Critique my White/Gold 05 STi. ***New pics with CF Roof Fin...pg.4 -Updated 7/8/06 - Page 2

jamolie · 01-01-2006, 06:05 PM

shhh... don't jinx it!

Foo_Blyat · 01-01-2006, 06:32 PM

So wait, you dont need EcuTek to run the indash monitor, you can use it simply on its own and The cobb aswell?

I was going to buy Defi's because someone told me you needed ECuTek to run the indash.

Nice car jamolie, it'll look so slick with those new rims on it!

jamolie · 01-01-2006, 06:40 PM

you said it. you can simply use it on its own...

***Nachos Libres*** · 01-01-2006, 06:42 PM

^^ The ECUTek Display is basically built by PSI3, and then rebranded by ECUTek. It can supposedly switch ECUTek maps, but it's not supported for our STi's at the moment. It should be able to work with a car that is not ECUTek tuned, and can display a lot of variables that you don't get with gauges. It can also read and clear codes, store various peak values, etc. The only drawback is that it can't read EGT on the STi's, and you have to buy external sensors (i.e. Defi sensors) for the oil temp and oil pressure to be displayed.

SupraToWRX · 01-01-2006, 10:02 PM

Nice looking car. I think ours are twins.

I hardwired my radar detector up by the rear-view mirror. If you take the map lights out, you'll notice power and ground wires that aren't in use (as long as you don't have the auto-dimming mirror option) since all imprezas are prewired for that option. I tapped into those wires and it works great. Plus you won't have that curly wire getting in your way.

**nandanrp** · 01-02-2006, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SupraToWRX

Nice looking car. I think ours are twins.

I hardwired my radar detector up by the rear-view mirror. If you take the map lights out, you'll notice power and ground wires that aren't in use (as long as you don't have the auto-dimming mirror option) since all imprezas are prewired for that option. I tapped into those wires and it works great. Plus you won't have that curly wire getting in your way.

Even if you have the autodimming mirror, you can tap into those wires for your V1. That's where I tapped mine.

jamolie · 01-02-2006, 04:36 AM

so you're saying that I don't need to run the wires all the way down to where the fuse box is? That would be great.. I'll have to try this out. Is it pretty simple to take out the map lights?

**nandanrp** · 01-02-2006, 05:21 AM

Yeah...one small flathead pops out the maplight cover...couple screws inside there (2 maybe? I forget, but be very careful because they will fall out and get lost easily. I bought extra screws/washers at Ace 'cause I lost one). The map lights then come out, and there is a line running up in the headliner for the autodimming mirror (whether your car has the mirror or not, there is a line running up there). That wire is 12V switched, and is already run through the fusebox (the same fuse that the outside rearview mirrors are run to).

I followed this thread: The Complete Radar Detector hardwire/V1 mounting guide

Except I didn't bother with extending the wires - I just used the supplied vampire tap that the V1 comes with. I grounded the V1's hardwired power adapter by attaching the ground to one of the maplight's screws (one of the two gold screws you take off to get the maplights out). I also bought a multimeter to check which of the lines to vampire-tap to get the 12V. So to summarize

:

1. Take out the maplights
2. Take a multimeter reading to see which of the 3 lines for the autodimming mirror you should tap (you can ground your multimeter touching the bare metal in the roof).
3. Vampire tap the line you find
4. Tuck all wiring and the V1 adapter up in the ceiling (I tucked mine to the driver's side of the headliner, next to the maplights) and run the power cable down behind the rearview mirror
5. As you put the maplight back in, ground the V1 adapter on one of the screws (the gold screws have a permanent "washer," while the screw I bought at Ace has a separate washer - I stuck the V1 adapter's ground in between the screw head and washer, and it worked like a charm).
6. Finish putting the maplights back in, and you're done!

Remember, the 12V switched line will read 0V on your multimeter unless the ignition is turned to ACC or the engine is running. Also, be careful taking your multimeter reading as it's very easy to blow the fuse by shorting the circuit. There's one extra 20A fuse under the hood

Phew. Sounds more complex than it really was. Maybe I should add these notes to that other V1 install thread

esemes · 01-02-2006, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandanrp

Haha...Ese...he already spilled the "secret" that he's the buyer of your Works

dern.....

okay then.... guess the cat's outta the bag......

(but the replacements are still TBD for me!!lol)

looking forward to you coming, M, and hope it all comes together on friday! (alot of things have to happen then to get this done in one day!)

-ese

ps- floo- the ECUtek dash monitor workls with Z-E-R-O engine management. it simply reads the thru the OBDII port, and requires no EM (aside from the stock ecu) to be running...

'05 STi · 01-02-2006, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamolie

Stuff done (listed by chronology):
1. Debaged
2. 20% Tint
3. Splinedrive Lug Nuts
4. Cleared Headlights
5. V1 Radar
6. K&N Typhoon
7. Carbon Fiber S203 lip
8. Invidia catless downpipe w/ GP Moto Cel Fix
9. Tein S-Tech
10. HKS Hi Power Exhaust
11. Cobb Acessport Protuned by Topspeed
12. EcuTek Data Monitor

Future mods:
1. Rear lip
2. Work Emotion CR (Gunmetal) coming this weekend!

