Keyless Entry

**mhevezi** · 01-04-2009, 02:28 AM

So my 2004 Work Truck came without some nice options, like power locks with keyless entry, so I decided to add that to my truck. I bought a cheap system off E-Bay and installed it on my old Mitsubishi truck, and aside from some overly confusing wiring diagrams, it was fairly easy. I tried a little different one, that seemed to have simplier wiring this time:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-4-P...Q5fAccessories

I know that most of the Silverados out there come with power locks, but for some of us, we just happen to have a truck that does not have power locks & keyless entry & it sucks. There are a lot of power-locking, keyless systems on E-Bay, and surprisingly, these actually work. This particular system has switches built into the actuators, so when you lock one door, the other follows. Nice. The install is fairly straightforward, but takes some time, so plan an hour or more, and take your time. It will pay off in the end.

Here's what came in the mail, and how to do it. Oh, and there were no instructions in the box. The wiring diagram was printed ON the box! But it's so simple, that most can figure it out.

(it was a kit for up to 4-doors, so now I have 2 spare actuators in case of a failre- this is all the parts I used)

Dive right in:

#1- remove both door panels, and peel back the plastic. The door panels have 2 exposed screws to remove and one hidden screw, behind the lock switch- that just pops off to reveal a small bolt. The rest of the door panel is held on by hooks, so just lift and gently pull! Choose a place to mount the actuators that will not interfere with the windows. Note in the photos on the locations I chose. The lock rods are mostly horizontal in the Silverados, and that posed a little issue when it came to the final test. Pressing "Lock" on the remote, unlocked the doors and vice versa. You can solve this by mounting the actuator on the other side of the lock rod, but I couldn't find a place to make that work. So I solved that issue by switching the lock and unlock buttons on the remote. They are upside down now, but look and work just fine.

#2- you will need to cut the actuator rods and bend them to match the stock, locking rods. The rods in this kit are strong, but can be bent with pliers and cut with some good dikes, and some bending. Try and get the bend to match the bend in the factory rods as best you can. -Very Important- Make sure you mount the actuator and attach the actuator rods to the factory rods that will give you 100% throw in both directions! When I first installed a system like this, I didn't mount the actuator rods to get 100% throw and the doors didn't actually lock. I had to remove the door panels and adjust the rods and it worked fine after that. I was just a pain to have to go back into the door to fix it.

#3- run the wires into the doors. I started wth the passenger side, and ran them through the stock gommets that house the speaker wires. They snap out to make it a little easier. I also elected to swap out the speakers for some better ones, while I was in there. FYI- removing the speakers makes running the wires MUCH easier, hence my replacing them. I had to drill an extra hole in the door frame to zip-tie the wires out of the way of the window. Make sure you run the wires so they do not interfere with the window going up & down.

#4- once the driver's side is done, choose a place to mount the receiver unit, find a constant hot wire, and ground the black wire to any bolt under the dash. Make sure the hot wire you use is a CONSTANT hot, not a switched hot. Once that is done, test your new locks! If all works well, then just clean up all the wiring and securely mount the rx unit. I had to remove the kick panels to get the wiring all done.

I used both master actuators on each door, so if you lock or un-lock either the driver's or passenger's door, the other door will follow. It's really nice. A tip- make sure the screws on the block that ties the actuator rods to the factory lock rods, are TIGHT! One of mine came loose once, and I had to go back into the door to make it work again. A dollop of JB Weld or epoxy is a nice touch to enure lasting durability.

For about $50, the system works as advertised and is very simple. There are two output wires that are for tying this system into an alarm, for a confirmation chirp or light flash, or to just set the alarm. I am going to investigate using a relay on these wires and see if I can tie this system to the horn or lights so I can see from a distance that the truck has been locked or unlocked. I will post an update when done.

With a few $$$ and some time invested, the reward is well worth it! For those of use, who aren't as "Pimp'n" as the rest, this will get us part of the way there! Good Luck!

**texasmuser** · 02-04-2009, 10:33 AM

I'm thinking about doing the same to my '08 Silverado WT, but, having little expereince doing this kind thing, I'm a little apprehensive . . . First, let me ask: having done some interent research, I see that there are alot of kits in the area of $75 to $125; the kit you used (from ebay) was $25 plus $20 shipping. Is the quality of these parts pretty much the same? I'm trying to figure out which kit to buy . . .

What do you think?
Thanks

**texasmuser** · 02-04-2009, 11:21 AM

I think I didn't word my question very well . . . what I meant to ask is: "do you think the quality of the $25 kit is comparable to the quality of the GM OEM power door lock parts?"

I DID notice in my internet research was that the higher priced kits ($75-$120) were either Italian or Swiss made . . .

Thanks

**mhevezi** · 02-09-2009, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by texasmuser

I think I didn't word my question very well . . . what I meant to ask is: "do you think the quality of the $25 kit is comparable to the quality of the GM OEM power door lock parts?"

I DID notice in my internet research was that the higher priced kits ($75-$120) were either Italian or Swiss made . . .

Thanks

Hey Tex,

I can't really say which is the better quality kit, having only done this twice. There is a cheaper kit that uses remotes that look just like the factory GM key fobs, but the wiring is much more complicated.

The kit that I purchased was basically pre-wired and that made the install much simpler and more straightforward. I installed actuators in each door that had switches built-in so if you lock or unlock one door the other follows.

Honestly, if you can install a car stereo, you can do this, too. The toughest part is the actuator install, but you can see from my pics that it's not too difficult.

Good luck, and let us know which kit you decide to use and how it comes out.

**5speedsilverado** · 03-15-2009, 06:38 PM

great right up, does it also come with switches for the inside?? i was looking for a kit for my truck

**tlperry68** · 03-15-2009, 09:38 PM

Good info to know. Thanks.

**mhevezi** · 03-16-2009, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by 5speedsilverado

great right up, does it also come with switches for the inside?? i was looking for a kit for my truck

Actually, the door actuators have built-in switches on the kit I used, so when you lock one door, the other follows, thusly eliminating the need for a separate switch. If the lock actuators have only 2 wires, then it's a slave, and if it has 5 wires, it's a master, with the built-in switch.

So far, they have worked great and I have had no problems.