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false Laser detection with loud car
I've had my Passport 8500 and 8500x50 for roughly 4yrs now. I recently installed a new exhaust on my car that makes it extremely loud when I go full throttle. It's also throwing a false Laser beep half the times when I do that. Does anyone know why? It never did this before the exhaust. Does the loudness of the exhaust have any connection to throwing off the radar detector's functioning? If so, why?
Are you by any chance engaging the hyperdrive?? Looks like a lot of laser interference to me!
Don't think it is the cause but why not ask is your RD hardwired? Sometimes whe it is harwired it gives false in response to things the car does. I have always heard of stuff like beeping the horn or the bliker bu perhaps this is a new one.
Re: false Laser detection with loud car
^ Did you ditch any grounding straps with your new exhaust setup?Originally Posted by thoe99
A "noisy" ( not in the sense of to your ears) electrical system is one of the most commonly cited reasons for laser falses on the x50, and having ditched one (or more) grounding straps or having created a ground-loop from improvised/off-location exhaust system hangers or the exhaust rubbing on other metallic components could certainly be a cause of this issue.
Alternatively, if your new exhaust setup is producing so much in-cabin vibration that it's affecting either the connections from your cigarette lighter plug and/or is vibrating loose your hardwire connections, that could cause an issue, too.
Finally, since sunlight-induced laser falses on the x50 is not unheard of, another area I'd look into would be your selected mounting location for the x50, and whether if it may be exposed to more vibrations now than before - where the vibrations could cause the typical sunlight-induced interference (i.e. quick flashes of bright sunlight) that sparks the laser falses.
My also appx. 4-year old x50 (Rev5) was used extensively in all of my DSMs - some were loud outright, while others produced a deep resonnating bass-note that would vibrate entire underground garages.
I also have several friends and acquaintances who have *very* loud exhaust systems on their turbocharged Scoobys and who use various Bel/Escort products - all without any problems.
My guess is that you've either got a noisy electrical system due to ground-fault, or you're now vibrating loose what was previously "OK" connections.
Best of luck in your troubleshooting!
check your alternator.
Thanks for all your replies. I'm driving an 03' Evo with a straight dump downpipe (a downpipe with an electronic cutout bypass), so it's just about as loud of a setup as you can get. It's perfectly installed, I did the install myself, grounds properly located on the chassis, etc. The exhaust does not rub anywhere and has plenty of clearance under the car, it is a very well made downpipe. I also have datalogs of my car's health which shows no signs of electrical problems. The radar detector is simply plugged into the cigarette lighter and mounted in the middle of my windshield for optimal view. Indeed it is vibrating everything inside the car when I floor it and let the car roar. But so far it has only happened that one day and it was at night time, so I'm eliminating the sunlight theory, and I'm gonna 'pretend' it didn't happen and see if this is an issue from here on out. What is hyperdrive, by the way?
^ I think that "Hyperdrive" is probably when you choose to floor that thing.
It definitely looks like you know what you're doing, so we indeed can rule out most of the previously cited issues.
Like you said, I, too, would play a wait-and-see game. As it stands now, since your only reported incidence was just that night, playing the waiting game is worth it - it truly may have just been one of those freak things.
By any chance, were those initial falses a result of your car getting a nose-up attitude upon launch? If so, and you were at a traffic-intersection, any of a number of potential lighting as well as other traffic-control devices at that location could have caused the falsing, once you'd gotten the detector to point above the horizon.
Finally, if this event does again rear its ugly head, I'd truly be tempted to dig up the rear of the cigarette lighter plug and see if something isn't coming loose there. Your car isn't exactly old - but it is stiffly sprung, and especially as you have it now, with interior vibrations being much harsher, you truly may be momentarily losing contact upon certain situations. Pulling out that plug was a complete monster on my various DSMs (for which I'd wired up starter-switches), but it's quite easy to access on my Scoobys (hardwired RDs and other countermeasures accessories) - I don't know if your EVO would fit into the former or the latter category, but it's definitely something that's worth a try, if all else fails.
Before you do that, though, be absolutely certain that you're getting a good connection at the detector-plug to lighter receptacle junction. Especially with everything vibrating the way it's doing now, you'll want to make sure that this is tight, before looking to anything else. Similarly, make sure that your SmartCord-to-detector junction is good-to-go, too.
Brother matthelm - who is also my home-town neighbor - here is also an EVO owner - he may be able to help you out in a more direct manner, especially since he also owns an x50. You'll want to PM him, as he doesn't frequent the Forum as much as he used to.
Best of luck! [/quote]
Re: false Laser detection with loud car
*****
^
I know that my ZR3, as well as others', seem to be prone to sunlight-induced falses.
I usually get mine if I'm driving at between 25 to 40 MPH, through an area where there's lots of intermittent shadows cast from trees lining the roadside. With my setup, it's usually the rear head, and that's also the head that I've got on an upward angle.
Strangely enough, through the same area, I can actually relatively consistently repeat the run to induce another false - but if I'm driving slower or faster, or if I'm driving throgh that area at a different time of day - nada.
It's somewhat worse now thatn it has been in the past, and I'm guessing that over the years, the scratches accumulated on the lens is offering some type of prizm-effect, making it "spark off" more than before.
Totally throwing that guess I had regarding the OP's problem way out from left field - thinking that perhaps it could've been either his windshield, being slightly dirty/scratched having caused the sunlight issue - or perhaps that his "older" x50's lens is slightly scratched, causing the same effect, which was then exacerbated by his vehicle's newfound NVH levels.
Just a guess, but heck, thought I should throw it out there, nevertheless.ops:
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