White Wire:
Connection If Desired
This wire is used to turn on the vehicle's exterior lights if not needed for the HVAC
system. It can be connected to either the parking lights or the headlights, but not both
unless a pair of relays are used. The parking lights will allow for a 360
O
field of view for
a visual confirmation that RS-4LX has been activated. If connecting to the headlights,
connect to the low beams. In addition to visual confirmation of activation, the headlights
can be used to light the way to the car or house. The best place to access these wires is at
the light switch, although in a small number of vehicles, notably Toyotas, these circuits are
Negative Ground at the light switch. In Toyotas, the White wire may be connected di-
rectly to the Positive parking lights circuit by finding a Green wire in the driver's kick
panel or at the fuse marked "Tail".
The parking light wire will show Positive 12 Volts when the light switch is in the
"Parking" and "Headlight" positions. When such a wire is located, be sure to operate the
dash light dimmer control. If your meter shows a change in voltage, the wire being tested
is the dimmer circuit, which is the incorrect wire. Connecting the White wire to a dimmer
circuit can damage the dimmer control.
The headlight wire will show Positive 12 Volts when the light switch is in the "Head-
light" position only. If the High/Low Beam switch is part of the light switch, there will be
separate high beam and low beam wires.
In some cars the Accessory wire at the ignition switch may need powering; examples
are to allow the HVAC system to operate or to keep dash warning lights off . If this need
is encountered, the White wire may be used for this purpose instead of being applied to the
Page - 13
Continued Next Page
After calculating the required current draw, always fuse the added relays at their source.
Further understanding of ignition switch operation is to view it from a schematic
level. The following schematic is of a basic ignition switch, such as those found in many
older vehicles. Many early Asian imports had as little as four wires total at the ignition
switch, although there were variations on ignition switch positions. Note that the operat-
ing parts of the Ignition Switch consists of two separate sets of electrical contacts (or
Accessory: Power is supplied only to Ac-
cessory circuits, which usually are the ra-
dio and wipers. These circuits are also
powered in the "Run" position.
Start: This position supplies
power to the Starter circuit. In this
position the Ignition circuit is also
powered.
Lock: No circuits are powered and
the steering wheel is locked.
*
An exception is power supply to the transmission control module in some late model G.M. vehicles.
Understanding Ignition Switch Operation: Since the RS-4LX duplicates the ac-
tions that occur within the ignition switch, understanding how an ignition switch operates
is helpful in determining the proper installation parameters. This is especially true of
newer vehicles, which are utilizing more and more multiple Ignition and Accessory cir-
cuits. The following are the ignition key positions of a typical ignition switch:
Run: Supplies power to the Ignition,
HVAC and Accessory circuits. All cir-
cuits necessary for normal operation.
Off: Typically, no circuits are powered.
*
Page - 28
White Wire:
Connection If Desired
This wire is used to turn on the vehicle's exterior lights if not needed for the HVAC
system. It can be connected to either the parking lights or the headlights, but not both
unless a pair of relays are used. The parking lights will allow for a 360
O
field of view for
a visual confirmation that RS-4LX has been activated. If connecting to the headlights,
connect to the low beams. In addition to visual confirmation of activation, the headlights
can be used to light the way to the car or house. The best place to access these wires is at
the light switch, although in a small number of vehicles, notably Toyotas, these circuits are
Negative Ground at the light switch. In Toyotas, the White wire may be connected di-
rectly to the Positive parking lights circuit by finding a Green wire in the driver's kick
panel or at the fuse marked "Tail".
The parking light wire will show Positive 12 Volts when the light switch is in the
"Parking" and "Headlight" positions. When such a wire is located, be sure to operate the
dash light dimmer control. If your meter shows a change in voltage, the wire being tested
is the dimmer circuit, which is the incorrect wire. Connecting the White wire to a dimmer
circuit can damage the dimmer control.
The headlight wire will show Positive 12 Volts when the light switch is in the "Head-
light" position only. If the High/Low Beam switch is part of the light switch, there will be
separate high beam and low beam wires.
In some cars the Accessory wire at the ignition switch may need powering; examples
are to allow the HVAC system to operate or to keep dash warning lights off . If this need
is encountered, the White wire may be used for this purpose instead of being applied to the
Page - 13
Continued Next Page
After calculating the required current draw, always fuse the added relays at their source.
Further understanding of ignition switch operation is to view it from a schematic
level. The following schematic is of a basic ignition switch, such as those found in many
older vehicles. Many early Asian imports had as little as four wires total at the ignition
switch, although there were variations on ignition switch positions. Note that the operat-
ing parts of the Ignition Switch consists of two separate sets of electrical contacts (or
Accessory: Power is supplied only to Ac-
cessory circuits, which usually are the ra-
dio and wipers. These circuits are also
powered in the "Run" position.
Start: This position supplies
power to the Starter circuit. In this
position the Ignition circuit is also
powered.
Lock: No circuits are powered and
the steering wheel is locked.
*
An exception is power supply to the transmission control module in some late model G.M. vehicles.
Understanding Ignition Switch Operation: Since the RS-4LX duplicates the ac-
tions that occur within the ignition switch, understanding how an ignition switch operates
is helpful in determining the proper installation parameters. This is especially true of
newer vehicles, which are utilizing more and more multiple Ignition and Accessory cir-
cuits. The following are the ignition key positions of a typical ignition switch:
Run: Supplies power to the Ignition,
HVAC and Accessory circuits. All cir-
cuits necessary for normal operation.
Off: Typically, no circuits are powered.
*
Page - 28