Anyone ever install an alarm?

Sorry, but my adolescence was spent deactivating alarms, rather than installing them, lol.

It's an older Prestige. The model # is  APS-255CH

I have the instructions and diagram too. Just have zero clue of the wiring on the car side of things. 

Ok, here is a few wire color designations from the APS255CH and how they will correspond with the wire colors with your vehicle, I have just a few so far. I believe you will be able figure out your mounting location of the alarm's "brain", nearer or on the steering column/firewall on the driver's side is usually the best choice or option, if this location is used it will make all or most of your connections and/or wire runs less in length. I also figure you will be suited to find your B+, IGN. ON+ and your ground for the alarm, I mostly concentrated on the option end of your wiring. All the first wiring colors is from your alarm.
(A)WHITE: Parking light output.....BROWN WIRE found on the headlight switch. (B)GREEN: Grounded pin switch. If you install aftermarket pin switch that grounds to body of switch when hood, trunk or door is opened. (C)PURPLE: Interior courtesy light output.....BLUE/BLACK STRIPE can be found on headlight switch, not energized until dome light activated by switch. (D)ORANGE: Starter interrupt.....RED/BLUE STRIPE found on ignition switch mounted to steering column. DO NOT CONNECT WITH RED/LIGHT GREEN resistance wire for vehicle's ignition! (E) RED/GREEN/RED w BLACK TRACE: Door lock output, these outputs MUST be used to activate the door locks by the use of a relay, the locks draw more current/amperage than the alarm brain can supply. Ford uses a "ground at rest" system for the door locks. LOCK: PINK/ORANGE DASH UNLOCK: PINK/BLACK DOT these can be found in the doors themselves or in the kick panels of each side of the lower cowl. A pre-wired DLS(Omega alarm) type of module is preferred for this installation(makes it much easier due to the relays being pre-wired), due to the reversal of ground/power when the operation of the locks goes from lock and unlock. Hope this helps and gets you started. Good luck. Todd

Psquare75 wrote: Yes.

UH OH, SPAGHETTI-O's .
Paul,(did not mean to sound like I am "breaking" on you)I have got the same sort of pictures (of wiring "mess") when I installed my alarm system and spruced up the dash. As your pic shows, removing the dash may seem like a lot of work to others but to get all the features/benefits an alarm system possesses, doing it this way is usually the best (if time is on your side). Todd

mlachance112785 wrote: Time isn't really the issue. I fear that my dash will crumble if I try to remove it. I have one that isn't cut for a din radio as a spare, but I wasn't on planning doing that for a while yet. Maybe I'll hold off on the alarm for a little while. Who knows.  ***If I have to pull the lower dash to swap steering columns, then yes... I may as well do the alarm too.  Todd: if you have pictures from when you wired in your alarm, I wouldn't mind seeing a couple.

I'll see what I can dig up(actual photos, not on disc or SD card), it's been over 15 years since I installed it, but I still remember the "mess" of wiring. The alarm can be installed without dash removal, but your back will remind you of your decision during the wiring process. Todd

Looks like you made the right choice by removing the dash, your back should definitely thank you for this move! At least now you can easily install any and all the under carpet sound deadner/heat shield material. The DARK GREEN/WHITE TRACE wire will or should be used for entry illumination and should be used with a Bosch style of relay due to it's limited output capacity. The dome light wiring in your Cougar is also connected to the under dash courtesy lights, unless you want to operate the dome light only(through the use of blocking diodes) you can wire the DG/WT wire(through a relay) to the + output side of the door pin switch(you may have to use a test light at the pin switch to find which wire is energized when the switch is in the open position). The LIGHT GREEN wire is used for a negative trigger output(metal cased pin switch that grounds to body/chassis when in the open position), you "could" install a pin switch for the hood and/or trunk, which adds to the wiring duties but really isn't necessary. I believe your alarm should have what they call "current sensing", which causes the alarm to engage/siren "wailing" when an electrical load is sensed(like a dome light coming on when the door is opened). The BLACK/WHITE wire is a horn output wire obviously, if the alarm has a siren I would not worry about using this output, but if you want to use every last option, you can wire this alarm wire to the horn relay that should be located on the brake pedal support(IIRC). It is a three pronged relay, it is also used in cruise control applications. The BLACK/WHITE wire can be wired to the YELLOW/LIGHT GREEN dot wire, wiring it this way uses the factory relay for the horn's electrical load so you you will not have to wire in another relay. I hope this helps. I will try to get back to you with wiring options for the door locks. Todd

Edited by aquartlow - 03-June-2014 at 11:52PM

Holy cow!! Disconnecting a battery or pulling the coil wire will be my anti-theft device.

