[ArmandHammer]

Hi, new to this forum as I just acquired an 87 Dodge Daytona ShelbyZ in good shape but everything is original and 35 years old. I mean everything is original, dry rotted and nothing has been modified.
Power door locks work well. I'm trying to install an aftermarket keyless entry system to have the door locks work with a remote . I'm trying to install the Directed Electronics Inc./ Avital # 2101L and can't seem to figure out the wiring. This system is exactly the same as the popular basic keyless system DEI/ Viper 451m and uses the same wiring harness. I searched this forum and found several posts but no one, that I could find, has successfully installed one and have it work properly. I have the Dodge wiring diagram but can't seem to have all the functions work.
Has anyone installed a positive 5-wire reverse polarity keyless entry system?

 

[85lebaront2]

I installed one on my 1985 Lebaron convertible that also included remote start. It was made by a company named DesignTech in Springfield VA. They were acquired by Directed Electronics Inc. who promptly raised the prices and dropped all the DesignTech items. I can pull up the Daytona wiring from my AllData and probably find the DEI Avital 210L information. I do not remember right now if the system had a unlock one/unlock all or just did all. I had one on my convertible and another on my wife's Lincoln Town Car and later on her Grand Caravan.

I did score a replacement on eBay for my 1986 convertible.

 

[ArmandHammer]

Thanks Bill,
I do have my Daytona Shelby wiring diagram for the door locks and the DEI/ Avital # 2101L instructions and thought I had the wiring correct but it blows a fuse. Because your LeBaron and my Daytona Shelby have the reverse polarity switches something is not correct. The DEI./ Avital # 2101L booklet does not have instructions or diagrams for reverse polarity systems, only identifies what each wire is and tells you to have it professionally installed. Two of the wires (Violet and Violet/Black) are joined/fused and came that way. I'm wondering because of reverse polarity, if those Violet wires need to be disconnected? Since you had your LeBron working if you experienced this issue or how you did it. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[d_snook6]

You need to add relays for the reverse polarity, on my car there are two relays I believe added located in the drivers kick panel.

 

[85lebaront2]

Correct, I had a pair in the kick panel area on my 1985 Lebaron for the locks. The 1986 has a 1990 J body Lebaron convertible harness and a 1989 dash so there is a large relay panel for just about everything electrical.

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

power locks , windows and seat use a circut breaker..not a fuse

a fuse will always burn up if used for these unless you are really quick to release the button at "end of travel" of the mechinism
the circut breaker trips , then resets .. this is why you hear the mechinism clicking once it reaches end of travel

the circut breakers are the silver "boxes on the fuse panel that fit in any regular fuse position..except they go in the position for the locks windows or seat
usually there are only two circut breakers in our cars

 

[ArmandHammer]

Edit - no need for relays as the Avital comes built in.
So I do need relays. I wonder why the DEI./ Avital # 2101L booklet does not mention anything about relays however, does mention to get it professionally installed. Hope you all don't mind I will use this forum for professional advice : ) Back to figuring out the wiring diagram and installing two relays then...Thank you all,

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

well, you need the circut breakers mopar would have put in the fuse box for the power motor equiped accessories.. first and formost..

Idono about relays..that would be part of the remote lock deal you wanna add

but power accessories NEED circut breakers or you'll have a blown fuse EVERYTIME you run them

 

[85lebaront2]

So I do need relays. I wonder why the DEI./ Avital # 2101L booklet does not mention anything about relays however, does mention to get it professionally installed. Hope you all don't mind I will use this forum for professional advice : ) Back to figuring out the wiring diagram and installing two relays then...Thank you all,

If you can send me a copy of the installation manual I can see how it is laid out compared to my DesignTech.

 

[ArmandHammer]

The DEI/ Avital # 2101L installation manual is here online:

Loading…

www.directeddealers.com

Page 4 lists the harness and all the connectors labeled. With some luck maybe the harness will be the same including the wiring colors.
Thank you so much for taking a look.

