DIY Alarm

DIY Alarm

Alright this is now my fifth alarm that I am installing so I figured I would take pictures to help everyone out. This is alarm was bought through a catalog for 36 dollars and we also purchased a 4 door actuator kit (for power door locks.) This is on a 93 corolla, now I know everyone’s isn't the same but this can help. The door actuators are installed the same way. For this project you will need an alarm. Now I know this was a cheap one but they all do basically the same thing and installation is the same regardless (unless you have special features). Wire cutters, crimp caps, 10 - 12 Gauge Yellow butt connectors, volt meter, Phillips head, flat head. clippers, zip ties, 10mm and 8mm ratchet with extension, pointed tool, Haynes Manual (can save lots of time), drill, and a good 3 hours.

First is the Alarm



That consists of the Brain, Wiring Harness, Valet Switch, Led, Shock sensor, antenna, and door lock/unlock output. The wiring harness on every alarm is the same, red- 12v, black ground, yellow ignition, orange starter kill, green, door output. This is all listed in the manual.

Before you start make sure you have everything you need to complete the project. The most ideal place to install an alarm is under the dash. To remove this use the 10mm ratchet and the pointed tool. There are two exposed nuts and two hidden under plastic caps.

What I do first is locate the ignition. To do this just follow your ignition switch to the harness that eh end. The ignition wire is almost always the yellow wire ( or has yellow in it such as yellow and black)

If you locate it cut it in have then strip both end and crimp. Remember the tap the yellow wire from the harness in with it. While there locate you starter wire. In this Corolla it was white. to attach it you will take you relay. This can consist of many wires or just a few. Connect the Orange wire from the harness and the orange from the relay. Cut the white wire from the ignition harness in half. Strip both ends and connect that with the two 10 gauges wires on the relay, check manual to see which goes where.



Next connect the power wire, the red 12v. To find this one just use your volt meter to find the first wire that reads over 12v. or the same as the battery.



Next look for a ground. Just search the metal on the car and try to find a preexisting one.



To make is easier on you and the neighbors install the led. So you’re not constantly hearing the alarm going off.

An ideal spot is right next to the dimmer switch.



To pop that out just use a flat head when its out just squeeze together the tabs in the back and it pops out. Use a 1/4 inch drill bit and make a hole. You will need to cut the led wire in half since the base will not make it through the hole.



While you are at the part of the car. Take the parking light output. The one that makes you lights flash usually white and bring that wire up too the dimmer switch. It have 3 wires on the back. Strip all three till u find the one that read 12v when the lights are on and cut that in half. Strip both ends and tap the white wire in there.





Next take apart the dome light assembly. Use a flat head to pop off the plastic and a Phillips to take out the screws. When it is hanging find the metal bar that is connect to the switch when it says "DOOR”. Figure out was color the wire is.



Remove the door panel to get to the bundle of wires running under the carpet.

Tap the green wire in there. In my case it was a black wire.



Next will be the final step the siren. This has to be mounted face down in the engine compartment. Find a location that is not next to any immediate heat and that is slightly hard to find. Mount the holes and connect the two wires. The siren has a black, which is grounded and a red that is connect to the brown on the harness.





Ok that is the main part of the alarm. Check to see that everything works. The alarm sounds when a door is opened. Starter kill works, led flashes only when the car is not on. and etc..

Now on to the power door locks. Some may require extra hardware like relay’s. His didn't.

This is of the back door. It a lot easier then front.

First remove the 3 screws holding on the door. Then use a towel and slide it under the window crank to remove the clip



That gold thing is the clip. Next roll down your window and begin to pop off the panel. u can use a tool or your fingers for this. When all of them are off slide the whole panel up. next push the handle the to center of the car to release it. Then turn u panel sideways and take it off. When it is off find the bar for the door lock.


When the panel is off, roll the window back up.



Next assemble the actuator.





Then connect the bars and wires.

Heres the front doors.


The bar is hidden on the left side. But connect the bars through this small hole.



I hope this is useful to some people. If you have any other questions my email is Mike4831@hotmail.com, or AIM Mike4831.

You are the man! Thank you. My gf's brother and I were going to be doing our own alarms in a few weeks on my Corolla and his Camaro. This is going to be extremely helpful.

Also, could you give me a little more information on those door actuaters he got? I'd like to get ones that don't need a relay either and they look a lot easier than going the route of factory door actuaters being installed.

I think I'll just pay $40 to have one installed Nice DIY though

the actuators we picked up on ebay. check to see what you alarm requires. my old corolla didn't require a relay. this corolla did. i have used a 2 wire atuator every time though. just depends.

I had a retarded alarm and I fried the brain the first time I installed it. when I got my Viper, I just paid someone else to install it for me.

