Hill Descent Control Plug in?

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:21 am

Touchdown wrote:Right in the middle of your first pic, behind the black tape wrapped around the wiring and in front of the gray foam...it looks like the same connector (the 2nd one) that I have open as well.
I'll have a look at it this weekend.
Gonna look tomorrow and see if I can find anything remotely labeled HDC!
I tried finding something in the service manual for it, but no luck. I'm sure there's mention of it, along with a schematic or two, but it would require going through every page of the electrical section.

Obviously, the best bet is to simply follow the wires from the HDC switch and see where they go, what they plug into, etc. But, it's a bitch getting that trim off without breaking it (at least for me). I'll have a closer look at it this weekend & see if I can ascertain anything useful.


asgard
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Postby asgard » Fri Mar 09, 2012 11:04 am

I am also interested in this feature but just to get this correct.
The 4 lo has to be engaged and the vehicle has to be on a relatively steep incline, so a signal from the gyro in the stability has to be operating.

What is the incline angle?

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Lord Farquaad
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Postby Lord Farquaad » Fri Mar 09, 2012 11:32 am

asgard wrote:I am also interested in this feature but just to get this correct.
The 4 lo has to be engaged and the vehicle has to be on a relatively steep incline, so a signal from the gyro in the stability has to be operating.

What is the incline angle?
I might be mistaken, but I don't think it has a gyro or detects the angle. It is engaged when the vehicle detects a runaway condition like acceleration beyond a certain point. The times I have used mine, I was at the point of taking control by applying brakes when it kicked in. It is quite scary the first time, but once it kicks in you will be amazed at the control it offers.

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Fri Mar 09, 2012 1:23 pm

asgard wrote:I am also interested in this feature but just to get this correct.
The 4 lo has to be engaged and the vehicle has to be on a relatively steep incline, so a signal from the gyro in the stability has to be operating.

What is the incline angle?
I feel like a freshman because I don't have the answers. I've only used it less than a handful of times. Each time, I was already in 4 Lo & 1st gear and found that those 2 combined didn't get me low enough, thus making me hit the HDC switch. In other words, I was already in a butt puckering position when I engaged it & it always kicked in immediately.

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Touchdown
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Postby Touchdown » Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:13 pm

I looked in the engine bay fuse boxes, but couldn't find anything that stood out that would point to the HDC.

So just to clarify...
If it's working properly after you hit the button (and the conditions are right), you should see something light up on the dash showing it's actively engaged...correct?

Maybe the angle wasn't steep enough to engage after RacerZX installed the switch and tested?

Ideally a good test would be to find a steep enough slope (on road/off road) for an SE-OR to get it to engage. Then have a non SE-OR with the switch installed try it as well and see if it engages.

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:16 pm

Touchdown wrote:If it's working properly after you hit the button (and the conditions are right), you should see something light up on the dash showing it's actively engaged...correct?
Yes, there is a light on the dash. What I can say is that one will have no doubt whatsoever that the system has kicked in and is working.

Here's a short vid I took while the HDC was enabled. Crank up the volume and you can hear all the popping and pinging.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/69 ... 3250955224

And a short vid showing the dash light:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6824 ... 833039.jpg

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:20 pm

NVSteve wrote: I'll have a look at it this weekend.
I checked it out again today & that one wiring connector is also not connected to anything on mine:

Image

I tried to see if I could access any of the wiring going to the switch from behind/under the dash, but no dice. The only way to find out for sure is rip all the trim off and remove the lower console.

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Touchdown
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Postby Touchdown » Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:27 pm

Those vidoes are great...yeah you can hear all that popping, pinging and clanking going on...interesting! And at least we know now that those connectors are NOT for the HDC!

I have to go by Courtesy for those strut mounts this week anyway. Maybe I'll see if they have the HDC button in stock and pick one up.

I could install it and try to find the steepest hill around and try it out myself. Although I am in Texas and it's pretty flat most everywhere! :lol:

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Lord Farquaad
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Postby Lord Farquaad » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:32 am

Excuse the crappy cellphone pics, but this is what the instrument cluster looks like when HDC is engaged. Unfortunately I could not get it working as it is too flat around the area I stay in.

Image

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Touchdown
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Postby Touchdown » Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:52 am

Lord Farquaad - So just by pushing the HDC button, you get that symbol on the dash telling you its ready?

NVSteve - Does yours work the same way? Or does yours just light up when you got the truck into the right conditions and it activiated?

I'm just trying to see what to expect if I hook up the switch and hit the button!! :?

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:17 am

Touchdown wrote: NVSteve - Does yours work the same way? Or does yours just light up when you got the truck into the right conditions and it activiated?
Beats me, but if I remember to do so after work, I'll test it out.

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Captain
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Postby Captain » Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:54 am

If we can get this solved this would be wonderfull. Im sure somewhere in the ECM there is a setting that would have to be enabled.

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Postby 07-SV-650 » Mon Mar 12, 2012 3:04 pm

Captain Smoke Eater wrote:If we can get this solved this would be wonderfull. Im sure somewhere in the ECM there is a setting that would have to be enabled.
+1

I'm crossing my fingers!

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:28 pm

Touchdown wrote: NVSteve - Does yours work the same way? Or does yours just light up when you got the truck into the right conditions and it activiated?
I popped it into 4Lo and hit the switch while parked on flat pavement. The light comes on.

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Lord Farquaad
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Postby Lord Farquaad » Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:15 pm

NVSteve wrote:
Touchdown wrote: NVSteve - Does yours work the same way? Or does yours just light up when you got the truck into the right conditions and it activiated?
I popped it into 4Lo and hit the switch while parked on flat pavement. The light comes on.
Same here. It means it is active and ready for use. Once the conditions are right, then it will kick in and do its HDC thing. Like I said before, with it active as displayed on the instrument cluster, the vehicle would surge forward on a steep decline. You would think it not working and the vehicle is out of control. Your instinct would tell you to hit the brakes, but you force yourself not to. Then you feel the electronics take over and you just sit back and enjoy the ride. :D


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