a few things i’m working on

I got my 5th Mustang a few months ago, heres wat im up to.

I deleted the ignition switch, A common issue on 1995 fords ripping the ignition out and starting it with a screw driver. Thought it would be neat.

-I ran 3 new 10 guage wires from the battery to 5 relays rated at 40apms each-There are 3 input wires to the switch and 5 output wires, so the wiring went well-I'm hoping to keep the current on each relay around 20 amps-I tied the remote start to these relays (not funtioning yet)-I made one of those momentary to constant setups in the relay section to keep the car running after I start with the remote start working (not tested yet)?Any suggestions on relays I should be using? I read there are double throw relays, are these better at sustaining current??How do you feel about running the car on relays rather than a mechanical switch?

I got a automatic headlight module from "Stone Automotive" on ebay

-The wiring diagram is in Chinese, So that gonna be fun :)

Lastly for this post

I got those chead HID's from amazon, Kensen I beleive

Anyone used these?

It seems I get what i pay for, the passenger side bulb is noticeably dimmer then the driversAll the wires seem to be oxidised right out of the box, I was planning on getting rid of the original wires and replacing it all with a more suitable guage and quality. Anyone ran into this, or know what i'm talking about?I did run them on a relay, the factory system pulls current through the switch, it was melted to begin with and i know HID's pull more current anywaysLet me know if you have any thoughts and thanks in advance, Ill post a pic of my momentary to constant relay

I stole some relays and conveinently some diodes too out of an old fuse box at work and wired this up, my main worry is if to much heat got in the relay from the soldering

I wouldn't run a car off of a "momentary to constant" latch relay. If the relay is subjected to vibration and the contact, even for a split second, breaks the car will shut off and most likely kill you or someone else (maybe a slight exaggeration but I wouldn't want you trying it out around me or my family.) The problem with a relay in that configuration is that the internal contact is spring loaded always trying to pull the contact back to the "normal" position. The only thing holding the contact in the energized position is the magnetic field created by running current through a coil. What happens is you hit a bump, the contact that is already trying to be pulled, by spring, away from the energized state breaks contact which then kills current to the coil, which then shuts the car off. If you were constantly applying power to the coil this extremely short "bounce" wouldn't cause a noticeable issue. I posted a video on YouTube years ago about how easy it is to break the the latch in a self latching relay - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLpVtDAb5o0Kevin Pierson

Thanks for the input, is there a better way to accomplish this? The remote start I'm using is a python 1401p or 4101p, I can't recall at the moment, I know you can't run it off of the system with all the safety's on the device. I was also thinking about how trustworthy that method would be anyways. Is there a device that can reliably keep a set if relays engaged off of a momentary signal? I know the new keyless cars accomplish this through their respective control modules

In an idea world you would have a secured ignition controller (RFID or RF) that after engaged would stay 'ON' until you pushed a button to turn it back off. Another idea would be to use a toggle switch, but you have security concerns there.Kevin Pierson

What about a simple logic module that receives a signal (momentary pos. or gnd.) and activates a driver that will turn on a relay(s). Until a second signal tells it to turn off. I see what your saying about the latching relay letting go. I'm trying to come up with a solution to what seemed like a simple obstacle. Currently I am using a toggle switch while I'm ironing out these details. I was hoping there is a device out there that already does this

Anything that outputs a constant signal to drive the relay should work OK.Kevin Pierson

The problem is the remote start aux wire only puts out a momentary signal, then I have to convert that to a constant somehow

KPierson wrote: Anything that outputs a constant signal to drive the relay should work OK.

What about a capacitor / diode on the latch relay's coil to keep it energized if it were to briefly shake open? The cap would supply the energy to close it again. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` I completely understand the concern Kevin has.But. :grin: I've been running a ghost switch relay array that relies on latches to keep the engine(s) running in 4 of my cars, the oldest installation now 4 years old. In 50K miles of cumulative use, including long distance trips where the systems are energized for 16+ hours a day, I have never had a "drop-out" or any malfunction whatsoever. My concern is more along the lines of relays are subject to mechanical failure. I'm more concerned about the system failing to activate and cause a no-start, or (less likely) a failure while driving, that may be inconvenient or unsafe to troubleshoot in a parking lot or on the side of the Interstate. So I have a well-hidden toggle switch that overrides the system. Cars quit while being driven all the time. The risk (in my mind) that has to be managed is the safety of the vehicle and its occupants while waiting for assistance. If my system is the cause, I can activate the override and be on my way.    I appreciate the input bringing up the possibility of a shock-event that could un-latch the latch, Kevin. I may go out to the bench later this evening and wire up a relay as a latch, bang it around on the bench, and see what it takes to get it to drop-out. My feeling is it will fail mechanically before it gets bounced open. Testing will tell. Respectfully,

This thread ended Jan 2013, not Jan 2014. Nevertheless, there is no use for cap etc for KP's "constant signal" output since it is constant. wrt relay failure, IMO relays are more reliable than mechanical switches - especially for loads of more than a few Amps - but failure redundancy is another issue. But FYI - I incorporate redundancy by spare relays (all of which are SPDT, and unpowered) and transfer possibilities via fuse positions). As for critical applications like a main IGN power relay, I'd expect redundant relays (2 or more relays) with the all important failure mode detection (else sufficiently frequent inspection).