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Installing the EV headlight flasher mod

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by tacomel, Jul 25, 2006.

  1. tacomel

    tacomel New Member

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    After much reading, I am planning to do the headlight flasher EV mod in the relatively near future. My goal is to determine whether I like having the EV installed for free, before purchasing either an OEM button or Coastal kit.

    Since the Prius I'll be partially disassembling is also my means of transportation, I desire to avoid making a run for parts in the middle of the project. I'm looking for some validation from someone who's done this that this is the procedure in a nutshell:

    (1) Remove bottom cover of steering wheel
    (2) Unplug flasher plug
    (3) Remove 2 unused pins
    (4) Remove glove boxes
    (5) Remove HV ECU plug
    (6) Solder pins from #3 to either end of 6 foot 22 gauge speaker wire
    (7) Insert one end of said wire into #27 on HV ECU
    (8) Unplug purple wire from flasher and insert other end of said wire into its spot
    (9) Reassemble HV ECU, glove boxes, flasher plug, steering wheel

    Tools on hand: Phillip's screwdriver, jeweler's screwdriver, 22 gauge wire, wire stripper/cutter, soldering iron, solder, electrical tape, paper clip.

    If I misunderstood the procedure or I'm missing any tools or steps, please let me know.

    And one last question: I assume that removing the purple wire (#8) is reversible - the pin stays attached to the purple wire and could be re-inserted, right?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    #1 tacomel, Jul 25, 2006
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    That all sounds good to me. Supposedly you don't even need to solder the pins to the wire, there are little 'blades' that cut into the insulation to make the contacts....but I always soldered.

    The flasher mod is the least labor intensive way to accomplish the mod. and it's quite effective.

    Also, I can't imagine any reason to purchase the coastal mod once you've done the Flasher EV mod...no advantage and, to me, it's disadvantageous b/c of the delay before the EV mode kicks in.

    The OEM button is nice since it does it's own job and you won't be flashing your headlights at anyone.
     
    #2 efusco, Jul 25, 2006
  3. tacomel

    tacomel New Member

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    Thanks for your reply - and also for the writeup with the pictures in the knowledge base that led me to believe that I can succeed in doing this. I'm looking forward to trying it out, and if as I suspect it helps out with a few specific situations in my driving (e.g. parking ramp at work) I just might go for the OEM button. I'd assume that the wire I'm running to pin #27 could be re-used in the OEM mod, which should prevent at least some of the necessary disassembly.
     
    #3 tacomel, Jul 25, 2006
  4. Vincent

    Vincent Don't Wait Until Tomorrow

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    Consider the Coastal Kit

    I'm all thumbs (on both hands) and panicked when I first saw the ECU wire harnesses, but I did the installation anyway (encouraged by PC members) in about 45 minutes and it worked immediately.
     
    #4 Vincent, Jul 25, 2006
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Taco Mel @ Jul 25 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]292157[/snapback]</div>
    Yea, totally reusable, you shouldn't ever need to mess with the Pin #27 plug again. You will, however, have to find a ground (not a big deal) when you switch to the OEM button.
     
    #5 efusco, Jul 25, 2006
  6. Cheap!

    Cheap! New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Taco Mel @ Jul 25 2006, 02:26 PM) [snapback]292116[/snapback]</div>
    Between steps 2 and 3;
    The plug is two parts top and bottom that need to be taken apart. Two clips on the plug need to be removed and then put a thin knife between the two halves and they will pop apart. Don't worry as they pop together again once you've recovered the pins and the clips go back on for added measure. For me figuring out how to get the pins out was a guessing game. The first time I was not pushing on the right place and I started to push the empty pin through the plastic of the plug and it got stuck. Second one I did correctly but pushed it too hard and it went flying into the car. I found it weeks later. The next two came out fine and every thing else went off without a hitch. I got white 22 gauge wire to match all of the others in the dash. Now just looking you can’t tell it is there. I may go to a switch someday but I think I will trade up to a 2008 in a year so I don't want to leave that in this car. It's a toss up.
     
    #6 Cheap!, Jul 27, 2006
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