I wanted my alarm to do a host of things, once installed, through the use of the remote. Lock/unlock doors with driver's door priority(done before I shaved the handles/lock cylinders), give parking light output when armed/disarmed, roll the windows up when armed(power windows), use the truck unlock feature for door solenoids(removed door handles and lock cylinders), shock/air pressure sensors when armed, starter kill relay, using a third channel output for the motorized bed cover linear actuators(yet to be installed) and etc. Looking back it was all overkill, who in their right mind is going to steal a 1979 Ranchero . Peace of mind is worth something, so knowing someone will have above average trouble stealing, let alone hitting or even bumping my ride without notifying me or others around is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. If they really want your ride, time and opportunity is all a criminal needs, even with an alarm. I figure if I can slow him/her or them down enough, they might just get a bigger surprise then what they anticipated .   

Edited by aquartlow - 04-June-2014 at 8:54AM

All I have left is the doorlocks. Is this diagram the same as the Omega harness you sent? 

Thanks Todd. 

Every seems to make sense except for where the wires from the alarm itself go. 

I looked a bit more at the APS 255CH manual, it states that you may have to use a AS 9159 door lock interface when attempting to use the door lock outputs of the APS 255Ch for a 4 or 5 wire reverse polarity door lock system(which is what you have). That said, and not being there and seeing exactly what you have(or are going to use to energize the door lock/unlock actuators) I would say that if you have a door lock module like I posted or wire some relays like the door lock relay diagram you posted it should not be too bad of an install. The RED wire will send a negative pulse to the relay that locks both doors, the GREEN wire will send a negative pulse to the relay that unlocks the doors. If you want the alarm to have driver's door priority when unlock button is pressed(using the RED/BLACK trace wire) a third relay is needed. Using the drivers door priority will involve a bit more wiring to isolate the door lock actuators from each other.
Basically the RED wire sends a (-) pulsed signal to the lock relay which locks the door lock actuator when the lock button is pressed on the remote or when arming the alarm. The GREEN wire sends a (-) pulsed signal to the unlock relay when the unlock button is pressed and/or the alarm is disarmed, the unlock relay can be attached to both doorlock actuators or in a driver's door priority install the relay will only send an unlock signal to the driver's door actuator. To open the passenger door in a driver's door priority install the RED/BLACK trace wire will be used to send a (-) pulsed signal to a third relay that will send an unlock signal to only the passenger side actuator when the unlock button on the remote is pressed a second time.
Here is a very vague schematic of the AS 9159 door lock interface.
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/12221/Audiovox-As-9159.html
Sorry, if I am not being anymore help to you. Those instructions are pretty vague on how/why polarity changes on those door lock output wires of the APS 255CH. I will say if you use the door lock relay diagram(s) you or I posted, it will work fine. If not, for some reason, you may have to find the Audiovox AS 9159 module. Good luck and keep us posted. Todd

Edited by aquartlow - 08-June-2014 at 8:27AM

I hope I have helped, at least a little. I just updated my earlier reply due to a contradictory error in wiring color/designation . Just wanted to advise you of the change. Good luck, Todd

mlachance112785 wrote: Almost done! Stuck on the ORANGE wire. Low current starter solenoid wire. Would that be the RED/BLUE? Or the RED/GREEN. for that relay, it's also asking for a 12v+ ign/crank. This might be my last question!

Sorry, been away a while.
RED/ LIGHT BLUE stripe wire is the starter engagement wire, the RED/ LIGHT GREEN stripe is the resistor wire for the ignition. DO NOT TAP INTO THIS WIRE, it will give the ignition system fits and the wire will get hot and possibly a potential fire hazard. The RED/LIGHT BLUE wire can be found on the ignition switch. A 12v+ that is powered both during RUN/CRANK can be found either on the ignition switch or there is a spade tap on the fuse panel, look between the upper and bottom row of fuses that is where the spade taps are. I do not remember(been a while) which one has power during key-on and engine cranking. Just get your test light and check. If you decide to tap into the ignition switch wiring, soldering and heat shrink is in your future, not an easy option. Once again, I hope this helps. Todd

One note before I forget. When you cut the starter engagement wire to introduce the relay signaled by the ORANGE wire for the starter interrupt from the alarm, as a backup option I wired an ATC fuse holder across the cut RED/LIGHT BLUE stripe wire that can be accessible without having to get under the dash but also concealed. I did this to mine due to if in the event the alarm brain gets fried, or I couldn't shut it off I can install a fuse and start it. Doing this allows me to get the vehicle home and work on it there, not diagnose or rip out a mess of wiring on the side of the road. If you look at the wiring diagram of your alarm, where the wire cutter symbol is, is where the fuse holder is located. Just an option, but I figured it may help. Todd

Edited by aquartlow - 08-June-2014 at 2:33PM