2008 chevy express/viper 5704/dball

I need a little help on finishing this install. I am installing 5704 with DBALL in a 2008 Chevy Express cargo van.

I am using the following reference documents. Advance warning links start downloads. They are not web viewable.

• DBALL Vehicle Wiring Reference Chart
• Python 574 Installation Guide (from download section)

1. The DBALL instructions indicate that the RAP OFF connection is "Gray/black in pink Conn. X6 at BCM, pin 10", where is this physically located?

2. The DBALL instructions show the Accessory and Ignition connections to be at the ignition switch with the R. Code wiring. I've identified the R. Code connection by metering. The other two are no brainers other than the fact that the wiring from the 5704 is 12 gauge wire. It is just this large to maintain compatiblity with vehicles that do not handle starting through the onboard computer? Put another way, do these heavy gauge wires on the 5704 (pink, green, purple, orange, red) really make up to the smaller gauge wires at the key switch harness?

3. A color key found elsewhere on this site (I think) shows ignition 1 as Tan/White, Starter 1 as Violet. Do I need to connect to these instead of the wires in #2?

4. I'm using the D2D connection with the DBALL, yet the DBALL instructions show needing to connect directly to the parking lights. Is this really needed?

5. The 5704 installation instructions list Pink in H3 harness as (+) Ignition 1 Input/Output? in and out?

6. What's the story with the light flashing polarity fuse? Is Chevy + or - ?

7. Is the brake shutdown wiring only required if not using D2D ?

8. DBALL Vehicle Wiring Reference Chart also mentions something about vehicles without "Express window up/down" having special wiring requirements. I do not have power windows. Is this needed ?

9. Lastly... The DBALL instructions (without RFLOOP) show actually cutting the Accessory (Brown or Yellow, Brown in my case) in the TDM (Theft Deterrent Module) ? Is this correct?

Sorry for all of the questions. I tried to be as specific and clear as possible. If these questions have been asked and answered somewhere else on the forums, I am sorry. Searching didn't yield any results.

And before someone decides my forum user name merits smart comments, I'm an electrician, and do not work in the auto industry in any way. The cheapo Audiovox I installed on my previous work vehicle, 99 Dodge Ram, was far simpler to install.

Thank you very much for any help you can offer. Vehicle dash is apart and would like to finish and put everything back together as soon as I can manage. So if you only have a partial answer, please throw it out there. Every little bit will help.

I located BCM, so question #1 can be disregarded.

Also disregard #4 & #7, they are easy enough to do, so I already wired them up.

2. Yes, the wires are heavy gauge for vehicles/applications where they are required, to allow for high current draw.

6. Parking lights can be hooked up + or -. It's easier to do (-) in that vehicle. It's listed as light blue @ the headlight switch, or @ BCM white plug, pin #8. (Remember to test every single wire. Don't trust any particular info-it's only a guide) 

8. If you want your radio to shut off if you remote start the van & then you don't go into the van (actually open the driver's door), then you need to hook this up.

9. Yes, you need to cut the brown wire in your case. It seems odd, but you need to follow the specific instructions for the bypass module to work properly.

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Good Enough Isn't!

I don't install DEI products, but I'm trying to help. 

3. I don't see tan/white on my vehicle diagram. Disregard that.

Don't connect the purple from the van for a remote start-it's for starter kill only. If you are doing an alarm, you'll have to hook up to starter wire under the hood. It's listed as purple @ underhood fuse box, black 62 pin plug, pin 62. But I don't think you can use the heavy violet & green wires of remote start. This vehicle doesn't require a "starter" wire. Someone else will have to give you advice on this.

Follow the DBALL directions exactly if you want it all to work. Only connect the pink (ignition), brown (accessory) & pink (R code), from the Ignition switch.

5. Hook up pink in H3 harness (+) Ignition, to pink (ignition) of ignition switch. 

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Good Enough Isn't!

Thank you to everyone for the help. I have it all installed and all seems to be working properly except the remote start. I was planning on using virtual tach (especially since so many say to not use actual tach). I am having trouble with programming unit to be in Automatic Transmission Mode.

Follow is what I'm doing.

Door open, key on, key off, press and hold control button release after 3 chirp burst, ...

Fine up to here. It's now in Menu 3 and I need to change Feature 1 to be option 2. What do I do after above steps? The book says to press and release Control button, but there are no chirps on these pushes and I can't tell what's going on.

Without buying a BitWriter, which I will only use once, I'm thinking it might be easier to just hook up the tach wire.

You are doing it correctly. After the 3 chirps, release the prog button. press once again and release. Press and hold until you hear one chirp and continue to hold the button. Press unlock to hear 2 chirps. Release the button and turn on the ignition. The siren will wail for a split second. You have changed it to auto.

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Ted
2nd Year Tier 1 Medical School
Still installing as a hobby...pays for groceries
Compustar Expert

Well this is just sucking. Thank you Ted, I got it reprogrammed and it was working perfectly. I remote started and stopped it several times. Then tested the brake shutdown. Won't start with remote or key now?

If that makes absolutely no sense, I guess it is possible that when trying to get everything concealed something happened, but I doubt that. All connections were soldered and taped.

There are no flashes reported by the alarm upon 3 failed attempts.

