DIY: Automatic Traction Control Disabler

The 10A on Amazon doesn’t either. I’ve got three of the one’s from timers.com coming (got shipping notice this afternoon). They are directly programmable (via wifi) without requiring the universal programmer, and they have the ground sink option…

 

Here’s the WiFi programmable one direct from timers shop that has a sink option (orange wire).


Took about 30 seconds to hook it up to my bench power unit, program it, and test it using the illumination lighting from a spare switch. I need to get a break out harness thrown together tomorrow and get it installed. Your instructions are pretty much the same info needed for programming these, but they have a slightly different interface (and the added option to pick “Ground Sink”)



First, hook up the red and black to + and - from a power supply that is OFF. Hold the white to the - and then turn on the power until the blue light stays solid, then disconnect the white.

On your phone, connect to the WiFi network it broadcasts and then in the internet browser go to 192.168.4.1

go into the Timer Configuration option, then scroll down to Function and enter 18 in the box. The screen will reload and you’ll see all the On/Off options.

Scroll up and enter the numbers above in On 1, Off 1, On 2, Off 2
4.0, 1.0, 4.0, 0.1

Then set Trigger Type to Digital and Digital Trg Blue to 1 (which is “off”)

For output, pick Ground Sink

Check the Low Power check box, then pick Save.

Now, the Orange wire is the ground sink wire that can be directly connected to the Blue VSC wire without needing a separate relay.

I need to draw up a revised diagram, but theoretically with the break out harness you should be able to get everything you need From the VSC switch except for an Ignition +12v power source for your new switch. You’ve got illumination + and - at the VSC switch, and you’ve got ground for the timer in addition to the VSC wire.

 

Awesome! Makes it a much more simple mod

 

I bought three timers.
Sounds like I need to get three break out harnesses made…

I also saved a configuration file - made programming the second unit even faster.

 

Progress on the breakout harness.
My switch already has illumination to it from my master illumination breakout harness, so I didn’t splice those two wires in this setup for my truck. If I was building it for someone else I’d breakout illumination from the VSC as well.

Orange wire hits pin 9 on the VSC switch, which is the signal wire between the ECU and the factory switch.

Black wire hits pin 6 on the VSC switch, which is factory ground. The timer is basically completing this ground circuit around (bypassing) the factory switch when power is applied to the timer.

Red wire will route to the output of my auto-override switch, which is already installed in the truck and fed from an ignition power source. This powers the timer.

All the other wires on the timer are trimmed, heat shrinked, and tucked away.

hoping to finish installing it tomorrow evening.

 

Sexy

 

More information on this:
I dug through the EWD's on all of the Gen 2 and Turd Gen (2.5) trucks. Here is a table of the pin-out for the VSC connector.
NOTE that I do not show wire colors here. They change from year to year - 2007 is different than 2008-2013, which is different than 2014-2017, and again different than 2018-2021. For ALL of those years, 2007 actually has a totally different connector and pin-out numbers.



Here is the cleaned up wiring diagram using this timer (also attached). I provided details on the connector for using either an AOB switch or a CH4x4 switch (their wiring pin-out is the same, but the wiring colors are different).

I have attached the BIN file for configuring the timer as a zip file (this BIN will only work on this specific timer).
The timer I used is here:
Buy Multi Functional Timers online | Timers.shop

 

Got it hooked up tonight



Working as expected if I have the switch on when I start the truck.

If I press the VSC OFF button, the system resets.

I did notice that if I then turn off the TEQ OFF switch and try turning it back on, I get some mixed results for the system fully returning to TRAC OFF. It’s like the timer doesn’t go the full cycle for the first steps except from a cold start. I may have fiddle a bit more with the timer steps/settings - maybe introduce an “off” count before the first “on” count. I’ll just have to fish out the timer and expose the white wire again…

 

Are you partial pressing the switch and the timer is sending a quick signal to turn off vsc? I’ve had that happen. I also thought about adding a 1-2 second delay at module start but I couldn’t get mine to work right without starting the cycle with a power on period.

