How to Remove a GPS Disabler From a Vehicle.

by thematthatter in Workshop > Cars

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How to Remove a GPS Disabler From a Vehicle.

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This instructable will show how to remove a GPS Disabler from your vehicle.

Warning: If your car is under lien, the lienholder may flip out when you disable the GPS.  That is their protection to make you pay your bills or take your car if you default.

I used:
Screw drivers to remove the trim under dash.
pliers/wire cuters
wire connectors

Locate Device

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We were notified when we signed the contract that there was a device present somewhere on the car.  They said it was hidden and we would never find it.
I located the device using several key facts:
The device needs a clear shot to the sky to receive the GPS signal.
The device needs clear shot to receive and broadcast its status signal (through GSM)
The device works by interrupting the starter signal. (Therefor located near the ignition)
Humans are lazy and complacent.

Gain access to the underside of your dash and look for anything out of place.  Look for new wiring, new electrical tape, wires that are "thicker" than thin stock wires" and wires that go off to the roof of the car.  You are looking for a plastic device thats about the size of a deck of cards with two wires running into the ignition wires.
Don't be afraid to remove electrical tape and zip ties, but be careful not to break or cut the thin wires that belong to your car.

Locate All Components

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Mine had 5 wires.
One wire was the GPS antenna or (eye) that needed a clear shot to the sky. I followed the wire to the top of the car and removed the top plastic trim around door.
One wire was the GSM antenna. It was located next to the eye.
One wire connected to the red wire on the ignition to provide power to the device (there is a battery in the device itself)
One wire to vehicle ground.
The two relay wires that wired into the black wire to the ignition.  When the device is "activated" the relay breaks contact with the black wire on your ignition key switch and your car wont start or turn over.

Remove Components

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*Warning* remove the negative cable off your car battery.  This device will broadcast that the vehicle has no battery power.  It has a tiny rechargeable battery that will last approx 3 days.

Easy way to remove the components is to disconnect the antennas at the receiver and pull the eye or antenna part.
I did it the hard way at first and kept it connected and the eye part got stuck trying to fit itself through the tiny gaps in the frame.

Fix Your Ignition.

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Now that you have the device removed reconnect your ignition wires.
The black wires should be connected together.
The guy who installed the device damaged the red wire and i chose to remove the damage section and reconnect it.

Reconnect the battery terminal. While everything is still open start your car.  If you did everything right it should start right up.

Re Assemble Your Car

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Put the plastic trim pieces back together and carry the Medusa inside your house to show your wife.

Why?

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Why I did this.
My wife purchased this vehicle from one of them "no credit no problem" car lots.  In the industry they are called "Buy here pay here" places.
We have had the car shut off a couple times when we were in-between blessings.  They promised us once we made the final payment that they would give us web access to the car so that in the event it is stolen then we could disable it ourselves and see where its at. They never did so there was no incentive to keeping it in the vehicle.

Here is a picture of the inside of the device.
There is a GSM module w/SIM card to connect to cellphone towers.
A rechargeable battery pack to power the device when the battery is removed from car.
Relay to control power to the ignition.
AT MEGA chips
GPS module.
Judging by the traces it looks like it hooks up via USB but i'm no expert or anything.
The system can be bypassed by jumping a wire to the two blue wires.