

 

G35 Mass, if you work in the Police department, it would be much faster and easier if you or someone flash his/her badge in an Acura service department and ask for help. They have everything from detailed service manuals and factory bulletins to experienced technical personnels.

 

Just out of curiosity, where is the "hide" located? Looking at my car, I can't imagine where they could have fit one in the dash. This is crazy! You have some industrious criminals.

 

I have heard some decent members in the Honda/Acura forums who put in secret switch(es) only for ignition kill or fuel-pump cutoff, not for hidden compartments carrying drugs. The most interesting ones are rotating the cigarette lighter plug to a particular position, an unique combination of fog-light, turn-signal stick, and rear-fogger ON/OFF positions, keep pressing two OEM dash buttons while turning the ignition key, etc. Car thieves can never be able to figure these out unless they have lots of time to rip out the dash and trace through the wirings.

 

Thanks everyone!

We traced at least two wires to the switches to the left of the steering column, one is definitely the moonroof open button. We think lol

The hide is under the rear seat. You have to remove the rear seat bottom cushion, and the hide's "ceiling" is the felt insulation / metal that the seat cushion rests on. Actuating the hide's release pushes it up. It appears to be a moonroof motor used as the actuator. I can't tell if the void is there or if they welded a box on underneath the car; I didn't bother to crawl under and look.

I'll get a pic tomorrow for you guys.

Just thinking now. I bet the the first two buttons are the required ones, then you use left/right directional to raise/lower it! I'll be checking it out with the mechanic tomorrow.

 

And just to keep you guys a little happy, here's a hide in a mid-90's Toyota Avalon.



Contained 50 bricks of heroin.

 

I didn't know drug dealers/runners were that electrically competent. they should be working in car audio or at the dealership.

 

^Most aren't, they pay someone to do it, or trade.

Damn 50 bricks of heroin! That's some serious jail time, isn't anything over 1/4 ounce a felony worthy of nearly 10 years? The dipshit brother of someone I went to high school with got caught on 2 separate occassions with a little over 1/4 ounce and they offered him a minimum of 10 years(he's like a 10 time loser). Dallas has had a pretty bad heroin problem in the last few years, I've known several people who have died because of it...useless...

Must have taken some serious work to get to the hide under the rear seat. Drug dogs find it?

 

damn that's some sick stuff! drug dealers will do anything! i hope i'll get to work on such cases someday!

 

Ok im looking at the drivers side harness. Basically every thing that runs down that side is the harnesses for the seat, High mount brake light, Navi, trunk lid

 

Im kinda guessing looking in the manual as to which harness your getting them from, but the wires that i can find that match up and make sense are

white/yellow goes to fuse 7
white/red seat heater
green/blue master window switch up (rear window)
the only green/orange ive found seems to be a power also (circuit 174) (goes to a light green harness)

 

wow.. thats cool. haha, i should do that and keep my NOS tank in there....... yea right.. haha..

 

Just curious, but how did you guys get it open? If it was forced open, you might not get it to close?

 

Thanks everyone! Me and the mechanic will be trying out these different switches in about an hour.

The device has been open since it was impounded. We found out it was in the car from an informant, and at the time of the arrest we either knew how to open it, or had the suspect open it (they tend to be very cooperative once they know that we know it's there).

This kid from the 90 brick bust will probably do a good 10 years or so. The case has been taken over by the DEA, so it's really out of our hands now.

I'll snag a pic of the hide and post it....