 

Not sure. I don’t think it’s “partial pressing” but hard to tell. I’ll have to mess with it another day… have a 4:30 am start tomorrow.

That’s odd it wouldn’t work starting with an “off” cycle.

 

Update - don’t jump on ordering the wifi “sink” version just yet. I’ve got some odd behavior happening that I need to hunt down.

Driving today I noticed that my TEQ OFF switch was lit up green while the switch was off and the headlights were off. If I pressed the TEQ OFF switch nothing would happen. If I turned the headlights on, the entire switch would light blue, at which point pressing in the switch would illuminate it green but still wouldn’t do anything to the VSC system.

I THINK that the timer unit is allowing power from the VSC circuit to run “backwards” through the timer and through the red power wire, which is what is turning the switch green when not pressed (I tested the voltage by putting +12V power to the orange wire and saw ~11.7V at the red wire with a multimeter). The VSC switch is basically “hot” from the ECU and is looking to ground to signal the system to perform the function.

I also confirmed with a different switch that applying power “backwards” to the switch does light up the “on” indicator part of the switch.

So I need to read through the manual a bit more and contact timers.shop to see if I can glean a bit more info. I might need to pick up their separate “sink” unit to test with my V7 timer as well.

I also might try a diode on the output of the TEQ OFF switch, but not sure that will do anything but prevent the button from lighting when it shouldn’t…

more to come

 

I'll see if I can pick up a few options and tinker as well. Just not sure when I'll have time for a few weeks lol. That's a bummer that this new module isn't straight forward.

 

Same
I’ve also manually cycled the VSC more times in the past 24 hours than since a I bought my first Tundra in 2009.

 

Let's build nanny disablers at T2S! haha

 

I thought about bringing my wiring tools…

 

Any updates on this? Man I need one of these as a Plug and Play....

 

I need to circle back on finishing mine

 

Need some small table-side projects to keep me busy. Did the back feed issue ever get resolved?

 

Yeah, @RainMan_PNW. What gives?

 

No - I haven’t been able to make that version work. The way they have it wired it’s really not possible to do what we need.

I’m planned on going back to the relay setup like Jake did with a few tweaks. Hoping to actually have time next week to knock out a bunch of loose ends on shit like this

 

Nice little Friday night building this on the couch watching hockey games. Still need to further trim/depin the aliexpress harness and figure out how much extra wire I’ll need to get down to the kick panel. But mostly there. Thanks @TRDFerguson for the write up

 

Finally had time to put together a plug and play kit, thanks to @RainMan_PNW and @dittothat helping out with the connectors. The connectors are a pain the ass to pin, so I’m not sure if I’ll build many more of this. It could also be my crappy crimp tool making the connectors too wide to fit the connector sleeves, but not sure on that part. Either way, I’ve got a couple ready for my local peeps to try out, then I might try to talk Casey into adding these to his RMF storefront.

 

Wow, that’s a beautifully compact package! Nice work

I learned my lesson a while ago that my crimping game isn’t on a @RainMan_PNW level. Many messages were sent his way asking for tips; with a few curse words in between

 

Let me know if you want non-local trials!

 

Any update from you or @RainMan_PNW making this last version available for purchase?

 

Not yet. I've only had time to make a couple more prototypes and neither have been installed yet. Unfortunately my "free time" during "work hours" while I "work from home" hasn't been as plentiful as it used to be, and my time outside of work is all but hijacked by kids' sports.

 

I gotta imagine you’re at least 2 hours into each build. That Tessa tape job looks like 25mins alone. I think mine took closer to 3hr and isnt nearly as nice as yours. Would have to fetch a premium price for sure!

 

I need to get some bigger shrink tubing for parts of the build and some different loom... it's all on my list, just not sure when I'll get it all together.

 

im up in the show low area. would love to have a plug and play without having to do all the programming stuff. knowing my luck id never get it to work lol