DIY - Hard wired switch for Fuse 22 - (with handy pictures)

[Uncle Stig]

Further to my recent “New Owner, Sand Raced Lemon” post, I was asked to elaborate on my DIY hardwired switch for fuse 22 which activates the exhaust baffles.
With a pair Quicksilver 200 cell cats replacing the standard cats, there's a lot more “sound”, so occasionally when you’re not in the mood you do need to switch to stealth mode.
This simple switch installation is a handy option. There are alternative remote IR solutions out there, many mentioned in these forum pages,
however I didn't want that. This really is an easy fit; all you're doing is creating a wired loop from fuse 22 in the boot so you can incorporate an inline fuse and switch.

First things first you’ll need the following items, all found on ebay.

Cable = 12V / 24V Automotive 5m 25 Amp 2 Twin Core Flat Thin Wall Car Cable Wire 1440B
£7.58

Switch = Square Round On / Off Rocker Switch 12V 25Amp Car Dash K760 £3.87

Connectors = Female/Male Spade Insulated Electrical Crimp Terminal Connectors £2.69

Fuse Holder = In-Line Standard Blade Fuse Holder 12V 30A Car Boat Automotive £1.99

NB Everything needs to handle more that 20amps. I'm no electrician, but if fuse 22 is rated at 20amps
then the wiring needs to be more otherwise the cable will "pop" before the fuse does, and that includes the switch.
At this point i should also add, if you decide to follow what i've done, you do so at your own risk.
However i installed this 6 months ago and it's worked like a dream.

Assuming you now have what you need, you're ready to start. Give yourself an hour, maybe two at the most.
Take the carpet out of the back and around the rear fuse box. Take out the rear parcel shelf and unscrew the long aluminium trim on the shelf.
Next remove the small piece of trim behind the flip up centre armrest. Under this you'll find a couple of screws. Undo these.
Now take out the little rubber tray ahead of the armrest, here you'll find another two screws, don't undo these totally!! Just loosen them by two or three turns.

With the centre section now loose, you should be able to pull it back, about an inch, and lift it up slightly.
There's no need to remove it, just lift it in order to hide the cable.
As you can see from the picture, I installed the switch on the footwell section; it's out of the way and easy to access.
Make a small cut in the leather, then using a drill with a hole cutter and make your hole.
Be careful when drilling, you don't want it to jump about and scratch the leather, so trim the leather first.

Now you simply have to run the twin cable from the fuse box to the hole you've made.
With a bit of thought you can see the path. Crimp on some female electrical connectors at the switch end,
once the cable is threaded through the hole, and connect your switch.
At the fuse end solder the new fuse holder to one cable end and use heat shrink to insulate or good quality insulating tape to protect the joint.
(Alternatively use a Male & Female electrical connector crimped to the cable.)
On the two cable ends simply crimp a pair of male electrical connectors, these will now sit where fuse 22 sat, so plug them in.
That’s it. Finally put all the trim back.

The only thing I'd be aware of is, don't use the switch whilst the rpm is high, it can trigger the lambda sensor.

Hope this comes in handy for someone.

[Uncle Stig]

[Uncle Stig]

[Uncle Stig]

[abanks]

Nice write up - thanks for posting

[Flugplatz]

It seems quite a bit easier to just buy one of Clives blippers and 60 seconds later its fitted

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-V8-V12-Vant...

[Uncle Stig]

yeah i kind of agree, but then you have to find the blipper, and it rattles around, and then did i leave on or off?
Here you just flick a switch. Plus it's done for less than £18.00 and just an hour of your time.

[AdamV12V]

Nice write up with very clear step by step instructions but I am not sure I could take a drill and hole cutter to the leather on my car even if it was then plugged with a button.

Personally I have always just pulled the fuse out on the collection day and have never felt any need to put it back in at any time.

[Bobajobbob]

Flugplatz said:

It seems quite a bit easier to just buy one of Clives blippers and 60 seconds later its fitted

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-V8-V12-Vant...

Amazing job but I must admit I took the easy route and took the advice above and installed the blipper.

[Frances The Mute]

I always appreciate people working on their own cars and sharing it with other owners but the location of the switch could have been sited somewhere more appropriate, without resorting to damaging the leather.

I do wonder whether the OE switches could be used to activate the circuit, too.

Edited by Frances The Mute on Saturday 6th August 09:06

[Uncle Stig]

In my defence I did wonder where to put the switch, I thought black leather, black switch, it's out of the way and really can't be seen. If I had a coloured interior I may have located it elsewhere, but proberly not.
When I had the standard cats, fuse 22 was out all the time. At that time I really had no need for a switch and I wouldn't have bothered with installing one, or a remote as I thought it sounded pretty good.
The thing is, with 200 cell cats it's a different kettle of fish, it can be very very loud when you floor it, great fun I may add, but louder than I expected when I had them installed. To start with I thought I'd made a mistake but gradually you get hooked, much like Smack I'd imagine. Sometimes it's nice to cruise in normal mode and I've found this convenient switch to be pretty much perfect, in my humble opinion of course.

[anonymous-user]

Very nice work! Have any new ideas to improving the V8V??

[AWV12]

Thx for the extensive DIY manual.

Regarding location: in both my previous V8V and my current DBS I have the switch mounted on the left side of the steering column, close to the handle for left/right turn signal. The button is a flat one, illuminuted in white (same as dash) which shows if it is activated or not.

Did post a pic before, will repost if required.