Another quick parking sensor wire question

[aps]

So , after reading up on how to power up the after market parking kit im a little confused on a couple of things , if i can plug you for advice & help.

To connect the power lead to the reverse light live : so on a vectra can anyone enhance on this a touch , scotch lock yes ...what colour wire etc pics if poss.

Secondly ... well ... nope that's pretty much it really , its just the fact ive read so many things my heads hurting with all different opinions on overall fitting.

thanks in advance.

[Critch]

I not sure what wire. But personally wouldn't use scotch locks. Better to solder the wire

[rockonoli1]

Don't you also have to use a bypass relay to cancel out bulb failure warning ? I have read this on a couple of other threads and also asked the question elsewhere but had no answer.

[ChrisBilly]

The reverse light wire is white/black (white with black trace). As said it would be much better to solder the connection. For the earth you could use the brown wire in for the light cluster or direct to the body, plenty of choice iirc.
No need for a relay, the sensors don't cause an error and the bulb check pulse isn't enough to trigger the sensors.

[Zark]

While this thread's here... it stops me making a new one!

4 parking sensors fitted in rear - 2 in front bumper.

Control box in the boot... fed from a switched live from under the cigarette lighter. Earthed to bodywork nearby.

Rears are fine... fed from reversing light wire does everything i hoped.

The instructions said to wire the fronts into the brake light switch... so when brakes on - fronts are activated.

I didn't want them on all the time - so i broke into the brakelight feed wire and took two cables up to a simple illuminated switch in the dash... The switch has 3 pins. 12v in, 12v out and ground... no light wire... the LED (should) simply come on when the switch is on

Brakelight---------------switch--------------control box

Easy, i thought... sensors only live with ignition on - rears controlled by reverse light and fronts by brake lights....


Now is where my expertise starts to run out!

Ignition on... switch for fronts off.... the LED in the switch pulses every few seconds... I presume the bulb check sends a signal every few seconds? Anyway - i don't get a bulb fail error (because the bulb's OK!)
But - every time i press brake pedal - the switch LED comes on, and then goes off. No beeps or anything so sensors not active.

Ignition on switch on... press brake pedal and sensors work... park as close to wall as i dare and all's fine. Handbrake on - foot OFF the brake... sensors still beeeeeeeeeeep!!!! Aaaargh! Make it stop... Turn switch off.... No still beeping!!!! Engage reverse, then nuetral... phew!!! Noise has stopped. Which is OK if parking, but if i'm in traffic or something - the beep continues until the car in front moves off again... At a level crossing - that may be some considerable time!

And when driving at night... lights on... the LED on switch is on regardless of the position it's in, though gets brighter under braking.... I'm guessing a dual filament bulb? So have i tapped into the right wire in the cluster - or would it not make a difference?


I'm guessing i need a different type of switch? But which one... or i need to separate a signal from the brake light to activate the sensors? Like some sort of relay?

Any advice...? I want the switch to properly isolate the front sensors (so i don't want to put a switch in the live feed to the control box- as that would affect the rears too?) i want the switch to turn on and off the signal from the brake light to the control box.... so i can drive without the fronts on when i don't need them.


I can't link to them from here - but i got a 6 sensor kit off the bay of E... with the led dash display, about £25... and the switch is a 12v illuminated cheapy from ebay too.

[Deann]

I've jsut bought some aprking sensors...
So the Red Wire Live in my kit is scotch connected to the black/white wire in the rear light cluster
and the Black wire in my kit is scotch connected onto the brown earth wire in my rear light cluster?

[Zark]

Yeah probably... I just made mine extra complicated!

I test fitted the rears connecting the control box live and the sensor wire both into the reverse light feed and put a ring crimp connector on the end of the earth, and put it onto a nearby bolt... worked fine

[aps]

Fantastic stuff !!

Looks like ill be aiming for the live onto the black/white reverse wire then & the earth to the chasis , ill have a good ole rummage around to find the best earth !

Im certainly not going to rush the job ... ill make a day of it mon or tues when the spray can arrives for "lightning silver "

[Deann]

Just fitted my sensors... so easy to do... removed the back bumper and everything works fine
+ black and white wire
Earth brown wire

[taffy bhoy]

did you trail the beeper through to the front or leave it in the back somewhere? thinking of doing this, but dont want a distracting drowning beeper like we had with the vw, something subtle would be better