DIY Yaw Sensor rocker switch
 

So I've seen several threads showing that the yaw sensor has been pulled or put on a switch but no one has written an actual DIY for it yet. I finally went out today and purchased all the things I need to make it happen and figured I'd do a write up for anyone who's interested in doing this but are still unsure what to pull.

Most of the information I used to put this together is in another thread. If you want to do this right you're going to want to have these tools handy:
Attachment 83058
20 gauge wire
soldering wire
soldering gun
and a couple of heat shrink tubes
x-acto knife or wire stripper
One SPST switch of your choice. I picked one that fit into the center console area where the control for the convertible top would go. The mounting hole dimension for this slot is 35mm x 20mm but the switch I purchased was in imperial (1.45in x 0.83in) and it worked just fine.

To begin you need to remove the cupholder from its slot. All you need to do is carefully pull up with your fingers for this, no tools are required. This will also give you access to the switch placeholders if you intend to put the switch in one of the slots.

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of this portion since I got carried away with the work, the yaw sensor is right betwee the cupholder and your shifter. You will not have access to the module itself but there is a harness coming out of it. mine was bound in electrical tape, I used an xacto knife to carefully cut away the tape to reveal the individual wires. You are looking for a green wire; which provides power to the yaw sensor.

Attachment 83053

Cut the green wire and solder an extra length of wire to each side. Be generous, I cut too little the first time and it wouldn't reach the switch. Use the shrink tube afterwards to prevent any accidental connection between the exposed wires.

Attachment 83057

Solder each end of the wires to one of the posts on your switch, order doesn't really matter since it's simply completing a circuit at this point.

Attachment 83056

At this point you're basically done, simply put the cupholder back and test out the switch.

Quick question to anyone else who's done something similar. The VDC light does not come on, is this normal? When I press the "VDC off" button the light will activate. But with the yaw sensor off is everything disabled regardless of what is displayed on the HUD?

Only on 13's. This has been done before FYI.

O and next time use these on the switch. Much more professional.

What are those?

Really? They're male/female electrical connectors. You don't think that switch has that big flat brass with a hole just to have a wire passed through do you? Wire goes into the connector and the connector goes onto the brass. The hole is there because the female connector has a bulge kinda that locks into that hole. That way the connector won't come off with vibration. And for arch issues they're covered in a plastic shield.

Sounds excessive for a simple connection like this.

Looks ghetto as hell like this.

Umm, it's hidden underneath the console. If you can still see it you should get your eyes checked and apply for a super hero license.

If you're doing a diy for others to follow, do it right! We don't need ghetto hacks to a 30k car. This is why 350's and civic get a bad name. Do it right or not at all.

While the insulated spade connectors are not a necessity, they are a good idea. Not only do they provide long-term insulation (electrical tape has a tendency to come loose after much time in a hot environment), they also make troubleshooting/repairs sooooooo much easier when the time comes. YMMV

Mine is done, used crimp connectors and ratchet crimper and mounted the rocker switch in the spare panel between heated seat switches.

Since I am a 2009 model, isolating the yaw sensor and pressing the VDC button illuminates both VDC and "slip" warning lights. To re-enable, the ignition needs to be cycled.

Takes about a half-hour and the most difficult issue is stripping the insulation off the green wire. In the end , I elected to hold the wire with long-nose pliers and used a sharp knife to score the insulation which then pulled off between my fingers as there was not sufficient room to use my wire stripping tool.

Just double checking ...
I also have an 2009 6MT and am looking to disable the VDC and ABLS when I take it to the track.
You've intercepted the GREEN wire going in to the controller ... and you've successfully dropped out the VDC and the ABLS.

Do the brake lights work and Can you do a standing burn out now ???

I'm looking to install a line lock and take my car to the drag strip...need to do a standing burn out to warm up the tires...

Thanks,
Bob

Brake lights work, not sure about standing burnout - definitely lays rubber (big-time), but have never tried a burn-out against the brakes - I suspect that this still will not be possible because most ECU's these days that have fly-by-wire throttle have a throttle limitation when the brake lights are on - which is to stop old farts like me hitting the gas too hard and ending up over the footpath and inside the store.

To answer your question - the mod fixes my problem which was the electronics intervening when I am trail-braking on the track, but I don;t reckon it will fix your problem which is more aligned to drag-racing ...

this is perfect thanks, will do this ASAP

Good DIY man. I think whomever is doing the MOD could figure out what type conector to use.:tup:

thks for the guide :)

Anyone else doing this mod?

Not while it's my DD. But it is on the list.



Sorry... can't help myself...

This coming from the guy with more garden hose trim home depot mods than anyone on the forum :wtf2:

How are you still a sponsor? :shakes head:

Wow, this is so odd... I don't actually remember it being Scott who originally had a problem with me on this... It was someone else. So weird.

Edit: Nope, it WAS sott. go figure.

