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Diy: Automatic Windshield Wipers And Headlights / With Pics


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Originally posted by Millenia-Falcon

 

So I installed a rain tracker rt-50a into my car a week ago and I love it. It costs $80 plus shipping.

Here is the website www.raintracker.com

This mod gives your car the ability to sense rain on the windshield and automatically activate the wipers. It can control intermediate to slow to high speeds depending on how much rain there is. It also retains all the manual controls as well.

Now I know some of you may be saying "Is this really necessary?". Well no, but niether is auto A/C, heated seats, or power windows. But that's why you buy luxury, so you can let the car do the work for you. And I personally prefer focusing on driving rather than adjusting the wipers at every stoplight.

So here's how to install it yourself.

 

Difficulty: If your familiar with wiring this is actually pretty easy. If your an electrician noob it should be about average difficulty.

 

Wipers

First step is to remove the coinbox by the drivers left knee. We will install the power switch on it and place the control module behind it. Insert a flathead under the bottom of it and pry. It should pop right out.

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The switch is large and so I drilled the hole above the black button. The switch below it is for the headlights explained later. Be sure you install the switch before you wire it to the connector.

 

Next step is to connect all the wires on the connector in the "hot-side switching" style shown here http://www.raintracker.com/compatibility/install_rt-50a.pdf The kit includes cable splices and taps, but I prefer soldering all my wire connections for a more secure connection. This is the easy part since you can do this on a workspace in your house. I took the supplied ring connector and soldered it to the ground wire so we can ground the system on a bolt.

 

Now for the fun part. Remove the steering column cover. There are 3 screws underneath and it comes off in 2 pieces. Now I suggest you tilt the wheel all the way down for easier access. The wires we need are convieniently right on top and exposed for easy access.

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There are 3 wires we need. The wire colors may vary from year to year but my 99 was: gray - 12v constant, Blue w/red stripe - Fast, Grey w/white stripe - Slow. You can use a voltmeter and with the car on, check for a wire that gives 12v with wipers off. That is your constant 12. The fast wire gives 12+ volts when wipers on high, 9volts on low speed. The slow wire is harder to find because there are 2 wires that give the same voltages. They give 12+ volts on any speed setting. So you have to lay under the dash and follow wires from the steering column. You'll see they come to a connector that looks like this.

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Look at the wires pointing towards the engine. Most of the colors should match with the following connector diagram.

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The blue w/white stripe (L/W) wire is the slow wire. Now look for the wire that correlates with it on the other side of the connector going to the steering wheel. That is the color you want to tap. You can do the same process to determine the other wires as well. Red® is the fast wire. Blue(L) is the constant 12v.

 

Now that you know the wires you can start tapping in as the wiring diagram shows in the above link. Here's what mine looked like when finished. Not pretty, but it will get covered up anyways. Be sure you feed the wires through the hole where the coinbox goes before you connect the wires since the switch with the coinbox is on the other end.

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Run the ground wire to the firewall. There is a bolt with a nut on it which you can slide the ring connector over to give a proper ground. It's to the left of the brake pedal.

 

Now install the sensor. You need to put it below the shadeband and in a spot where the wiper wipes. I suggest putting it right next to where the rearview mirror mounts.

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Plug in the connector to the sensor and run it under the headliner over to the A pillar. The cover will pop off and you can run it down and you'll see a hole at the base where you can run the wire down and it goes right to the coinbox hole.

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Now connect the control module to the sensor and other connector.

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There is a convienient space to the right in the above pic where the module will sit nicely. Then stuff all the wires up inside and snap the coinbox back in.

Now to test. Turn the car on and then switch the switch on. The wiper should wipe once. Get a spray bottle or glass of water and spray the sensor. They should wipe accordingly.

 

Headlights

This model can also control the headlights. This is much easier to install IMO. No pictures though.

Use the "vehicle relay, ground side control" diagram in the link http://www.raintracker.com/docs/headlamp_control_rt-50a.pdf Be sure you connect the 2 diodes so that the white stripe is on the side connected to the module.

It doesn't come with a switch. I bought small spst mini switch like this. Radioshack.com I drilled a small hole in the black blank next to the coinbox. You need to tap into 2 wires running on the steering column by the wiper wires. They were inside a thin plastic cover it was dark grey and contains 3 wires thinner than the wiper wires. You need to cut the plastic cover back to see the wires. Mine were red, green, and black. To test, connect your voltmeter and see if the wire give a small voltage (I got .7 volts) with the lights off and then 0volts with the lights on. Connect your wires and and plug the connector into the module. Install the switch into the hole in the blank you made earlier. Now when the switch is on and it is dark or the wipers wipe, the lights should come on.

 

I drove through some light snow with this installed and it worked great. The only problem is when the windshield gets covered in dirt and roadspray. It will wipe and smear that so you need to be sure and run the washer spray.

With these instructions it shouldn't take more than a few hours to install. I love it.

 

This write up took a long time to put together. It's not comprehensive. READ THE MANUAL. If you have any questions or I missed something let me know.

 

 

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