 

[85lebaront2]

Got it. I will look it over tomorrow and see. I did a quick scan and see it does have the "progressive unlock" meaning it unlocks the driver's door first then can do the other(s). This was how the one on the Lincoln and Grand Caravan worked (also the factory system on our two Ford Flexes).

 

[85lebaront2]

I looked at the power lock circuit on the 1987 Daytona (G body) it is exactly the same as my K27 body Lebaron convertibles. Two actuators and two switches. The circuit uses a 30 amp breaker (like the windows and my power seat). There is no two stage unlock feature, but I would recommend using relays due to the potential current draw. My DesignTech installation manual recommends relays for direct controlled locks due to the current involved. The manual for your Avital says it can control power locks up to 30 amps so it may work correctly without relays.

The system is somewhat strange on the wiring, but pretty much the same as most systems that do not use a body computer. The left (driver) side switch is the master, right (passenger) side switch is the slave. The easiest way to get it to work correctly involves using the dual 14 ga gray wires on the left side switch. The switch connects the desired side of the motor (lock or unlock) to the 12 ga red wire and leaves the other side grounded. The right side switch does the same, but more indirectly as the ground circuit has to go back to the left switch.

If the Avital has two lock system circuits that are grounded at rest (module not asked to do anything) and can be connected to power in lock or unlock mode, then this will work with no relays.
First go into the door harness and find the two 14 ga gray wires and cut them with as much length as you can (there is a splice somewhere in the door or kick panel area) take one and ground it, and apply 12 V to the other, see which way the locks go, reverse the connections and again verify which way the locks go.

Now, on the Avital module, it mentions several lock circuit connections, H1-5 through H1-9 and then H1-17. You need two (lock/unlock) that are grounded at rest and powered in the lock or unlock mode. I believe there is a typo as H1-6 should be 87A. Connections should be gray lock wire to H1-5, a ground from H1-6 and 12V to H1-7 then gray unlock wire to H1-8, a ground from H1-17 and 12V to H1-9. This will leave the stock switches functional and the Avital will also be able to lock and unlock your doors.

 

[ArmandHammer]

Wow! All the detail is much appreciated and in such a nice way that I can follow you written directions clearly in my mind without even looking at the wiring diagram. Or maybe because I have looked at our car's power door lock's wiring diagram so much it is permanently imprinted in my brain. I see where my problems were. I thought I can use the main wires to the motor for it to be centrally tied but I see how you are explaining it. When you say " gray unlock wire" do you think I can use the PINK wire and when you say " gray lock wire" can I use the ORANGE wire? Or will it not work because they are going thru the switch? I already have splices on the orange and pink wires.
Thank you for all your help.

 

[85lebaront2]

If you do that, they will short to ground unless you remove the switches. What I did was give you a way to retain the manual switches and have the remote also.

 

[ArmandHammer]

Oh I see, OK Thanks. I've been showing my 16 year old son all the wiring and your suggestions, since we jointly own the car and are restoring it together. He is very interested in all the restoration but he is very busy with school. We'll try it tonight when we both get home.- Thanks

 

[85lebaront2]

To get at the wiring effectively, you will need to remove the door panel and the driver's side kick panel There is a rubber conduit between the door and body that all the wires run through. Problem is they are taped together and to the conduit. First thing is the find the splice (probably in the door portion of the harness) where the two gray wires go into the ground portion (which may be black or gray). The actual ground point may be down near the bottom of the A pillar to floor connection as Chrysler carried the grounds into the main part of the body.

Once you find and cut the gray wires from the switch off the ground portion, take them and ground one and power the other, repeat with them reversed. Id them as to unlock or lock when powered. Use the #30 wires as ID'd in the Avital instructions as lock or unlock, ground the 87A wires and connect 12V (use the power lock supply red wire) to the 87 wires.

