Relocated VEC3...

[SRT-MIKE]

As someone who drives his truck daily regardless of the weather, driving during a downpour always gives me a real bad vibe about the possibility of the VEC3 getting soaked and getting ruined... I have not heard of such a thing happen, but water and mist going into that open card slot just can't be a good thing.

So I ordered an extension kit from Roe and relocated the VEC3 to the interior of the cabin for peace of mind, this is how it looks:

 

[TNVIPER]

I had asked Dave at Roe about that extension but never got an answer....I had also spoken with another member here that had issues after installing the extension....your comments related to installation and any issues after the install?

 

[mauiSRT/10]

Smart decision IMO. Looks good in there.


patrick

 

[Prof]

If you have the VEC II or III you should consider relocating it to the interior of the cab or at least find a way to avoid water contact.

I have had two issues with water on the VEC and don't drive mine in bad weather. I got caught in a storm returning from Boomers after having some work done and the truck nearly died. It was a frog strangling rain for over an hour.

In the second instance. I used a touch free car wash (at the MOPAR Nationals) and the spray heads rotated to a horizontal position when the unit tried to clean the grill area...I have removed the plastic air "baffolds" and the high pressure spray reached the engine compartment and for 20 miles the truck sputtered and coughed.

Eddie has designed a cover to lessen the problem...I will be trying it next week, if you are interested contact him

(see thread: http://www.vtcoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15554)

 

[SRT-MIKE]

I had asked Dave at Roe about that extension but never got an answer....I had also spoken with another member here that had issues after installing the extension....your comments related to installation and any issues after the install?

There is a spare firewall penetration on the driver's side, I cut a hole in the gromment to fit the harness and vacuum tube. The harness was installed under the carpet and shifter console to be routed into the amp compartment, that was the most difficult part of the job. In the engine compartment the harness was neatly routed to the old location, plugged, weather-taped, and tucked away.

The truck started right up, no issues. I only had a couple of free hours to do the installation, so my initial choices for location were under the instrument cluster, exposed, inside the glove compartment, and in the open compartment under the radio and a/c controls... but I decided to go the extra mile and install it out of sight.

Roe does not stock the harnesses, they have to be special ordered and are assembled at the time of the order. I called Dave Venski and he had mine out the door three days later.

 

[Prof]

One other point...every electrical connection needs to be done very carefully...and perfectly...problems in the harness connections are very difficult for us worldly people to identify, locate and resolve...so....

Do it right the first time.

 

[Marc T]

If you have the VEC II or III you should consider relocating it to the interior of the cab or at least find a way to avoid water contact.

I have had two issues with water on the VEC and don't drive mine in bad weather. I got caught in a storm returning from Boomers after having some work done and the truck nearly died. It was a frog strangling rain for over an hour.

In the second instance. I used a touch free car wash (at the MOPAR Nationals) and the spray heads rotated to a horizontal position when the unit tried to clean the grill area...I have removed the plastic air "baffolds" and the high pressure spray reached the engine compartment and for 20 miles the truck sputtered and coughed.

Eddie has designed a cover to lessen the problem...I will be trying it next week, if you are interested contact him

(see thread: http://www.vtcoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15554)

Roy,

I thought your was installed in the cab??:dontknow:
Is it rain or water hitting the conection at the Brain Box??

 

[SRT-MIKE]

One other point...every electrical connection needs to be done very carefully...and perfectly...problems in the harness connections are very difficult for us worldly people to identify, locate and resolve...so....

Do it right the first time.

The connections are premade and the harness comes completely assembled from Roe, so putting it together is not a problem for mere mortals. It's a plug-and-play deal.

 

[Prof]

Roy,

I thought your was installed in the cab??:dontknow:
Is it rain or water hitting the conection at the Brain Box??

Marc, I have the reader installed in the cab. The electronic box is still in the engine compartment, on the back side of the extra battery box.

 

[SRT-MIKE]

Marc, I have the reader installed in the cab. The electronic box is still in the engine compartment, on the back side of the extra battery box.

Prof, what type of confuguration do you have? My VEC3 is a box with a built-in card reader, I was not aware there was a system where the reader and electronics are separate.

 

[Prof]

Mine is a converted VEC II

 

[SRT-MIKE]

I see.
Any plans to relocate the box?

 

[Prof]

I am going to try the box that Eddie has designed...since I do not drive the truck in the rain...I will not relocate...but it was a decision early on to put the reader in the cab...1fast400 and I were the first ones to have the tmts and neither he nor I like the way they were located in the engine compartment in Vipers...