Ok I was wondering what type of switch will i need so I can connect a switch on the hood so if its popped open the alarm will go off. I have seen a pin switch that looks just like a door switch but a little bit longer. Where can this be had and for how much? TIA

 

Get a mercury switch

 

How does a mercury switch work? I saw one on ebay for like 5 bucks plus shipping. How much to they retail for?

 

Hood Pins are cheap, they go for under 20 bucks, u can get them for 10 thats a good price, just run a wire with the alarm, getting more then 1 is a good idea, i have 4 on my car, all over the hood, they can't open it from any end without it going off, after they bypass my hood locks and rerouted hood latch

 

you can go with a mercury switch, however they won't trigger the alarm untill the hood is fully opened. whereas a hood pin will provide an instant trigger. stop by any audio store or best buy and ask them if they have any spare hood pins, I have a few hundred of them in my garage from installing for a few years, one of the guys in the garage should help you out, offer to buy him lunch (5 bucks) and I'm sure he'll find one.

 

Thanks for the info guys

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by foz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can go with a mercury switch, however they won't trigger the alarm untill the hood is fully opened. .</TD></TR></TABLE>

Can't the angle of the mercury switch be adjusted for faster trigger?

 

You can bend the mercury switch down, to make it more responsive.

Hood pins are generally garbage, because the first time you forget it's there and slam the hood, you'll probably break the plastic plunger on the switch, rendering it useless....

Go with a mercury switch, and it'll last forever. Just don't ground it to the hood itself. Run the wires to the engine bay, and ground one of them to the firewall. The hood isn't a good ground.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C_EJ8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Hood pins are generally garbage, because the first time you forget it's there and slam the hood, you'll probably break the plastic plunger on the switch, rendering it useless.... </TD></TR></TABLE>

wrong. i've installed 100's of hood switchs both plastic and metal. never broke 1 cause of closing a hood. if installed correctly a hood pin is more effective then a mercury switch. its an instant trigger. if you install it along the firewall it will be almost impossible to get to before it triggers the alarm.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C_EJ8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Go with a mercury switch, and it'll last forever. Just don't ground it to the hood itself. Run the wires to the engine bay, and ground one of them to the firewall. The hood isn't a good ground. </TD></TR></TABLE>

the hood is as good a ground as any other sheet metal. mercury switchs are not great for a few reasons.

1 there inaccurate. if you part on a hill your alarm will bypass the switch , and now its useless.
2. though you can adjust the mercury's trigger point its still going to be slower then a good ole metal hood pin.

stick with a good hood switch. cheap and reliable.

 

so does a mercury switch look like a hood pin??

 

I worked at a store for a few years that did nothing but mercury switches, not because they were better, because they were easier and faster, never had a problem with them, but in my own cars I use hood pins because they are more accurate, and like jdmotorsports said ..... I've never seen one go bad from anything but bad installation and age...(as in more than 3 years old) I've also put hundreds of those switches in and never had a problem....

 

still wonderin what it exactly looks like
does anyone have a pic possibly
jus so i kno for future reference

 

i'll post a few tonight when i get home. i got all types of stuff.

 

here ya go. the one on the right is a pinswitch and the one on the left is a standard mercury swith.



Modified by jdmotorsports at 2:11 AM 1/9/2004

 

Damn!!! Non-supersized please

 

i'm realy sorry bout the size. new sony camera and still learning the settings.

i use those mercury switchs cause there the most accurate and weather resistant. i used to use the dei motion sensors, till they became weird. but i like those merc's and the dei pins. they dont tend to rust as quickly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kissmya## &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Well it depends on where you live and how the climate is. Down in San Diego things tend not to rust as quickly. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually, I had one on my EK. A hoodpin switch like the metal one above. It rusted all the time. This was partly due because of it's location. It was located on the rear hatch. Anyone have pictures of their rear hatch switches?

-John
from OC & works in SD.

 

Very few hondas do not have a built-in trunk pin....
there should have been no reason to add a pin to it...
not only does it already have a trunk pin, but the wire is run to the front of the car eliminating the need to run the wire..

 

Where is the trunkpin on a 99 Civic HB?

Are you speculating or do you know where it is?

 

to the right of the steering column (under the dash) is a green plug, this is the oem security plug, it also includesyour door triggers. the trunk/hatch pin should be blue/black

not speculating, using 6+ years of experience installing alarms, and dei's tech tips