3. Pillarless grille (also coming this weeknd!)

and just for old times sake, my old Acura 2.3 CL\

Great looking car (The STi). Great stance, great mods, but I like badges.

jamolie · 01-02-2006, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandanrp

Haha...Ese...he already spilled the "secret" that he's the buyer of your Works

It was an accident. I just couldnt contain myself.

nandanrp, thanks for the awesome directions. I'm going to try it this weekend and let you know how it goes. Hopefully I'll take some good pics to help other people in the future.

jamolie · 01-13-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandanrp

Yeah...one small flathead pops out the maplight cover...couple screws inside there (2 maybe? I forget, but be very careful because they will fall out and get lost easily. I bought extra screws/washers at Ace 'cause I lost one). The map lights then come out, and there is a line running up in the headliner for the autodimming mirror (whether your car has the mirror or not, there is a line running up there). That wire is 12V switched, and is already run through the fusebox (the same fuse that the outside rearview mirrors are run to).

I followed this thread: The Complete Radar Detector hardwire/V1 mounting guide

Except I didn't bother with extending the wires - I just used the supplied vampire tap that the V1 comes with. I grounded the V1's hardwired power adapter by attaching the ground to one of the maplight's screws (one of the two gold screws you take off to get the maplights out). I also bought a multimeter to check which of the lines to vampire-tap to get the 12V. So to summarize

:

1. Take out the maplights
2. Take a multimeter reading to see which of the 3 lines for the autodimming mirror you should tap (you can ground your multimeter touching the bare metal in the roof).
3. Vampire tap the line you find
4. Tuck all wiring and the V1 adapter up in the ceiling (I tucked mine to the driver's side of the headliner, next to the maplights) and run the power cable down behind the rearview mirror
5. As you put the maplight back in, ground the V1 adapter on one of the screws (the gold screws have a permanent "washer," while the screw I bought at Ace has a separate washer - I stuck the V1 adapter's ground in between the screw head and washer, and it worked like a charm).
6. Finish putting the maplights back in, and you're done!

Remember, the 12V switched line will read 0V on your multimeter unless the ignition is turned to ACC or the engine is running. Also, be careful taking your multimeter reading as it's very easy to blow the fuse by shorting the circuit. There's one extra 20A fuse under the hood

Phew. Sounds more complex than it really was. Maybe I should add these notes to that other V1 install thread

I finally got around to doing this 'mod.' Sorry for the newbie question, but what is the vampire tap (is it the blue thing?) and how do i use it? Would I be able to use the blue wire as the 'live' wire, or would I need an autometer still?

**nandanrp** · 01-13-2006, 03:08 PM

Yes, the vampire tap is the blue thing (I'm 99% sure, I don't remember the color exactly though). Basically, you "tap" the power line, and then the V1 power adapter's live wire plugs on top of the vampire tap. I don't remember what color the 12V line was in the bundle of wires that goes to the autodimming mirror - that's why I bought a multimeter, to check the voltage and make sure I had the correct line. Once you find that line, remove some of the OEM tape over the bundle, tap the correct line, and plug the V1 adapter onto the tap. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my own, I had to rely on the ones in that thread.

**nandanrp** · 01-13-2006, 03:10 PM

Oh and as far as how the vampire tap works - it folds in half, so that the sharp metal part (like a vampire's teeth

) cuts into the wire, and clamps shut onto the wire - basically, it's like a 'Y' adapter for the power line. Let me know if you need it clarified further.

jamolie · 01-13-2006, 03:15 PM

Ahhh. Thanks for explaining. Unfortunately for me, my wires are brown, red/white, and black. LOL... I guess i'll need to go to get a multimeter in a few minutes. By the way, how do I test the wires once I get the multimeter? Do I need to cut the wire and touch it against the multimeter? Or is there a way to test the wires without cutting them? Thank you so much!

01-01-2006, 06:05 PM	#16
jamolie Senior STI Driver Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 318 Join Date: Apr 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	shhh... don't jinx it! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

01-13-2006, 03:15 PM	#30
jamolie Senior STI Driver Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 318 Join Date: Apr 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	Ahhh. Thanks for explaining. Unfortunately for me, my wires are brown, red/white, and black. LOL... I guess i'll need to go to get a multimeter in a few minutes. By the way, how do I test the wires once I get the multimeter? Do I need to cut the wire and touch it against the multimeter? Or is there a way to test the wires without cutting them? Thank you so much! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

01-01-2006, 06:32 PM	#17
Foo_Blyat Professional STI Driver Car: 07 S204 WannaBE Location: NW Subs, Chicago Posts: 494 Join Date: Jun 2005 Trader Rating: (1)	So wait, you dont need EcuTek to run the indash monitor, you can use it simply on its own and The cobb aswell? I was going to buy Defi's because someone told me you needed ECuTek to run the indash. Nice car jamolie, it'll look so slick with those new rims on it!