At one point I was heading back out to try something else and the disarming of the Viper triggered an alarm using the horn and not the siren. Unless I changed the Viper to start using the horn, I have no idea what is happening now.

The DBALL is still showing programmed correctly with it's flashes.

I've had to jump the vehicle twice due to the battery being weak. I believe it's needing replaced as it has been behaving that way for a while. Did the battery running down affect something?

Thanks again in advance.

PS Alarm still working

Just deliberately triggered alarm. Viper is using siren and not horn.

Is it possible that GM included some wiring that would support factory alarm even though it doesn't have one?   Bought vehicle used, and don't think it has a factory system. It had no lock actuators, I had to add them.

can you start the vehicle with the system disarmed or unlocked? if that is the case, you have the starter kill (green and purple) are reversed.

if the system is not responding to the start command at all, but lock and unlock still works, you could have accidently unplugged the NSS switch, or the nss wire is not being grounded properly. keep us posted. remember, because a starter is soldered, doesnt mean there is a cold solder you might have overlooked.

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Ted
2nd Year Tier 1 Medical School
Still installing as a hobby...pays for groceries
Compustar Expert

No, the vehicle will not start disarmed and unlocked even with the key.

As it is wired now, green and purple are not even connected. I did not think I would need to connect those due to DBALL. It seems like there is a starter kill that the onboard computer needs to be told to clear.

The purple and green wires (keep in mind they are not connected) have continuity between them until the ignition is turned on with the key or when using remote start. If I were to tie the purple and green together, effectively removing starter kill from Viper, could that cause any harm? Seems like no since neither is connected to anything and they are basically just connected through a relay within the unit.

When remote start is activated the accessories all turn on and the ignition circuit powers up. When it 'tries' to crank they all turn off, which is normal even with the key if I remember correctly.

Bulldog diagrams show factory security as N/A; however the light green wire on the Silverado diagram (2007-2011) shows a 12volts and then when grounded you can hear a relay of shorts on the drivers side operate. It makes no difference though.

Don't connect the green and purple together. Just cut them and tape them off. Sounds like a bypass issue, disconnect the dball and does the vehicle function return to normal?

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Ted
2nd Year Tier 1 Medical School
Still installing as a hobby...pays for groceries
Compustar Expert

Had already tied together, no affect on anything. They are taped off now again. Unplugging the DBALL does allow me to start with the key.

I am using D2D. The DBALL constantly flashes green when trying to remote start, which is supposed to mean the GWR is active. I am going to try to connect the GWR status wire directly.

It is behaving like it thinks the van is already running when trying to start, so it is making some sense. I think, anyway.

Thanks to everyone for the help. And for all the previous posts that indicated the buggyness of D2D. You would think Directed would be able to make products that work together. It is a joke that the DBALL instructions specifically state that no connections are needed in an entire wiring harness due to D2D, yet it won't operate properly without at least some connections. Hope the system continues to work in its current state.

The W2W connection on the GWR fixed it immediately. All is working! (again) And it survived brake shutdown twice to restart again.

And the issues continue...

I am convinced that the vehicle must have some sort of factory alarm on it. It doesn't happen all the time, but today when I disarmed the alarm and it triggered an alarm that sounded the vehicle horn. It could not be turned off by rearming/disarming. I got the key in the ignition before it stopped and the van started right up.

However, I know think this is the source of the bypass error from a few days ago. If I don't get the key in the ignition before the horn stops on its own, it triggers an ignition kill that I can then only clear buy unplugging the DBALL. (I have also been reprogramming the DBALL, but that may not be necessary as I haven't tried without doing it.)

I know that there is wiring to connect the Viper to the factory alarm to arm/disarm but, the wiring diagrams for the vehicle do not even show wiring for that. I'm not sure what the point to that is unless some add the Viper for RS only. Where would I connect the arm/disarm wiring? Again, the wiring diagram for the Silverado 2007-2011 calls for a connection to light green at BCM pink plug pin #20. My van has this connection. Should I just connect the Viper disarm OEM alarm output to it?

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get the factory system to stop going off?

the dball should take care of the disarm for you. worst case is you can wire the factory alarm disarm from the viper to the vehicle. make sure you test the wire. you cant turn off a factory alarm in that vehicle.

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Ted
2nd Year Tier 1 Medical School
Still installing as a hobby...pays for groceries
Compustar Expert

The dilemma is that I don't know how to test that wire. The wiring diagrams for my van don't show a wire to connect to. Should I use the Silverado diagram? I do have a matching wire. It has 12v on it and when I ground it out I can hear a relay (it is not a standard relay sound however) operate somewhere on the driver's side. How would I confirm that it is right?

Also, is there a way to 'turn on' the OEM alarm so that the light in the dash that is the padlock laying over the auto will illuminate or flash? Just wondering. It would be nice if it could, but it doesn't really matter. I am going to leave it for a few more days and see if it does it again and if the light on the dash is on when it does triggers the OEM system.

set meter to 20v dc, red to constant 12v and black to the wire you're testing. with the door closed, place a key into the driver door keyhole. turn it to unlock. the meter will register 12-13v as long as you hold the key in the unlock position. same applies for arm, but you hold it in the lock position.

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Ted
2nd Year Tier 1 Medical School
Still installing as a hobby...pays for groceries
Compustar Expert