new to the whole tl scene and really wanted to do this mod i started purchasing a few things and was wondering what distributer block you used in the install

 

It doesn't really matter what kind just that it's able to accept whatever gauge wire you are running from your battery under the hood. If you plan on installing a system later on might as well run 4 gauge power cable.

The distribution block is like a spliter your power goes in one side and depending on the one you get it could split it into 2 or 4 smaller gauge outs in the case of the HID kit it's probably a 10 gauge power wire. Note it doesn't matter that the outs are not that size, they usually use an allen bolt and could be tightened to fit any size or gauge wire.

 

I used a tsunami one, but jptl is right doesn't really matter!

 

i am glad i searched and found this thread. I would love to do this but am worried about the vibrations from the stereo in the trunk and also the shock from closing the trunk lid. How has the HID's held up for those people who have done this.

 

so far so good for me its been about 2 months+. i dont have a system in the back soo i cant help you there, but i do open and close my trunk and no problems have occurred yet (:

 

Thanks for this DIY, bzyrice. Even though we talked about this before you did it, I still had not installed mine until last week. I ran my 4G to the trunk and installed the HIDs the next day. I still need to install my tailgater switch to complete it. Will use your OTHER DIY for that!

 

Word...

 

Anyone have the problem of a fuse going out?

 

if youre fuse keeps blowing. you have a short somewhere. check and re-check the wiring. something is not wired right, or theres an exposed power wire somewhere.

 

I love mine. It is by far one of the best things I have done. Just take your time while doing the wiring and make it all neat. As far as the fuse going blowing. You might have a chafed wire somewhere or something isnt wired correctly. So you should double check the wiring.

 

Fixed the problem. Need to find a timer now. I didn't really get the diagram you guys posted up. Where did everyone put the timer at?

 

^^ Re-read this thread. Specifically, page 3 posts 83-103 will have all the info you need.
What was the problem with your fuses blowing?

 

Does anyone have a problem with the stereo either, 1. sounding like the volume has been turned down, or 2. like the radio staions have gone out, (static sound). I tested the setup tonight and will install it completely tomorrow. I have everything in place except the wire for the tailgater switch, the timer and the permanent wire from the distrobution block to the harness. When i turned them on to test, at one point my radio sounded like #1 above then it sounded like #2 above. I have a complete stereo in the truck to include two amps that run every speaker but the front center. While testing, i did not have the bulbs in because i need some jb weld. and the trunk was wide open where the bulbs were near the rear window. I was wondering if anyone had this or know what is the problem. I dont want to hear these things happen just because i put my car in reverse.
Thanks

 

I put mine in today, its great they are bright as hell. Really easy to do also, but I did already have a power wire ran for my amp... I have a question though:

I want to install a timed relay and set it for about 20 seconds so just incase its in reverse for too long or I accidentally leave the tailgater switch on for too long then it will turn off automatically and not melt the housing. Is 20 seconds a good time? I dont know how long it takes to melt the plastic, probably way more than 20 sec... But I also want to install an ON delay so when Im shifting from Park to Drive it doesnt flash them on for a quick second every time I put it in gear cause I hear thats bad for the bulbs and ballasts. Has anyone done this already?
Would these products work??---
time delay relay
on delay timer

 

you can leave the HID's on for a minute without worrying about the housing melting. When i first installed the lights, i accidently left them on for bout 3 minutes and the clear lens was starting to melt. Just my luck, but i have my delay set for 3 seconds, and i know when they come on because i can hear a slight crack in the stereo sound when they come on. dont worry about timing it to turn off, the tailgater switch, from what i discovered isnt even affected by the turn on timer.

 

For the tailgater switch I recommend using a momentary switch or button. Meaning when it's depressed it activates or turns on the reverse HID's once you let go it will turn off. For a tailgater it should only take a few seconds to back someone off with that blinding light. So install the button in an easy to reach location. I've had mine installed for a while now and have only had to use it once. Thank god.

The delay relay is a good idea to prolong the life of your system. 2 second delay is plenty to delay the ON signal when shifting from "P" to "D" in
automatics.

 

Ok, if its a whole minute then Ill be fine, I wont leave in in reverse that long. Ill buy a different momentary switch today. What kind of delay did you get? Do you have a link, are they available at parts stores or just online?

 

Without having to read the entire thread are you people making sure to install a delay timer into the wiring schematics? Thats the part that took me the longest to figure out and how to wire it up 3 years ago before any of this DIY or writeups were available on azine but it is definitely a wise investement/move because you do not want to flash the HID's on and off everytime you shift from P --> D.

And just to let the non-believers know... these have been functioning flawlessly for 3 years in my car. I do not have a system yet.

 

yes Elegant, recommended for those with am AT, i drew up a wiring diagram. for those interested, please read post #93 and #103 it was actually pretty simple. if you guys cant figure that out then take it to someone who is comfortable with wiring. not that hard really.

people read the thread! all the info is in here.

 

Agreed. Its all here.

 

you guys should just install a switch with a bright red led that turns on when reverse is activated, I did this on my other car works great.

 

got my time delay relay in today, havent installed it yet though. The only thing that sucks about this is that my lazer alert goes off sometimes when I put it in reverse

 

Alright this is pretty gay- I installed the exact same time delay thing you got, and when I was done I had a friend put it in reverse while I stood in the back and watched- as soon as it goes in reverse it flashes on for a split second, then the time delay kicks in so it stays off for 2-3sec and then the reverse HIDs come on... Whats the damn point of this POS delay if they flash on for a second anyway when it goes in reverse??? This is BS. Do you guys that have the DEI 528T pulse timer have the same problem???

