Parking Light Wire; Door Switch Circuit - Auto Mate 415 Installation Manual

Finding a (+) Parking Iight Wire
The (+) parking light wire is often found near the switch. Many cars have the switch built into the turn signal lever,
and in these cars the parking light wire can be found in the steering column. The same wire is often available in
the kick panel or running board.
How to find a (+) parking light flash wire with your multimeter
1. Set to DCV or DC voltage (12V or 20V is fine).
2. Attach the (-) probe of the meter to chassis ground.
3. Probe the wire you suspect of being the parking light wire.
Usually, the area near the headlight/parking light switch is
an excellent area to start, as is the kick panel.
4. Turn on the parking lights. If your meter shows (+)12V, turn
off the parking lights and make sure it goes back to zero.
5. If it does return to zero, turn the parking lights back on and, using the dash light dimmer control, turn
the brightness of the dash lights up and down. If the meter changes more than a volt when using the
dimmer, look for another wire. If it stays relatively close to (+)12V, you have found your parking light
wire.
Finding the Door Pin Switch Circuit
The best places to find the door switch wire are:
At the pin switch: When testing at the pin switch, check the wire to ensure that it "sees" all the doors. Often,
the passenger switch will cover all the doors even if the driver's switch will not.
At the dome light: This may not be your best choice if the vehicle has delayed domelight supervision, but
it will work in vehicles with completely diode-isolated pin switches.
Once you have determined the wire color, the easiest place to connect to the wire is often at the kick panel, at the
windshield pillar, or in the running board. When an easy location is not available, running a wire to the domelight
itself is often the best solution.
How to find a door pin switch trigger wire with your multimeter:
1. Set to DCV or DC voltage (12V or 20V is fine).
2. In most cars, fasten the (+) probe of your meter to (+)12V constant.
3. Probe the wire you suspect of being the door trigger wire. If the meter reads (+)12V when any door is
opened and the meter goes to 0 with the door closed, you have found a trigger wire.
NOTE: Make sure the wire you use "sees" all the doors! Some newer vehicles lack standard-type pin-
switches. The dome light in these vehicles is turned on when the door handle is lifted. These usually have
a wire coming out of the door into the kick panel which will provide a (-) trigger for all doors.
6 N415A