xlr8,

Sorry that our American terms are so confusing to you. (Did anyone see Robin McNeal's program on PBS called "Do You Speak American"?)

Anyway, if that remote starter kit was made for the North American market, you will have to assume that it is using the vernacular here. The "parking" lights would be the same as "marker" lights, or "side marker" lights, if the car had side markers. With the NA Aerostar (I don't know about the European models), there are no explicit side lights, as any lights that show from the side are part of the wrap-around front or rear marker/parking lights. In most cars, the rear marker lights also double as brake lights by having a second, brighter filament that comes on when you press the brake pedal.

Then there are the turn signals, which are the blinkers that flash when you use the turn signal stalk. (You do use those with turns, right?) These can also double as emergency (or hazard) flashers when activated by a separate switch; the turn signals on both sides flash at the same time. These may be integrated in the front with the marker lights as in the Aerostar, or be a separate light as in the rear of the Aerostars with the amber turn signals, or integrated with the marker and turn signals of the later Aerostars and other American cars. There is yet another variation on the turn signal known as "cornering lamps", which are medium bright white side mounted lights that come on with your turn signals to help illuminate the side that you're turning toward. But these seem to be available only on luxury type cars.

Additional variations on the marker lights are on some cars, where the front marker lights would only come one with the headlight switch at the mid position, and they would go out when the main headlights come on. But I haven't seen that design in a long time. They are also called "parking lights" in a lot of municipalities because they are only legal for use while you are in a car and parked. (The logic of this still escapes me.)

You seem to describe yet another variation that we don't normally see in this continent; a low wattage bulb in the reflector housing of the primary headlights. These are called "city lights", and may be referred to as "running lights" as well. It seems that in a lot of European cities, you are not supposed to use bright lights when actually driving in the city, where there should be plenty of street lighting. I don't agree with those regulations either, as I'd like to see where I'm going, or who I'm about to hit.

Having said all that, I am guessing that your remote starter/alarm system probably wants to flash the marker lights once or twice when activated, like so many cars that come with factory installed alarms. So I would attach that wire to the main circuit the supplies power to all the marker lights.

 

In Germany you must use the parking lights when parking on the street. They are set up a little differn. They have a seperate switch that turns on either the drivers side or passenger side. You turn on the side that is closest to the street when you park. It is a low watt light so as not to drain you battery. It is also illegal to drive with you high beams on in town. This is one of my biggest gripes here in the U.S. I feel that the younger generation never learned a lot of the common road manors that were stressed when I grew up like cities have plenty of lighting and you blind everyone using high beams in the city. In fact I was taught that on highways and byways you always dim you lights for on coming traffic. But now people only do as they wish and with the lights getting better and brighter all the time I sometimes think I need to were my sunglasses at night. Not Flamming anyone in particular..just ranting.

 

Ahh, side lights, that explains it, it was the low wattage running lights that come on with the ingnition, I guess some cars have them as amber at the front and soem have clear ones like the ones on my Aerostar, I think the system was for American cars as when you power the ignition with the remote htese lights would come on automaticaly, so I connected it to the interior footwell lights, works perfectly, it's just to tell you it's on the remore start so you don't try and drive off without putting the key in and thus having the lock still on. the thing wires into everything so there was a load of stuff to have to be got at, but at least I can start the van without having to run out in the morning, and as a bonus it also now has an alarm. most of the connections I did under the 'bonnet' and the only ones that had me thinking were those blasted lights and a tach pulse. took a good 5 minutes to think where to take it from untill I remembered the injector will have the same pulse as the -ive side of the coil. Glad it's all done now, just have to figure out the 4WD problem now.

 

You Brits sure speak funny English Here, we speak nothing but the Queen's English. Just ask any of my fellow Texan

 

xlt4wd90 your reference to cornering lamps, these in england are called repeater lamps or mimic lamps and flash along with the main indicator lamps, or blinkers as you americans call them, but they are amber not bright white and are there to let the dimwit drivers who can't see your main front indicators were your going.

