Auto to Manual Reverse Light Question

[SVOboy]

Dax...tell me how to wire it up...I need to take my car in for inspection and I don't think it shall pass without it! Thanks.

[GasSavers_DaX]

You're using the harness that came in the car, correct? The auto harness?

If you're looking for a quick fix, run wires directly from the switch on the tranny to the YEL and GRN/BLK wires on the 10-pin plug at the old auto shifter location. If you want everything to be inside the harness, do the following:

1) solder a lead onto the AT lockup solenoid wire on the harness that will connect to one of the reverse lights.


2) Unplug and remove the ECU.


3) Run a wire from the YEL wire on the 10-pin plug by the shifter....


4) ...the YEL wire on the white ECU plug (I call it pin A8). It's four over on the bottom when viewing this plug from the wire side. If you have a HELM, it should be the pin that controls the auto tranny lockup solenoid. Use a meter to double check.


Now you have one half of the reverse lights wired up.

It's been so long I can't remember how I wired up the other half the way it ran through pre-existing wires, but I'll tell you how I have it wired up now and it works.

Pretty much I just ran a wire from the GRN/BLK wire on the 10-pin plug by the auto shifter under the carpet, under the dash, and came out by the driver's shock tower and then ran it inside the engine wiring harness until it popped out by the tranny. I had to unwrap electrical tape and pop off the loom to get the wire inside the harness. If you do this, zip ties are your friend to help hold the harness in it's original shape once the loom and tape are off.

Hope it helps, let me know!

[SVOboy]

Thanks, I'll have to do it soon...I think right now I have it running to my coolant temp gauge, since it only works in reverse.

[GasSavers_DaX]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

I think right now I have it running to my coolant temp gauge, since it only works in reverse.

hahaha. get that fixed.

[SVOboy]

It looks like I have two things leading off the plug on the transmission, a yellow and a green/white, the green/white is plugged into the block under the dizzy, Im assuming it's going to the coolant temp sensor and somehow to the gauge, I'll try to figure it out, *sigh* I hate myself.

[GasSavers_DaX]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

It looks like I have two things leading off the plug on the transmission, a yellow and a green/white, the green/white is plugged into the block under the dizzy, Im assuming it's going to the coolant temp sensor and somehow to the gauge, I'll try to figure it out, *sigh* I hate myself.

Yeah, the GRN/WHT I'm pretty sure is the coolant temp gauge sensor.

[SVOboy]

Any idea then why the coolant temp gauge would only run while in reverse? Also, I hate to say it, but your instructions confuse me a bit...I have the yellow wire off the tranny running into the harness right now, where there seemed to be a stock plug, should it not be like this? I'm going to try the quick route to pass inspection tomorrow morning...just run the yellow to the yellow and gr/bl on the 10 pin? There are many gr/bl wires there...I hate wiring.

[GasSavers_DaX]

Cut the plug off the yellow wire that would plug into the auto tranny lockup solenoid. Either hard-solder, crimp, or solder the correct plug onto this wire so you can connect it to the reverse light switch.

The two wires you need for the reverse lights on the 10-pin plug are these:



The reason for the coolant temp gauge coming on while in reverse is either a poor ground or somehow you have a short where sensor for the gauge only gets grounded when the reverse light switch is engaged.

[SVOboy]

Yeah, the reason I was confused was because I had lost the temp gauge plug in the harness and was plugging one of the reverse lines into it. Got it all figured out now, let's hope it passes!

[GasSavers_Diemaster]

i was going to do this on my old 4th gen *long sigh* man i miss that car...