Printer Friendly Forum Posts - Clifford RS3.5 alarm, 95 civic EX coupe

Hi everyone, I am new to this site. I am installing a Clifford RS3.5 alarm on my 95 civic EX coupe. I was wondering if any could help me. How do I mount the hood trigger? And what kind of screws or anyway else there is to mount the brain?

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Tommy V.

well..it depends on what sort of hood trigger,,,push-pin,,mercurey(my personal fav)or using the factory lead..

push pin type are ok..if you dont mind drilling into your vehicle to mount it,the snaking the wiring through the vehicle..ect...

i use a mercurey switch,made by DEI...it works 2 fold...triggering my alpine sec8052 if the hood is opened & tripping if my car is towed.

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"who would have thought that it would have left such a big hole...."

use a pin switch mounting bracket if you cant find a good place to drill a hole... they make life a lot easier and are less than a buck !

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

Kgerry, where do you get these pin switch mounting brackets, I have been using small 90 degree pieces of support metal for furniture and other 90 degree angles that need to be put together.

lots of companies make them... i usually get them from DEI for about 65 cents each... nice thing is they are already threaded for the pin switch to screw in... just mount it and off you go....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

The mounting bracket's a better way to go even if you do have a place to drill a hole, because you can find a place for the bracket in a dry area. That'll give you a longer time before the pin switch corrodes and stops working, unless you put in a good weathersealed one.
I like mercury switches for long term reliability, except they're probably harder to find with all the worry about toxicity and stuff. May also be sensitive to parking angle if adjusted for small opening angles.

Merc switches arnt too hard to come by..i got 3 off of ebay for pretty cheap...

if your tech savy enough you can make one out of an old thermostat.i did this many years ago...it worked out pretty nifty.

the angles...as long as the switch is at a steep angle,hill parking shouldnt be an issue.most thieves will lift the hood up pretty far,not thinking theres a trigger attached...

one remedy is to park facing down hill...

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"who would have thought that it would have left such a big hole...."

I actually had a friend save two thermostats for me so I could do exactly that- I was going to put it inside a film canister or pill bottle for protection. Problem is, I don't remember where I put them... posted_image

Saw a well encased mercury switch being sold in some Circuit City or Best Buy type place, it was something like $17. Kinda pricey for a blob of mercury- I'll have to check the ebay route and see who's got them.

I don't mind the tilt sensitivity too much, I can deal with it to have something that won't develop problems down the line like normal pinswitches will. The tilt sensitivity might be a plus for tow detection anyway.

I am installing a Clifford RSX3.5 in a 95 civic EX. I got the alarm to work, I can armed it and disarm it from remote. But, when i popped the hood, to see if the hood trigger was working, the siren didnt go off. Now I think i wired the trigger to the wrong wire. Its a push pin trigger btw. The wire I used is the orange on the primary 12pin Harness of DEI alarms. I think its for the trigger, because it says when its sees ground, Any help please?

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Tommy V.

95showcivic, I believe you are right when you say you have the wrong wire. On the RSX3.5 there should be a specific hood pin wire, usually colored grey. Check your installation manual for it but I'm fairly certain this is the wire you need.

that grey wire is on the remote start harness, thats for if the car is remotely started, then the hood is opened, the car will shut off. But i am not installing a remote start, just alarm. and the wire to the hood trigger should be on the primary harness, which im not sure if i have right wire..any help guys?

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Tommy V.

use the gray wire.... on the remote start that wire is used for both the hood trigger and remote start

the thing is, I am not installing the remote start. I have seen the hood trigger wired up by one of the wires from the primary harness and seen it work. I just dont remember which wire it is i used from that harness. I thought it was the orange. I am trying to make sure.

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Tommy V.

the orange on the promary harness is the armed output wire, which provides a - signal when the car is armed, that is the wrong wire you used. for the hood trigger you want to use the blue(h1/7) or the gray (h3/4) on the remote start harness for the hood. if you used the blue for the trunk input you want to diode isolate the trunk and the hood pin wires or your trunk light will turn on when the hood is open.

the best place ive found to mount the pin switches in the 92-00 civics are on the cowling right next to the right side of the battery, there is a plastic clip there, just cut it off and make the hole alittle bigger for a hood pin. you can cut the plastic part of the hood pin so it triggers sooner. ive never had a probelem with it being there, and it would be impossible to ever bypass manually since is way back in the engine.

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There are 10 types of people in the world, ones that understand binary and ones that dont.

Ok, i understand what you saying. I did use the blue wire and ran it to the trunkpin. my alarm has 5 Zones, and the hood being one of them. How would the alarm sense the hood is open, if the hood trigger is wired to the blue wire, which on my diagram is suppose to be wired to the trunkpin? It also says Grey (-) Hoodpin shutdown input, I know what that wire does, but I am not hooking up a remote start, only the alarm.

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Tommy V.

why don't u just use the gray for hood input and the blue for trunk and be done with it why make it harder on yourself........ tape up the other 4 wires on that harness and there u go nice and simple no need for diodes. just makes it harder on a newbie if u wanna use the blue wire for both trunk and hood

so if i hook up that grey wire, will the alarm siren go off when the hood is popped?

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Tommy V.

How many different people have to tell you to use the grey wire for the hood pin before you listen? It doesn't matter if you are not installing the remote start. If you use the grey wire, the remote will show the hood icon for your hood. If you diode isolate it with the blue wire and trunk pin, you won't be able to tell which zone is triggered.

Since you aren't installing the remote start portion.....
How did you wire up the starter kill? Did you still connect any of the wires from the relay pack?

If you aren't installing the relay pack you should do the following:
Cut the ribbon cable that connects the alarm brain and the relay pack. You will need to connect the yellow wire in the ribbon cable to the ignition wire in the car.
You can then use the ORANGE / black in the ribbon cable or the orange wire in the primary harness (the wire you were using for your hood pin input) to trigger the starter kill relay. Connect it to 85 on a relay.....86 to ignition.....cut the starter wire...... 30 to one side, 87a to the other side.

I am not hooking up the starter kill, because I already installed a starter kill and a fuel kill a few months back. So i dont need that optional kill from the alarm. And i heard everyone say grey, I was just making sure that i understand fully what will happen when that grey wire is connected to the hoodpin. I want to understand fully all of the alarm functions.. thats all...calm the attitude.

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Tommy V.

Why are you reluctant to use the grey wire?
Seems like the function was explained in fairly good detail. Is it just because you don't have that harness connector hooked up and want an alternative?

If you're working with a new alarm, it's usually worthwhile to bench test every function you're planning to use so you know what you need before you put it all in and close it up.