 

Did you hook it up just like in the Diagram I drew up? Did you disconnect the other reverse light bulb? Try messing around with the timer adjustment.

That's weird, anybody else have problems wiring this up?

 

Did you set the timer like this? You dont need a 3 second delay.
Post up a diagram of what you did---it sounds like something is different from Jamie's diagram (which I used for mine with no trouble).

 

Nah I wired it exactly the same, I even put a diode in the green oem reverse wire cause I have the tailgater switch wired in... I set the dial on the timer in the same place- almost all the way turned counter clockwise.

 

Are you sure? Double check---something is different with yours...wiring, connections, something.

 

Ill recheck but I know I did it right- I work on wiring and schematics all day every day so its pretty easy. The delay works but it still flashes on for like a millisecond before the delay kicks in and then they stay off for a couple secs before switching on... Maybe its something in the 528T thats bad...

 

I re-installed this system today after i got my car back from the body shop. When i tried the supplied diagram from this thread the first time i installed them, it did not work, i ended up using my own style of wiring. I wrote down how i did it, but when i went to go wire it up today, i could not find where i put the damn drawing. So i ended up using the supplied diagram again. The first time i put it on, i had the thing all the way clockwise, and the lights turned on immediately. I disconnect only the orange wire and wires going to the reverse line. I put them back together and the same issue. I decided to try it a thrid time, and i guess the third time was the charm, because it miraculously decided to work. It took me about 4 hours to do it this time, which kind of upset me, but i finally got it done and my car is back to normal after the accident.

 

Installed mine today but I hit a major snag. Started the car and put it in reverse to see if it still worked and to my surprise it didn't. Then I noticed that all my instrument panel stuff was dark. Switch on and in reverse: everything in the dash comes back on. After tons of time wasted troubleshooting along with three blown fuses for the instrument panel, I isolated it to the ground wire for the lighted switch. How much current does the little light inside the switch normally draw? I've left the ground for the switch light disconnected and everything works fine. It seems strange that the extra current draw of the little bulb in the switch would be enough to blow a 7.5 amp fuse. I'm tempted to replace my IP fuse with a 10 amp but don't really want to put my computer at risk. I'm going to take the switch back and trade it for a new on in the hopes that I just got a bad switch with a short in its lighting circuit. My other idea was to add a resistor in line with the ground to lower the current draw but that might make the light too dim to be useful. Anybody have any ideas?

 

I would just use a non lit up switch.. I have always had problems with those little lit up switches..

 

I use a momentary switch for these---one that returns to the OFF position when you let go of it. It prevents you from leaving them on accidentally (possibly burning the light housing) and has no 3rd wire for the light.

 

Since I have navigation with reverse camera.. I can tell it is on, since my reverse camera is triggered lol .. so I only put a regular on/off switch

 

Ok, about to install this...can't wait.
Need to pick up a relay though as I didn't get one with my set from DDM. I also went with H11's so I could have a backup set for my lower accord fogs in case I ever needed to swap them.

I have power in the trunk so that shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully.

 

Forgot to update, turns out it was a bad switch with a hard short through light/ground circuit. Swapped to a new switch and everything works great. The 55W 4500k DDM kit is so bright I can see through the rear tint, 35%, and it still looks much brighter than stock. I back into my parking spot and now my roommates joke that they always know when I'm home since the back up lights light up the living room! lol Completely satisfied with this mod, best value for dollar so far.

 

Also, found time to install the HID reverse lights. Light up the road VERY nicely when reversing. Also installed tailgater switch, although ended up opting for a momentary one. That will prevent accidentally leaving it on and melting the housing and possibly having a cop see it.

Not too hard. I DO have a question, I used 12V from my power wire going to my amps. When there is no source noise, I get a pop when I kick it into reverse. Think I can get rid of that sound by adding a one way diode to keep voltage from feeding back into the system?

Different approach, used H11 bulbs since I wanted to have a backup set and ballast for my accord fogs.
Use 1 screw and some wire and the stock screw to hold in place rather than JB weld.
Works well and doesn't budge.

Ran the wire up and around the factory wiring:

and that's it!



COOL MOD!

 

It was pretty cold when I did mine and the JB weld didn't seem to want to set up properly. I just used small dabs of super glue. Hopefully they'll come out without too much hassle when it's time to replace them.

 

I'm sure they will...whenever possible, I prefer mechanical methods to hold things in place though, especially for something that gets opened and closed hard so often.

 

Nice job, Jeremy.
I showed this mod off to the Harrisburg Yankees today. Blew them away!
I like the idea of having the extra H11 bulbs, but how was the fit? The H3s fit very nicely and I figure with bulbs going for $10, I can afford to wait the 4 days or so for shipping before I have my fogs.
JP, the super glue should work okay. My JB Weld has held since I put mine in last summer.

 

My trunk won't latch if I close it hard so my bulbs are gonna have a pretty easy life. I pretty much have to just get it started and let gravity take it down, otherwise it just bounces back up. Now that I have the extra weight of the ballasts and relay harness mounted on the trunk lid it occasionally bounces back even with just a gravity drop. Someone told me the trunk was deliberately engineered that way to prevent peoples fingers from getting stuck if the trunk slams shut on them. Sounds goofy to me, but who knows?