Wings A Loft Basic Installation - Not easy

[Ryan S.]

I figured, installation would be easy. Well..I was wrong. I spent most of Sunday trying to figure out which wire is what and got confused even more.
Has anyone done this before? Do you have any good photos of your installation? I could use some detail shot of your relay compartment. I am wondering how people mount their new relays and which wires were tapped.

It comes with a written instruction but I could use some more photos. Novice installer like myself need some good step by step photos. I don't think it's a rocket science but I just don't want to cut any wrong wires.

Thanks
Ryan

[nullset]

Honestly, just call Toby.

He's very friendly and provided me with the help I needed when I was installing mine.

--buddy

[Michael]

It's a very involved installation, but if you take your time it's not too bad. It probably goes without saying but double check, make notes, and most importantly label your relay compartment and keep things tidy. I did mine over the course of 2 days (I alloted a week since it was solid rain for 6 dyas straight, nothing else to do). I spent about 7 hours on the driver side, and once I had it figured out it only took me about 2-3 to do the passenger side and get it all back together again. There was a bit of confusion on the relay schematics... look at those relays closely and make sure they match up on the schematic(mine didn't which caused me some initial confusion, I think the relays were changed after the schematic was drawn up).

Anyway, Like Buddy said, Toby was more than helpful over the phone and very courteous. In fact he is still open fo another 45 minutes if you want to give him a buzz. I'm sure he can give you some good advice.

[Ryan S.]

Thanks. I just called him and left him a vm. I did sent him an email this morning with questions.
Perhaps, you can answer this for me. Is this a diode? Also for the second photo, green arrow is the antenna wire, right? I almost used that as a ground wire.
Thanks
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8511/8549419718_6d64c7f3c9.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8549417656_90d1bce571.jpg

[nullset]

Yes, that's an isolation diode. The side with the bar corresponds with the anode of the diode.

It's made such that you use the "vampire tap" on whatever you need to isolate, then put the diode in, then run your wire to the other side.

Does that make sense?

--buddy

[Ryan S.]

Thanks Buddy!!!
I will try to tackle this again tonight or tomorrow.

[DMC5180]

Yes, the single black wire is the Antenna.

The Red and Black paired wires are the unit's power and ground.

[Ryan S.]

Thanks. It seems like I wasted several hours just trying to figure out which one is which. Good diagrams or photos would have been so helpful.

[DeLorean03]

I just did this installation back in Nov 2012. It took me 2-3 days because I went VERY slowly.

I did a couple videos on this as I went. I can't remember what all I said in each video, but you're more than welcome to look at them:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DeLorean03

Ask me anything you'd like. The install is still pretty fresh in my mind.

[kings1527]

What a coincidence on the timing of this thread. I'm in the middle of installing his Elite system with a remote battery disconnect.

Ugh.

Complex, yes. But I think I'm just about there. I've gone over my install several times and I know I have all the wiring correct, yet some of the button functions are working correctly. I think it's a programming issue but time will tell. Toby has been a big help but I think he's getting tired of my emails. Bottom line is, I've followed the instructions and the results are very nutty. I'll keep everyone posted what the problem turns out to be when I figure it out.

[Ryan S.]

Toby answered my questions. Now I have a much better understanding of the system and parts. I will try to tackle it again this evening.

[DeLorean03]

Complex, yes. But I think I'm just about there. I've gone over my install several times and I know I have all the wiring correct, yet some of the button functions are working correctly.

What are the symptoms that the system is doing incorrectly ?

[kings1527]

What are the symptoms that the system is doing incorrectly ?

Button III on my key fob is supposed to open my RH door, but it doesn't do anything.

In passive mode, Buttons I and II should open my LH and RH doors respectively, but don't do anything.

Tapping Button III in passive mode should disconnect my battery (I picked up the remote battery disconnect add-on). Instead, this launches my RH door.

Other than that, everything seems to be working OK. I can't test the remote start feature since I have my entire interior torn out of the car, including the door plungers. The Elite system has to read both doors are shut in order to have the remote start feature work. One thing worth noting with the remote start feature on 5-speeds: the system does NOT recognize it if you're in gear. The system will still operate.

[Ryan S.]

I stayed up late and hooked up almost everything. Tested and nothing. I reviewed all the wiring and I think I connected correctly. When I reset my remote, parking lights blink and all but won't do anything. Not even the trunk popper. If I manually connect the trunk opener to the power then it opens. Time to contact Toby.

[Michael]

I stayed up late and hooked up almost everything. Tested and nothing. I reviewed all the wiring and I think I connected correctly. When I reset my remote, parking lights blink and all but won't do anything. Not even the trunk popper. If I manually connect the trunk opener to the power then it opens. Time to contact Toby.

Check your fuses and remember to launch a door, you must hold the button down for like 2-3 seconds. Keeps them from accidentally popping when the fob is in your pocket. The door locks however should work as soon as the button is pressed.

[Ryan S.]

Toby just gave me a list of items to check/verify. I will go through wires and connectivity tonight. Damm... nothing is easy with this car.

