natcc99

S2000 Start Button write up with Clutch Safety

Below you will find instructions on how to wire and install a S2000 Start Button. In this application, the Key must be in the ON position and the Clutch must be pressed down in order to start the car.

Tools:

- screw driver
- wire stripper
- wire (12 gauge)
- floppy drive power connector
- wire butt connectors
- wire pig tail connectors
- pliers
- electrical tape
- blue tape
- heat shrink
- dremel with various cutting bits
- relay SPDT
- S2000 start button
- and other regular wiring tools



**REMOVING WIRING HARNESS**

Firstly, I want to say THANKS to 99_SH for his write up because I couldn’t have done my project without his help.
You can read his write up at the following link:
Writeup: S2000 Start Button!!

Please visit his page for daytime pictures with hints and tips.
I was working in a garage and used a work light instead of natural sunlight.

Step 1:

DISCONNECT BATTERY!!!!

Remove lower steering column cover.
There are six screws that must be removed.
Arrows and circles will indicate locations for each screw.





Lower column cover will pop out of place.



Step 2:

Remove lower center cover by taking out One Screw showed with a Circle.
The other corners are held with snaps showed with Squares.



This is what it will look like after the two covers are removed.
Please excused my chrome “R?Epedals. They were cheap and no one sees them while I’m driving anyways. hehe

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Step 3:

Remove BLUE clip located below the key hole.



Step 4:

Remove GREEN clip located above the key hole.




Step 5:

Follow the wire up and remove the small WHITE clip



Step 6:

Remove the GREY and BROWN clips



Step 7:

Remove plastic snap.
You can use some pliers to pinch the snap so that it will pop out of the hole.



Step 8:

Follow the wire towards the clutch and above the fuse box.

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Step 9:

Remove BROWN clip showed in picture



Now the entire wire harness can be removed from the car.
This makes the wiring connection much easier to work with since you can sit at a workbench as oppose to lying upside down in the car.

natcc99

**WIRING**

Here, I have to give my Thanks to the http://www.Miata.net forums. You can find a lot of valuable information there from racing tips to electrical modifications. Plus, you won't find any rice stuff there.

http://www.miata.net/garage/pushstart/index.html

http://www.miata.net
Do a search with the key words as "BRB" (a.k.a Bright Red Button)

Step 1:

The floppy drive power plug is perfect for the S2000 start button.
Two of the ports will not be used on the S2000 start button.

See diagram for correct wire schematics.
Note that there is a notch on one side of the S2K button. I used the notch to indicate the top position.




Notice the tight fit. Looks like OEM!



Step 2:

The S2K button must have a 12 power supply. You can tap this anywhere that will have power when the key is turned to the ON position.
I used the accessory as my power supply.

To get to the wire, you must remove the trim surrounding the A/C and radio.
The trim is held in place with SEVEN snaps indicated by the Red Squares in the picture.
Use a small thin flat head screwdriver to unsnap the trim. Be careful not to break or crack the trim.




Two screws on either side hold the radio in place, resulting with four total screws.



Once the Radio is removed, you will be able to see the power wire that will be use to power the S2K button. Tap into that wire using an alligator clip.

natcc99

Step 3:

The Relay!! – This is what makes the whole system work. Without this, things can go very wrong. At first I used the wrong relay and ended up with many headaches.

The Relay you want is a SINGLE POLE DOUBLE THROW (SPDT) 12volt DC; 30 Amps
This Relay can be found at NAPA autoparts.







Follow the diagram blow for wiring up the relay



1.) Cut the starter wire from the harness and directly tap it into 87. The starter wire is BLACK with a WHITE stripe found on the Brown clip that is located below the Grey clip when harness was plugged into the car. (I used a RED wire)

2.) Attach a wire onto the 85 tab on the relay to the port number 1 on the S2K button. (wire not shown)

3.) Cut the YELLOW wire on the OEM harness. Connect the wire that runs From the Harness into 87a. (I used a Black wire)

4.) Connect the other end of the YELLOW wire from the Ignition Switch to the tab 30 on the relay. (I used a Yellow wire)

5.) Ground to the chassis. (I used a Black wire)

natcc99

Blow is a picture of my wiring harness with the relay attached to it.