Anyway, Just wanted to give a bit of an non-update. No issues since doing this. Not that I anticipated any issues but just thought I'd mention it. Wrong connectors and all. :icon23:

Hi there. I was curious about this jaw sensor mod as I've only done the power brake mod for burnouts. I am not tracking and didn't know about trail-braking but read up on it now. It is clearly a desirable skill on the track (and road). But can you elaborate why and in what way the ECM interferes when trail-braking? Does the VCD apply additional unwanted brake during a fast corner? Why would switching off VCD not suffice. Thx for enlightening me:driving:

Nothing wrong with the way you did it - orders of magnitude better than the twist-the-bare-wires-together-and-tape-them-up method that I've seen used.

Personally, I would use insulated crimp connectors. But that's just because I have a bunch of crimp connectors laying around (I've worked as an Electrician and an Instrument Tech and my hobbies often involve electrical equipment).

Soldering, if done properly, will give a better electrical and mechanical connection than crimp connections, especially if used in a location that promotes corrosion, but makes changing the switch more difficult. I have seen people slide the insulation off the crimp connector (not an easy job), solder the crimp, and then replace the insulator - overkill in my book.

Hey man what you do in your free time is your business.....:rofl2:

subd, looks good!

Will this also disengage the ABS on a 09'?

http://www.the370z.com/members/resip...28-cartman.jpg

Sorry. Couldn't help it...

what does adding this switch do to the performance of our Z's? specifically a 2013 base sport ?

Howdy, I just got done with this setup on my 14 370Z, however my traction control light always stays on, whether the switch is off or on? Is it suppose to trip a code or something that I need to clear?

It keeps the car from sending you into a wall when maintaining extreme slip angles such as when drifting. There is no performance gain, just disables more nannies.

It should not trip a code. Though once you disable the yaw sensor, the traction control will remain off until you restart the car. If you start the car with yaw control engaged, you should have no problems.

Just seen this comment ............

There are two inter-related electronic stability control functions, ESC and VDC. ESC is basically monitoring difference between wheel speeds at all 4 corners and if the rear wheels are turning faster than the fronts, the ECU will cut fuel/ignition to stop the wheel-spin and keep you straight.

VDC monitors "yaw" and it is trying to determine if the car is sliding and will trigger one or more brake calipers via the ABS controller. For instance, VDC figures that if you have a little left hand lock in the steering, and the yaw sensor shows lateral acceleration to the right (i.e. sliding to the right - what you get when cornering hard to the left with a slide), it will trigger the right rear brake to try and straighten the car up so you can then steer out of trouble.

All very good except if I am flat in 4th on the approach to T9 at Philip Island GP circuit - a part of the circuit where your are turning left, the car is sliding towards the right hand side of the track and you require a trail brake deep into the approach and the VDC gives your right rear brake caliper a tweak which pitches the car right towards the wall - THAT gets your attention. It is exactly the wrong thing for the electronics to be doing, and why I have a switch to disable it.

Road car safety algorithms are usually the precise opposite of what you require on a track.

gonna do this over the weekend... anything different on a 2012 model or all the same? Thanks

You may want to download the FSM for your year and verify wire colors.

Hey!
I couldn't find 20 gauge wire anywhere!
(home depot, lowes, advanced auto parts)

Can I use 18 gauge?

Thanks!

20 gauge wire
soldering wire
soldering gun
and a couple of heat shrink tubes
x-acto knife or wire stripper
One SPST switch of your choice. I picked one that fit into the center console area where the control for the convertible top would go. The mounting hole dimension for this slot is 35mm x 20mm but the switch I purchased was in imperial (1.45in x 0.83in) and it worked just fine.

Yes. 20 ga or lower will work. Wire gauges are "backwards" - the smaller the gauge number, the larger the wire is.

Since it's signal-level, you could probably get away with 22 ga wire ... but I wouldn't recommend it.

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4magpf94.jpg

I just did this, and it lights up the dash and resets when the car is shut off on my 16. I'll have to report back on how I like all nannies off when I autox next weekend. I used a mini toggle switch and kept it under the cupholder, partially for the cleanest look, and partially so I don't get a hair up my *** on a wet road and decide to go a little crazy and end up missing a tree because of it. I know I can crash anyways but turning off all the safeties to intentionally screw around is something I want hidden, I don't trust myself that much haha. Besides the cup holder is very easy to remove.

Just put mine under the cup holder too.

My on-off switch came prewired with two black wires about 4" long - bought it from O'Reillys -saving me some install time.

Works perfectly on my 2010!

Good call beemerkid!

Finally did mine last night after work. Been loosening up the cup holder for the last week. Yanked on it a little at a time and it finally popped. :excited: I have not had a road open up enough yet to really test it out. It is so nice not to have to hit the VDC Off button every time I get in the car. And... the switch pops in perfect and looks OEM.

Has anyone found a switch that pops into the OEM mounting location?


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Yaw Power Switch
 

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Ive gotten to leaving VDC and yaw off all the time now, i just ignore the lights on the dash.

Dont ever drive in the rain or snow, so cant think of any reason or anytime I have needed to switch it back on!