[Michael]

Toby just gave me a list of items to check/verify. I will go through wires and connectivity tonight. Damm... nothing is easy with this car.

One thing I should mention is the connectors used are not the best(assuming they are still using the crimp splicers). It's good for a quick install, but later on you may want to soilder everything in place and use heat shrink tubing. If you did use those crimp splicers, go back and re-tighten, it's very possible one of the spades missed the wire.

[nullset]

One thing worth noting with the remote start feature on 5-speeds: the system does NOT recognize it if you're in gear. The system will still operate.

If you tell Toby you have a 5-speed, he sends you the unit preconfigured for "Reservation mode".

To enable remote start, you have to enter reservation mode, by:

With the engine running:
- Pull your parking brake
- Take your foot OFF the brake
- Turn the key off. The engine will stay running
- Get out and shut the door. The engine will shut down.

Now you can use remote start. If you open either door before triggering the remote start, or the alarm goes off, it will refuse to start. This makes sure you can't start it in gear.

--buddy

[DeLorean03]

After reading all of this, is this the BASIC kit at $199.... or did you buy a more deluxe or elite version...?

Mine is the $199 version, and I dont have remote start or battery control switches.

[Ryan S.]

One thing I should mention is the connectors used are not the best(assuming they are still using the crimp splicers). It's good for a quick install, but later on you may want to soilder everything in place and use heat shrink tubing. If you did use those crimp splicers, go back and re-tighten, it's very possible one of the spades missed the wire.

I checked all the connections, splices, and etc... all have good connections. Rechecked all the wirings and they are all correct. One thing that is not working is the remote learning mode. When I press valet button, I can only register one remote at a time. According to the instruction, I should be able to program the second one right after the first remote. But the light won't blink for the second remote. Tried multiple times with different remotes and still the same.
Checked motors and they are all working fine.

Powers are there. Ground is good. Motors are good, And connections are good. Do you think I have a bad controller?

[Michael]

I think its unlikely that you have a bad module but I wouldn't dismiss the idea. I wouldnt focus on the learning problem just yet until you get the setup working with the one remote. Did you put power to the actuators to see if they work?

If the actuators test ok, then I would really look close at those relays. I had a problem there in my installation. I did one door at a time to keep it as simple as possible. The relay diagram given didn't exactly match the relay posts. I can't remember if the design was different or the post arrangement was the same and the labels were different. Do you hear the relays working? If the actuators are good, and the wiring is not at fault, your next stop before suspecting the module is the relays since there are high probabilities for error. Be sure to test every step with a multimeter to eliminate the off chance of a broken wire or splice.

[Ryan S.]

I was wrong. It is not going into the learning mode at all. When I press valet button with key on, light blinks once then about 8 seconds later lights blink again. I mistakenly thought that it was learning but it wasn't. It always blink twice no matter what. I checked the controller yellow wire and made sure there was a power w ignition key on. It looks like it just goes to valet mode.
Actuators are all tested and working fine. I will test relays later today.
I think the problem is that I cannot put the controller into a learning mode and cannot program remotes.

[DeLorean03]

I remember as well, with my relay diagram, that the drawing/schematic given was like - a mirror image. The image was backwards and upside down of the tangible set of relays that I was holding in my hand. I had to be very careful and slow and make sure the orientation of the wires was accurate as it was in the drawing/schematic.

That could be the source of your problem.

[kings1527]

So I figured out my issue. As I expected, all of my wiring was correct. And with the Elite system, there's a ton of it. Toby was beside himself trying to figure out what the issue was and my problems were going on for about five days worth of work. It wasn't a total loss since I had other projects going on with it but nevertheless, it was a very unwelcome holdup.

It turns out that the manufacturer had changed versions of the system through improvements. What didn't change was Toby's key fob legend. In other words, I had version two of the Elite system but he gave me version one of the key fob legend and as you can imagine, just about everything was different between the two.

This was a big holdup and I've spent a lot of time :banghead: on this. I haven't tested the remote start feature since my door plungers are out of the car but another thing that wasn't included in the instructions was an RPM "learning" feature that is supposed to be done by the owner on the initial installation. That was another thing he thought of after the fact. Also, I was short one diode which they quickly shipped to me.

I'm pretty decent at putting stuff together if I'm given instructions that are complete and clear and I'd have to say both of those on this project were a bit below average. You gotta have all the parts and info for these things!

So, be sure to check you have the most recent updated instructions and key fob legend. As far as the remote start with a 5-speed goes, it appears it was possible to start the car in gear with the earlier versions of the system. It's good to see that's been corrected!

[Ryan S.]

Just received a replacement controller unit from Toby and it works perfectly. My passenger door is out of alignment so it doesn't open automatically but driver side works great. It's really cool.

[cybercusp]

This is obvious, but make sure to lubricate the door hinges. My wings-a-loft would launch the driver door perfectly but never the passenger door unless it was warm out. A few weeks ago I lubed both hinges and now the passenger door launches perfectly, even in the cold. Congrats on getting your system going! You're going to really like it.