The above picture of my wiring harness was badly cut and attached back together when I used the wrong relay during my first attempt. There was a lot of trail and error and you can see that there was a lot or errors....oops!

Below is a picture of my Clean Up.....doesn't it look like a stock harness?!?!

natcc99

Step 4:

Almost done.
Plug the harness back into the car. Notice how clean it looks? Take the extra time to cover up your wires and it will look much better in the end.



The wire hanging down goes to the relay. Find a place to secure the relay that is out of the way of your feet when you are driving. You can use a screw or double sided tape. If you use the tap, be sure to clean the surface before applying to ensure a secure bond.

Step 5:

Ground the Relay to the chassis.
I found a good spot here.




Step 6:

Run the wire from tab number 85 from the relay to your S2K button.
Tap that wire to port number 1 on the S2K button.

Run the ground wire of the button to the chassis. (Shown with a Red Circle)
Run the power wire from the accessory to the button as well.
Cover the wires with the plastic cover.
Make sure none of the wires interfer with the shifter!!!!



FINISHED.........DONE!!!
Now you can test out.
Reconnect your battery.
Press the clutch
Turn the key to the ON position.
Press your Bright New Red Button......VROOOOOM!!!!!

natcc99

***S2000 START BUTTON INSTALLATION***

Many people install their S2K button inside the accessory port. 99_SH did an excellent job on this.
Check out his page for his installation process.
Writeup: S2000 Start Button!!

I, on the other hand, decided to put it some place closer towards me. The accessory port is in an odd location since it's on the passenger side of the car and around the shifter.

So here it is........My S2000 Start Button Installation!!!
Looks good huh?!?!


WHAT you don't see it?!?!
How about NOW?!?!



YES.........BATMAN STYLE!!!
I'm not sure if anyone else has done this, but I like the idea. As you can see, I placed the S2K button inside the coin tray.
The lid offers three purposes.
First it hides the S2K button when the car is parked.
It also protects myself from accidentally hitting it.
Lastly, it is really cool to flip it up and surprise my passenger!!

This is the general idea of how the S2K will sit inside the center console before I started cutting up my plastic panels.

natcc99

Step 1:

Get a piece of cardboard and using a scissor and razor to custom fit the cardboard inside the coin tray.
As you can see, I cut it a little smaller so that it will fit lower inside the coin holder. This gives a little extra space for the S2K button. Plus, it gives the custom installation some depth and makes it look more like stock.





Step 2:

Get a peace of ABS Plastic found at a plastic store. I found one about 15-20 mins from my house. You can look in their scrap pile for really good cheap deals.
You can go to a stereo store as well, but they will probably charge you an arm and a leg.

Mask off the entire surface with blue tape to protect it.

Step 3:

Use the cardboard cut out to draw a trace line on to the ABS plastic. (DO NOT throw away the cardboard yet because you?fll need it for later)

Step 4:

Using a dremel, slowly and carefully cut out the ABS plastic. Since there was no sure way that my cut line would be perfectly straight, I cut a little bit outside the lines and used sand paper to slowly smooth out the plastic cover so it would fit.
Cut on the top surface to get a clean result. Don?ft worry, your blue tape will protect the finish.

This took A LOT of time, but it will be worth it in the end.

natcc99

Step 5:

Now it's time to cut out the coin holder so that the S2K button can fit inside it.
This got a little tricky due to the odd shape.

The coin tray is made of very strong plastic and the dremel is perfect for cutting through it.
However, the plastic gives of terrible and probably poisonous fumes. I would suggest doing this task outside in the opened air.
Use safety goggles and dust mask!!!!
You can see the brown dust collected along the sides of the coin tray. You do not want to inhale that!!!



This is what you will get after you cut out the hole using various bits for the dremel.
Take special care cutting out this hole. There is no turning back unless you want to buy a new one.
Plus, pay attention to how the S2K button is going to sit. Make sure that it will sit flush to the coin tray and not at an angle. Your hole will determine that.

top side


botton side


Notice the brown dust......YUCK!!
Also note how the sides of the coin tray were not cut. This gives support to the coin tray so that it will sit securely inside the center console.