 

CBR900, 25 was a good wage before tax, I used to work at Harefield CICU, Royal Brompton, G.O.S., and Northwick Park, I was further southwest from you guys, I also had a blade for a week, never got on with it so I got a Gixer 1215 turbo'd, streetfightered it and added a bit of giggle gas. I brought it with me but it remains unplated untill they can figure why the numbers are all from different years, I also used to convert 944's to V8's and used to race them, I got offered Porsches when the engines went for next to nothing, never paid over £800 for one and the ones that were still in the garage when we were leaving got thrown in the container, so after the sale of our house and buying our new palace we had about $80,000 in the bank, my commute is 130km each way and I say at work for the 3 nights I'm there, so a new car seemed needed, we live in the snowbelt so a 4X4 made sence and seeing as I already have a soft spot for Porsches the Cayenne got put up there with the Lexus, however the Van is 4WD so I can't justify spending the money, plus every year the Cayenne's are comming onto the used market and there value is starting to drop, unfortunatly the TT is worth as much as it is new but the S (still able to do 150mph) is $86,000 off the showroom floor, once the Areostar gives up the ghost I'll have already done my research adn be able to go out and know what I'm looking for, untill then it's earing interest.
Copper_90680, I've heard Mr. Foxworthy and that ain't any English I heard before.

 

CBR900,

Actually, I was referring to bright white lights that come on steady when the turn signal on that side is activated. They are mounted on the sides of the front fenders, and intended to help light up the direction that you're presumably turning toward. They are usually found on "luxury" cars in the US.

About side lights, I'm still mystified that so many American cars do not have turn signals that are visible from the sides. The Aerostar has the wrap-around lights at each corner, so there is a chance that your turn signals can be seen from the sides. As an example of a bad design, the turn signals on my Mustang are located inboard of the main headlights on the front, and inboard of the rear corner marker lights in the back. There is no way anyone on the sides of me will be able to see them. As such I've modified my turn signals so they can be seen from the sides. One of these mods is to turn one of the rear corner marker lights into what you would call a repeater light. It flashes with the turn signal when the marker lights are off, and opposite to the turn signal when the marker lights are on.

 

I think I get where your coming from but there is always one great flaw in the plan of them being seen, in Toronto, London and certainly Italy, NO-ONE uses the bloody things, infact it would be more cost effective to produce cars with no mirrors, delete option on the indicator stalk and a bloomin loud horn. For the americans, make that no rearward taffic locating devices, courtesy direction indication illumination, and an audiable monotone magaphone. (see i'm learning).

 

Yes I brought some of my bikes with me but they were my vintage one's, a 1956 250 matchless, 1972 250 kawasaki thriple and my favorite 1936 350 excelsior manxman, and like you I am having trouble getting them registered over here, but I really wish I still had the ducati I loved that bike handled like it was on rails and was plenty fast enough for me, I road it around the I.O.M TT course a few times and no one came past me.

 

On old Kettle, I think it was a pre-requisite for anyone over 30 to have had one of those while going throught the ranks, I admire your bravery for keeping it, it weighed a ton.

 

OK, it looks like the "remote" starter referred to in this thread is not the kind we hook up temporarily to kick the engine over when working on it. Instead it appears to be a starter actuated by signal from some distance away to start the engine.
All this discussion about jargon reminds me of of the old story of the Brit who alarmed an American when he told him he had a strangler in his saloon.
Ray Mac

 

Even worse is telling a 10 year old your going to shine a torch in there eyes (a torch in the UK is a flashlight) I've had a few unhappy customers on that one, pants are underwear and I'll not even mention what 'fanny' means.

 

the kawasaki was my second bike after my moped, first was a honda cb250 after that the kawasaki felt like a rocket, must admit thought the handling was a bit on the unsteady side even in a straight line but it was great fun.