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I'll start by stating; "Yes, I know that all we have to do is unplug the stock Shock Sensor, and everything will be fine." However; I have scummed to OCD on this topic, can't take it any more and want a working shock sensor that I don't have to deal with for a long time. So... here we go with a replacement.
I started with an experience typical to many F-Body owners, finding that I had a blown SMD resistor on the Shock Sensor board, which led me to hyper-sensitivity of the unit:
I also purchased a "good" unit off of ebay (for something around $1.00) and found it was worse! More blown resistors and corrosion on the back:
So, I started looking for other options. I've found that Ford also used this PP-T20 Shock Sensor on some of it's cars. I was able to also purchase this new old stock Ford unit on ebay and found that it seemed to have an evolved design:
I felt better about the newer Ford version but was also curious if there were other aftermarket options out there and found an Audiovox AS-9424 unit:
As it turns out, both the Ford PP-T20 and the Audiovox AS-9492 both work identical to the stock unit with the same inputs.
Black - Ground
Red - 12V Power
Blue - Short to Ground Shock Warning
Green - Short to Ground Shock Trigger
On the Audiovox, the colors match up the same as stock. On the Ford PP-T20, the colors translate to our stock as:
Black - Black
Red - Red
Green - Brown
Blue - Orange
I really like the Audiovox unit and will be trying that out first. The colors match to stock, so its really easy to wire up, the sensitivity **** is high quality, and it has two LEDs to help with tuning. (Green is the Warning light and Red is the Trigger light.) I also like the pendulum on the sensor. (It seems more accurate to me, vs. the weight mounted in the center of the stock mechanism.)
Here's the unit ready to go. I wired up the stock connector because I had the terminals and crimpers/tools available but I expect most folks will just need to simply splice the wires or harness in.
I expect to get this piece snapped into the car this weekend. My bedroom is immediately above my garage, so any issues with this should be known immediately!
If anyone here would like to give the Ford sensor a try on their car and report back experiences to this thread, please PM me and we'll connect on transferring the sensor.
I don't need one yet but I'll definitely track this. Mine gets set off by heavy thunder so the whole central Florida summer thing can get a bit annoying.
I don't need one yet but I'll definitely track this. Mine gets set off by heavy thunder so the whole central Florida summer thing can get a bit annoying.
Yours is probably blown and over-sensitive. Have you tried turning down the sensitivity dial?
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Nicely done! I hadn't even considered using a different brand replacement sensor but it's a great idea. Another one to consider is the DEI 504D Double Guard Stinger sensor used on most of DEI's brands (Viper, Hornet, etc.). It's about $12 on Amazon and uses the aftermarket standard wire colors but that would be with green as warning and blue as full trigger.
^ Yep. That looks like it would work, also. After all these years, who would have thought these things weren't rocket science?
The colors are easy to confirm: Hook red and black up to 12V, turn the sensitivity all the way down, and then tap the device lightly and then hard to confirm which wire is the warning and which one is the full trigger.
Yours is probably blown and over-sensitive. Have you tried turning down the sensitivity dial?
My sensitivity is still ok. The cats that've been sleeping in the nose and playing on the roof don't trigger it thankfully. The Florida thunder is just a bit too powerful. In the big storms the house shakes a bit. I need to go out there one day and move the sky up about 15 feet or so lol
Wow. It's been a long time on this one. I never got around to putting this in the car until this weekend.
I'm happy to report that it works wonderfully!!! The adjustment screw on this new Audiovox unit is also really handy. Just put a stubby Phillips on it and the unit is very easy to dial in the sensitivity one wants.
I'll try the ford one, since it already has the wires connected. I can just splice them to the OEM connector by the colors you referenced above. Thanks for doing that!
I'll try the ford one, since it already has the wires connected. I can just splice them to the OEM connector by the colors you referenced above. Thanks for doing that!
The ford has a pigtail that plugs in. The Audiovox has the same thing and the new unit comes with the pigtail. (That's what I used for my sensor - I just added the stock plug on the end.)
The ford has a pigtail that plugs in. The Audiovox has the same thing and the new unit comes with the pigtail. (That's what I used for my sensor - I just added the stock plug on the end.)
Awesome, then I should be good to go once it arrives.
I really like the Audiovox unit and will be trying that out first. The colors match to stock, so its really easy to wire up, the sensitivity **** is high quality, and it has two LEDs to help with tuning. (Green is the Warning light and Red is the Trigger light.) I also like the pendulum on the sensor. (It seems more accurate to me, vs. the weight mounted in the center of the stock mechanism.)
Here's the unit ready to go. I wired up the stock connector because I had the terminals and crimpers/tools available but I expect most folks will just need to simply splice the wires or harness in.
I expect to get this piece snapped into the car this weekend. My bedroom is immediately above my garage, so any issues with this should be known immediately!
If anyone here would like to give the Ford sensor a try on their car and report back experiences to this thread, please PM me and we'll connect on transferring the sensor.
I am doing this as well but my wire colors don't match exactly (2002 Trans Am)
OEM has Top right clockwise:
Black
Gray
Orange
Green
The Audiovox AS9492 is laid out on the flat and by process of elimination I have the color matches as follows:
AV OEM
Red = Orange (power)
Black = Black (ground)
Green = Green (trigger) (asking to confirm)
Gray = Blue (warning) (asking to confirm)
The above is what I am looking to confirm. Currently testing isn't available as the battery has been disconnected for about a year as I have been doing interior work (removed the Monsoon amp wiring [the amp was removed by a past owner] and speaker wiring). I found the wiring had spliced and soldered orange twice and some others. I am closer to getting the battery back connected as my amp wire has now been run. I will retain the OEM plug as well, looks great.
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
The factory colors are listed as:
orange: battery positive voltage
light green: shock sensor signal
black: ground
light blue (rather than gray): tamper switch signal
The service manual does not further detail the difference between shock sensor signal and tamper switch signal so you'll have to guess which is full alarm and which is warn away. You've got a 50/50 chance and it won't hurt anything to connect them reversed so I would go with what you have and then test to see if a small bump sets off the full alarm... if so then swap the blue and green wires and test again.
I think I have an error in my post with regard to the colors "matching." I will fix it, but in the meantime, you should be able to decipher it by looking at the picture of my custom Audiovox harness and matching the connector positions to stock.
I think I have an error in my post with regard to the colors "matching." I will fix it, but in the meantime, you should be able to decipher it by looking at the picture of my custom Audiovox harness and matching the connector positions to stock.
I looked back and I think I did have a match. The orangish on my OEM mapped to red on the Audiovox.
Originally Posted by jybravo70
The Audiovox AS9492 is laid out on the flat and by process of elimination I have the color matches as follows:
AV OEM
Red = Orange (power)
Black = Black (ground)
Green = Green (trigger) (asking to confirm)
Gray = Blue (warning) (asking to confirm)
This is what I would guess. How does your OEM board look compared to the ones I posted. Does your Gray wire solder into the greenboard at the same place as my blue wires? If so, you should be golden.
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New Replacement Shock Sensor 
