installed an alarm, but can't get parking lights to flash

[smoothandlow84]

Mechanically inclined, but short on electrical experience.....So I bought and installed a Pyle car alarm for my square. Installation was straight forward, however the instructions were a bit vague. I wired the main control box of the alarm connection to have the parking lights flash when the alarm is sounded. When the alarm has been armed and activated, the lights dont flash. Is it possible that since the circuit for the hazzard lights is more than 15 amps, I need to add a relay? Every other alarm function works except for the lights...and its got me stumped.

 

[GTME94]

Do you have a spare bulb you can hook up by itself to verify the control box is actually working for the light to flash? I'd try that first.

What wire/where did you tap into the circuit?

 

[smoothandlow84]

Yeah...tried out a spare bulb as well as a meter to verify....result was no power that would indicate the circuit was hot. I even added a relay and tapped into the hazzard light circuit, dash light circuit and turn signal...nothing. instructions say to tap into the parking light circuit, but don't have one in the square.

 

[350runner]

You need a relay for any external accessories horn, lights, starter, and so on.
You'll need to tap into the park light wire via clip style tap.
Sent from the dust in front of you!

 

[RetroC10Sport]

How do you have parking lights if there is no circuit?

Coming from your headlight switch, there should be a brown wire, that is the wire you want to tap in to. It might be orange in 1984 though from looking at the wiring diagrams, they could be wrong.

 

[smoothandlow84]

Well, after trying the use of a 30 amp relay and taping into the t/l csty wire.....still no lights when arming and disarming. I ditched that whole idea entirely and went with option #2. I have a pair of amber led lights that were extra side marker light for one of my trailers. I removed the led strip (4 leds per strip) from the light housings. I drilled into the back of my new front marker lamp housings on the square and installed the leds into the housing . I ran the alarm power wire to the front leds as well as a ground wire. I also have plenty of white led strip lights that have 3m adhesive on the back of the strip. I ran a length of 14 gauge wires from the alarm in the cab to the back of the truck to supply power and ground to each tail lights. Next I cut a 5 inch strip of white led lights for each tail lamp. I removed the tail light lens and installed the white led in each tail light housing. WALLAH !!!!! I know not only have flashing front markers and tail lights, but they are LEDS and super bright!!

Apparently the 80's dot matrix circuitry is too power hungry for todays digital electronics, even with a relay.

Oh well....even though I bypassed the gm light circuit, I still accomplished my goal of flashing lights and was able to upgrade to yet more leds in my square. All that remains to convert to led are the four headlights.

 

[smoothandlow84]

How do you have parking lights if there is no circuit?

Coming from your headlight switch, there should be a brown wire, that is the wire you want to tap in to. It might be orange in 1984 though from looking at the wiring diagrams, they could be wrong.

All along I was looking for a parking lamp circuit, but it was the t/l csty circuit that powers the front markers.