I'm getting a Viper. It's one of the higher up systems and retails at $400 but I luckily get a damn good discount on it. Installation is $90 with my discount, I'd rather learn how to do it myself and save money I dont have to spend. And that's more than I have to pay for the alarm.

ur server is down or somthing...i didnt get a single pic outta that

Works for me.

well when i went to get an alarm on my car they wanted 100 for the install and 60 dollars an acutator. and i was like i will tackle this myself before i pay your ass. so i did it that afternoon and it has worked with out a hitch for over a year. i did this about 6 months ago but i saved it on my computer.

the color of the wires (ignition) are all the same for every car? just wondering.

when i had my alarm installed, the guy did it in less than an hour! i was really impressed with how fast he did it. i was standing by the car watching him, damn he was fast! he didn't even look at any manuals, he knew exactly which wire to cut. he impressed the shit outta me.
i didnt have any power locks though. he was also neat, he used his drill to twist all the wires together so they're not hanging loose and all over the damn place. he didn't install a siren coz the alarm have that honk-horn feature. he did everything under the dash in less than an hour. i think it took him around 45mins.

on the alarm harness every one is yellow. most car ignitions are yellow or have a yellow strip. as far as installation goes. so alarms like ones from crutchfield come with harness that plug right in, so you just install the siren, led, and door locks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...5705739787&rd=1

Does this look like a good actuator kit?

Oh, also meant to ask, what's the purpose of the Door wire being conected on the dome light?

Thanks for the tips on the extra siren. Is the hook up to a cap straight forward and would a 1/2 farad cap be sufficient?

So many things are worng with this DIY. The first place Id look if I was stealing your car would be under the dash for the alarm brain. Also, your ground should never be that easy to find.

An alarm is only as good as the install.

yes these acutators will work.


to make sure you have the right wire, so when the door is open that the alarm sounds.

Ok, First off this is an example, in no way does it state that i am a professional. I am an 18 year old kid who does this for a small job. I got paid to do this. If it works and no wires are visible i would asume i did a good job. I don't know what you pay to have alarms installed or where u go. But circuit city and best buy hide theirs under the dash. only custom shops take off the dashs to hide them.

This alarm isn't going to prevent your car from getting stolen. No alarm can do that. If your going to find fault make a better one.

Im not trying to insult you im just stating there are better ways to do that.

Before you start the alarm look under the dash and see what kind of wire protection the factory used. If they used tape, match the tape. If they used heat shrink, go to the local electronics store and get that, The idea behind an alarm is to detur a thief. Even if someone gets in the car and the alarm goes off, as soon as the thief looks under the dash he will know at that moment if the car is worth taking. If he cant see the alarm brain or cant follow wires to the brain then he/she is most likely to move on.

Best Buy and Circuit City are not good examples of how to do things. They both are setup for quantity not quality.

I worked for a CC years ago before I went out on my own. A one point I could do a CC install of an alarm (all wires sodered and taped from soder joint to brain) on any honda or toyota in 45 mins. It wasnt the best quality but it was fast.

ya when i put the alarm in my corolla i put electircal tape over the whole harness and literally hide that to where i can barely get to it again. i spent a good weeekend installing my alarm. this corolla that i did i got 50 bucks to do and i spent about 3 hours doing it. then he gave me more to finish all the door locks.

i have yet to see a stereo/alarm shop solder the wires when installing an alarm. all the ones i've seen either manually twist the wires together or splice them and use connectors. the only time i saw solder being used was on cars of my buddy that he did himself. same thing goes with hiding the brain, about 99% of the shops don't hide the brain.

i suggest people to get a back-up siren with rechargeable battery. i had one my cars broken into b4. as soon as the siren went off, he opened my hood and ripped the wires on the siren. after that incident i had a back-up siren installed with built-in rechargeable battery. the siren stays on even if the wires are cut, the one way to turn it off is with a key.

can't wait to do the Scion the brain's gonna be next to impossible to find hehe, god bless huge dash cavities

nice. i have an extra siren attached to my capcitor. so if they disconnect everything else the capcitor will still hold its charge for another 30 mins or so.

honestly i dont know if your even so post to do it but i ground the siren to bare metal and hooked the 12 v to the cap and have a realy so it only sounds when the alarm is reciveing no power.

hell, if i were to install an alarm, i would hide it behind my ECU in my 98...looks like it would tuck away nicly in there...and besides, i have sooo many aftermarket wires runing under my carpets and under the dash its not funny...heh

I'll have neon wired in after too long, strobes, switches for them all, alarm, subs, eventually visor lcd's, lcd for dash, video game system... so I'm sure it will get cluttered in there. But I'll be sure to locate a spot that is not easily found and hide the brain there.