 

[ArmandHammer]

Thanks BIll for the clarification,
Before putting it on the car, last night I bench tested your set-up with a 12v battery and voltmeter to see if everything will work properly with the Avital. It kind of did. I could hear the relays clicking and checked for voltages and continuity. Everything seemed to work as it should, sometimes. I could hear the lock relay had one click and the unlock two clicks. Sometimes the unlock relay would not always click properly ( I would have to push the unlock button several times) and sometimes inititate several seconds after pushing the remote button and somtimes I would hear a third click much later. When that happens I would not get a signal. Not sure, but I probably fried it earlier or maybe one of the relays was always bad in the Avital. I ordered another one and will see how that behaves. The saga continues...

 

[85lebaront2]

If I can find my 1987 factory service manual set electrical volume I will scan the splices page that shows where that ground splice is located. If you are lucky it might be at the ground lug on the body. As for getting the wires to the driver's lock switch, in the left side cavity behind the kick panel, there should be some multiple connectors where the door harness connects to the dash harness. Find one that is reasonably accessible and unplug it. I will tell you how to get it apart and then snake a piece of string, maybe even do 3 at one shot, to pull in the needed wires for the Avital lock controls.

 

[85lebaront2]

Ok, I could not find my 1987 electrical volume, but I think the 1986 is pretty close (circuit numbers and diagrams match from what I can tell) splice X2-6 is inside the door as per the attached picture of the page. Apparently, the G body may not have had any connectors in the kick panel cavity. so feeding additional wires for the power lock system will not be easy. If you can remove the lower dash cover, and if it has a portion that can be removed it will be easier. The parts fiche shows that it may as the 1987 G body started sharing parts with the J body since the J body Lebaron coupe replaced the G body Laser starting in 1987. I would find a connector that goes from the 25 way left dash connector into the door, there should be a 3 pin with a pink and a yellow and maybe a white, or a 2 pin which will be for the speaker. Either will do, but will need to be unplugged so it can be disassembled. If you can locate the large 12ga) red wire that feeds the power locks, there is a single in-line connector, unplugging and disassembling this might do what you need.

If you find you can't thread the red wire back into the door (you will have to untape the harness for access) then you will need to get the harness pulled back into the door so you can get it out in the open. To do this, first put the window up all the way, then proceed to unplug all the connections (may involve pulling up part of the carpet to get the lock harness unplugged on the right side) and undo the ground. The harness conduit goes in from the door to the inside of the car and goes from the inside of the door to the area between the door and cowl. The cowl end is just a large round rubber piece that snaps in to the cowl side, the door portion is rectangular and has a metal reinforcement, the sides can be pushed in allowing it to unseat and move inward. There are probably several large harness clips that keep the wires away from the window as it goes up and down.

You will need a piece of string to pull through with the red wire, and two wires of your color choice for the remote lock/unlock connections. Once that is done, connections made and everything reinstalled you will probably want a plug for the connection to the Avital module and if you do the same on the red wire, that will give you the power source for the Avital lock/unlock power. I do have a lot of Chrysler electrical connectors and terminals if you need them.

 

[ArmandHammer]

Thank you Bill the door drawing and the book helps a lot. I don't know how I will ever repay you. These are some valuable resources. When finished I'll post a summary write-up with pictures for the next person who wants to put in a remote keyless entry in our cars.

Bummer the splice X2-6 is inside the door. After replacing the window scrapers I thought I would never have to go into the door again, but now I can easily take it apart without breaking anything. Also a bummer is that the cowl end harness is difficult to get to. I can barely reach up in there with the side kick panel off. I don't want to break anyhting all the wiring and attachments seem fragile.

On the bright side the X2 ground is right there close to the floor and the power-seat power W5 12 gauge red wire is also right there (as seen in this picutre dangling behind the emergency brake foot pedal) for easy connection to +12V connection. I think all I'll need to do is run two wires to the X2 splice inside the door to cut and solder to the gray lock and unlock wires. I can hide the Avital box behind the kick panel. What do you think?