Test fit the S2K button inside the coin tray.

natcc99

Step 6:

Now take the coin tray and place it back inside the center console.
Notice how a small section is in the way of the S2K button?!?! (Circled in Red)



Take out the coin tray and place some blue tap on the area that needs to be cut.
Put the tray back on and use a pen to mark out the opening for the hole.





Now turn the entire center console up side down and remove the cup holder and coin tray bracket. There are about 5-6 screws. I have forgotten how many, but look under there and it?fs obvious where the screws are located.

Once the plastic unit it removed, cut out the material needed to fit the S2K button.

When you are finish, the S2K button will fit perfectly inside the coin tray AND the center console!!

natcc99

Step 7:

You are now ALMOST done.
The next step is to cut out a hole in the ABS plastic to finish the installation.

Because the hole is not centered inside the coin tray, some creativity is required to cut out the hole for the ABS plastic cover.

Using the cardboard that we use earlier, place it back inside the coin tray. Turn the coin tray upside down and, with a pen, mark the underside of the cardboard following the lines of the hole.
Now using some scissors, cut out the hole.
Make sure you remember which side is the top and bottom of the cardboard.

Now, place the cardboard on top of the ABS plastic. (remember, there still should be some blue tape to protect the surface) Make sure the topside of the cardboard and ABS plastic are both facing up.

Using a drill bit, drill out a perfectly circular hole for the S2K button!
You can use a razor and/or dremel to clean off the hole to ensure a secure fit.

This is what you end up with when you?fre done!!
Notice how both of the holes line up!!!!!





Here?fs the S2K button installed through the plastic cover and coin tray.




AND YOU ARE DONE!!!!

Clean off the dust and put everything back into the car.
Plug the wires into the S2K button and you?fre ready for instant VROOOOM with a push of a button.

(of course, you still need to press on the clutch and use the key.)

natcc99

Below are some show-off pictures of the end result.
Forgive me, I took the pictures LATE at night. I had to put up several lamps just to light the area. (digital camera flashes suck.)













This is how I took the night pictures!! HAHAHA!!
Three lamps!!



Lastly, the FUNNY thing is when you close the lid to the coin tray and step back while looking at the car. It looks completely stock.....I just stood there thinking to myself, ?gWow, all that work and it looks like I didn?ft do anything!?h haha! But I guess that is what I get for going the stealth approach.

Let me know if you have any questions
natcc99@hotmail.com

THANKS again to 99_SH, the Miata message Board, and my friend who came by and helped me out on the installation.
We are going to work together again when we install a S2K button (BRB) in his Miata!!!

natcc99

Here is a daytime picture that I took this morning





whew...done...my fingers are tired.

Hope you enjoy the write up and it helps out a few of you who are interested in the mod.

let me know if you need More pictures

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one last picture....this is a night shot of the S2000 start button light.

It lights up when you turn the key to the ON position and stays on while the car is running.



it's not very bright

axion68

very nice writeup and install. FAQ anyone??

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98VTEC

First thanks so much for the write up....I love weekend projects like this. Anyhow...what would you say was the over all cost of this mod? $50?

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99_SH

Nice pics, and great writeup. I like where you mounted your button

You could've used a SPST relay, and made wiring a little easier. You couldn't tapped your BAT signal and hooked that up to one switch end of the relay. And hook up the ST to the other switch end of the relay. And it would've worked fine.

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-Arax

Brodie

Nice job! Projects like this make me wish I had a damn garage.

natcc99

thanks everyone!

the mod wasn't that expensive
if you already have the tools, then everything comes out to be very cheap.
the only things you would have to buy are the relay and the switch


>>>99 SH<<<
It's strange because I couldn't get the SPST relay to work.
I had that relay to begin with and caused me to hack my harness almost into a million pieces.

Oh well...I found the SPDT was easier.

I hope you like the references I made to your write-up.




The custom mounting for the button took the longest time.
All that cutting and test fitting seem to take forever.
But I think it turned out well in the end.