01-01-2006, 06:40 PM	#18
jamolie Senior STI Driver Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 318 Join Date: Apr 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	you said it. you can simply use it on its own...

01-01-2006, 06:42 PM	#19
*Nachos Libres* Beneath the clothes, we find a man... and beneath the man, we find his... nucleus. Car: 2005 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: Underglows Location: Tyler, Texas Posts: 8,589 Join Date: Jul 2005 Trader Rating: (0)	^^ The ECUTek Display is basically built by PSI3, and then rebranded by ECUTek. It can supposedly switch ECUTek maps, but it's not supported for our STi's at the moment. It should be able to work with a car that is not ECUTek tuned, and can display a lot of variables that you don't get with gauges. It can also read and clear codes, store various peak values, etc. The only drawback is that it can't read EGT on the STi's, and you have to buy external sensors (i.e. Defi sensors) for the oil temp and oil pressure to be displayed.

01-01-2006, 10:02 PM	#20
SupraToWRX STI Driver Car: '05 white/gold STi Location: South NJ Posts: 221 Join Date: Jul 2005 Trader Rating: (5)	Nice looking car. I think ours are twins. I hardwired my radar detector up by the rear-view mirror. If you take the map lights out, you'll notice power and ground wires that aren't in use (as long as you don't have the auto-dimming mirror option) since all imprezas are prewired for that option. I tapped into those wires and it works great. Plus you won't have that curly wire getting in your way.

01-02-2006, 04:36 AM	#22
jamolie Senior STI Driver Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 318 Join Date: Apr 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	so you're saying that I don't need to run the wires all the way down to where the fuse box is? That would be great.. I'll have to try this out. Is it pretty simple to take out the map lights?

01-02-2006, 05:21 AM	#23
nandanrp Indiatr0n in yo IWDPL Car: 05FTW OBP STi Fav Mod: Brum Brum Location: downtown Chicago Posts: 48,830 Join Date: Jun 2004 Trader Rating: (11)	Yeah...one small flathead pops out the maplight cover...couple screws inside there (2 maybe? I forget, but be very careful because they will fall out and get lost easily. I bought extra screws/washers at Ace 'cause I lost one). The map lights then come out, and there is a line running up in the headliner for the autodimming mirror (whether your car has the mirror or not, there is a line running up there). That wire is 12V switched, and is already run through the fusebox (the same fuse that the outside rearview mirrors are run to). I followed this thread: The Complete Radar Detector hardwire/V1 mounting guide Except I didn't bother with extending the wires - I just used the supplied vampire tap that the V1 comes with. I grounded the V1's hardwired power adapter by attaching the ground to one of the maplight's screws (one of the two gold screws you take off to get the maplights out). I also bought a multimeter to check which of the lines to vampire-tap to get the 12V. So to summarize : 1. Take out the maplights 2. Take a multimeter reading to see which of the 3 lines for the autodimming mirror you should tap (you can ground your multimeter touching the bare metal in the roof). 3. Vampire tap the line you find 4. Tuck all wiring and the V1 adapter up in the ceiling (I tucked mine to the driver's side of the headliner, next to the maplights) and run the power cable down behind the rearview mirror 5. As you put the maplight back in, ground the V1 adapter on one of the screws (the gold screws have a permanent "washer," while the screw I bought at Ace has a separate washer - I stuck the V1 adapter's ground in between the screw head and washer, and it worked like a charm). 6. Finish putting the maplights back in, and you're done! Remember, the 12V switched line will read 0V on your multimeter unless the ignition is turned to ACC or the engine is running. Also, be careful taking your multimeter reading as it's very easy to blow the fuse by shorting the circuit. There's one extra 20A fuse under the hood Phew. Sounds more complex than it really was. Maybe I should add these notes to that other V1 install thread

01-13-2006, 03:08 PM	#28
nandanrp Indiatr0n in yo IWDPL Car: 05FTW OBP STi Fav Mod: Brum Brum Location: downtown Chicago Posts: 48,830 Join Date: Jun 2004 Trader Rating: (11)	Yes, the vampire tap is the blue thing (I'm 99% sure, I don't remember the color exactly though). Basically, you "tap" the power line, and then the V1 power adapter's live wire plugs on top of the vampire tap. I don't remember what color the 12V line was in the bundle of wires that goes to the autodimming mirror - that's why I bought a multimeter, to check the voltage and make sure I had the correct line. Once you find that line, remove some of the OEM tape over the bundle, tap the correct line, and plug the V1 adapter onto the tap. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my own, I had to rely on the ones in that thread.

01-13-2006, 03:10 PM	#29
nandanrp Indiatr0n in yo IWDPL Car: 05FTW OBP STi Fav Mod: Brum Brum Location: downtown Chicago Posts: 48,830 Join Date: Jun 2004 Trader Rating: (11)	Oh and as far as how the vampire tap works - it folds in half, so that the sharp metal part (like a vampire's teeth ) cuts into the wire, and clamps shut onto the wire - basically, it's like a 'Y' adapter for the power line. Let me know if you need it clarified further.