Garage door opener

[trauh]

I installed a garage door opener in my 2001 C2 Cab by taking a handheld opener and soldering wires to the switch contacts. Then I purchased a switch for one of the blank slots to the left of the radio and connected the wires to that. I am trying to figure out how to illuminate the switch, but since one of the leads to illuminate the switch is already in use to complete the circuit for the garage door opener (which has its own power), I am not sure that i can safely do it. Has anyone else ever figured this out?

[Loren]

Have a look at Scouser's In-dash Spoiler Switch Mod in the DIY section here. He describes how he got power for illumination.

[Electric Lizard]

I installed a garage door opener in my 2001 C2 Cab by taking a handheld opener and soldering wires to the switch contacts.  Then I purchased a switch for one of the blank slots to the left of the radio and connected the wires to that.  I am trying to figure out how to illuminate the switch, but since one of the leads to illuminate the switch is already in use to complete the circuit for the garage door opener (which has its own power), I am not sure that i can safely do it.  Has anyone else ever figured this out?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I ran into the same problem when I installed a garage door opener ("GDO") into the dash of my 2001 C2 Cab using a Genie remote unit and a Porsche footwell lighting switch ("FLS") (the Targa Switch would have worked easier and would have been marked more intuitively, but it does not come in gloss black). I'm assuming that you are using the same or a similar switch.

I fixed the illumination problem by tapping into a switched dashboard light circuit (I used the cigarette lighter) and feeding that into the center terminal on the FLS. I then wired a jumper from one of the two switched terminals on the FLS to the point just "downstream" (as the current flows) of the switch (pushbutton) on the Genie circuit board. I wired the FLS terminal that connects its illumination circuit to a ground. Switch the lights on (e.g. parking only), hit the FLS and 12 volts flows to the transmitter (the Genie is conveniently 12V). I justify the extra step (turning the lights on) as a safety against inadvertent operation (especially since the FLS is not well marked as a GDO).

I also wired an unswitched 12V feed and ground into the Genie remote's battery terminals because, since it's a "rolling code" unit, I think that it needs constant power to feed its memory (I'm not sure that that step is necessary). Finally, since I have two garage doors and a dual control remote, I wired the second Genie circuit into the other switched FLS terminal. Hit one side of the FLS and one door opens and vice versa.

Edited May 5, 2005 by Electric Lizard

[Wedge]

I installed a garage door opener in my 2001 C2 Cab by taking a handheld opener and soldering wires to the switch contacts.  Then I purchased a switch for one of the blank slots to the left of the radio and connected the wires to that.  I am trying to figure out how to illuminate the switch, but since one of the leads to illuminate the switch is already in use to complete the circuit for the garage door opener (which has its own power), I am not sure that i can safely do it.  Has anyone else ever figured this out?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I used Scouser's instructions (steps #11 and #12) and pics to wire my spoiler switch. Piece of cake if you do what he did. The only thing to keep in mind is that he was wiring a right-hand drive car, so you would have to invert in your mind's eye (left becomes right, top becomes bottom) the switches and their tabs to get the correct polarity to the LED. I used the switch in the top left position in the dash (which was the PSM switch although any will do) and ran a 14g wire from the most lateral tab on the new switch (closest to the driver) to the lowest tab on the PSM switch. Then I ran a second 14g wire from the most medial tab on the new switch (closest to the passenger) to the most lateral tab on the PSM switch...and voila, it illuminated. Good luck.