Wiring External Button to Unlock Doors

My work here is done

 

Alright man, I did some testing just now and I have some great news. It worked! First I did a test of the unlock feature. I grounded the green/black wire and 1 tap unlocked driver while 2 taps unlocked all. Then I turned the truck to ACC, and tested the lock (purple) wire. With the driver door open, it would lock, then automatically unlock, just as if you hit the lock button on the door. Then I closed all doors (with keys in it) and tried to lock it. Low and behold it worked! So you could definitely wire up a lock and unlock button to leave your truck running while locked.

 

Thank you for the update! Good Work OP!!

 

No problem! I should be installing both switches this weekend and I'll post a little write up.

 

I'm planning to do this with two buttons for both a lock and unlock ability but I am going to add a toggle in the unlock circuit so I can disable the button when I don't want it to unlock the truck.

 

That is EXACTLY what I plan on doing! I had the idea for the toggle while I was laying in bed last night.

 

Alright guys, I finished everything up. Only took about two hours, and that was taking my time. This my first write up so bear with me. These are harder to make than you think!

This will give you the ability to lock and unlock your truck from the outside. The toggle switch will allow you to activate and deactivate the unlock button. This will make more sense later on. Why would I want to do this you may ask? For me, it's so I can run into the store while leaving my truck running to keep it cold in the Florida heat. Anyways, here's a mini write up.

Disclaimer: You are solely responsible for any work you do on your truck and if you get your truck broken into because of this. Proceed at your own risk!

What you'll need:
Tacoma
Two momentary push buttons

$9 ESUPPORT 12mm Black Waterproof Momentary Round Toggle Switch ON Off Reset Push Button Pack of 10

http://www.amazon.com/Support-Black...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
Toggle Switch (Optional)
Two 18-22 gauge wire taps
Wire
Misc. Electrical connectors

Tools:
Drill with 1/2" bit
Dremel with cut off wheel
Wire strippers
Wire cutters
Electrical crimper tool
Soldering iron (not what I used, but preferable)

Step 1:
Figure out where you want to hide your buttons. I have no problem showing you where I hid mine because 99% of the time the unlock button won't be active. I put mine right inside the grill. The two points where the grill attaches on top is hollow, so I took advantage of that.

Step 2:
Mount your buttons. The ones I linked require you to drill a 1/2" hole. If you plan on mounting in the same spot that I did, you'll be required to use a dremel and cut out the bottom portion of where the buttons are mounted.


Step 3 (Optional, but recommended):
Mount your toggle switch. This will make it so your unlock button isn't active all the time. Now not just anyone can come up and unlock your truck. This is where I put mine.


Step 4: Ground your buttons. The way this mod works is by sending a ground to the wires we are tapping into. No 12v needed! This is where you should use a soldering iron to connect the wire to the buttons. There isn't enough room between the closed hood and the top of these buttons for a typical blade connector. I used this stuff I had which is basically a plastic version of a soldering iron. Pretty neat!


Step 5: Now comes the fun part. Figuring out which wires to tap into! You're going to tap into the green/black wire for the unlock button and the purple for the lock button. These wires are located behind the driver side kick panel. If you want to test the wires before you tap into them (I would) then here's a simple way to do it. Take a small strip of wire (12" should do) and strip each end off exposing about 1/2" of copper. Shove one side into the connector with the wire you want to test and tap the other side against a good ground. If it locks/unlocks, then you've got the right wire!


Step 6: Now that you've got your correct wires tapped, you have to run them through the firewall and to the other connector on your buttons. If you've got the toggle switch, make sure you run it through that first.


Step 7: Make sure and test everything out, and you're done! This isn't the best write up, so feel free to ask any questions.

 

Nice! Can you show a picture of the buttons standing 5-10 feet away from the truck?

 

Here's a pic about 4" away and you still can't see them. Even if you crouch down and look up you STILL can't see them. They're hidden really well. I wrapped the wire in that black plastic cover stuff to make it even more inconspicuous.

Here's the actual thread I made that I'm keeping updated.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...rnal-buttons-to-lock-and-unlock-doors.427455/

 

@EatSleepTacos can you give an update on how this is working...any changes that you would make after 45 days of use?

 

I'll be honest, I had to disconnect it. I got an aftermarket mesh grill that won't allow me to reach in between anymore to hit the buttons. Since it's starting to get sweltering hot here, my motivation to relocate the buttons has gone down significantly.