Ungo Box Mystery

[Fishrule]

I have a 1977 911S that I recently inherited. Searching through the documents that came with it, I found that my dad purchased the car used in 1984, and was the second owner. It came to me with an Ungo Box in the glove compartment that I've done my best to remove. I wasn't using it and posts in this forum speak of electrical gremlins and stranded Porsche's which convinced to try to fix something that wasn't really broken. The fact that the Ungo appears to have been professionally installed (good connectors, wire looms, grommets in the firewall), and using these forums to estimate its age, I'd say it was installed by the Porsche dealership that originally sold the car. Removal went fine except for one stupid wire. In the Ungo harness, this wire is purple and attaches to a red Porsche wire behind the fuse panel on the driver's side. That red wire disappears into a wire loom along with about a million other wires. It seems like this wire was originally attached to a fuse, but which one? Further hampering this effort is the fact that the Ungo itself has no model number! So here's what I'm really looking for:

1) an installation guide/manual/wiring diagram, or

2) in lieu of 1, an ID on the model number so I can search effectively for those documents, or

3) an ID on the red wire behind the fuse panel, and to which fuse it attaches.

I've attached photos of the offending unit, which by the way measures 6"x5"x1.6". Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

[schumicat]

there are wiring diagrams free on the host's website. that may be the last electronic device made in the US.

[Neel]

Does it tick??

[Fishrule]

Thanks schumicat, but I was hoping to find the Ungo wiring diagram. I have the Porsche diagram for my car, and while I'm terrible at reading these things, I can't narrow down that red wire.

As for the country of origin of this item, I hadn't even noticed it was made here in the US. Kinda makes me feel guilty for removing it.

[Fishrule]

Originally Posted by Neel

Does it tick??

When I try to start the car? I don't know, I still have the battery disconnected. I'll reconnect and get back to you.

[Neel]

Fishrule, I'm sorry I was just kidding about the ticking.. I would try a web search for the manufacturer, or possibly Ungo itself..

[Fishrule]

Neel, my family has always said that I'm gulible. Guess this proves it.

As for the web searches, I've done them. And then some. Ungo seems to have gone out of business, but not before producing enough products to make searching without a model number a ridiculous exercise. There are just too many choices, and very few photos that would help me with a positive identification.

[Arizona 911]

What are you going to do with the box after you remove it?

[bfunke]

UNGO Box is out of business. I think Clarion acquired them some time ago. I think the model TL-1250 and TL-1000 where popular VW and Porsche boxes in the day - might start there. You can download PDF manuals for these.

Look at this page Book Of UNGO It is a newer BMW model but note that the schematic to the alarm computer has several same colored leads as yours which may help you trace the wires.

Also found a box like yours on Craigslist. Contact the seller as he has a manual included and it's only $19.00 for the whole thing. http://newjersey.craigslist.org/pts/2145323442.html

Hopes this helps some.

[UrQuattro]

Hehe. Yours looks newer than the one that was in my car. The box itself in my 81 targa jus had an on off switch. And there's this extra toggle switch that looks like an 81 fader switch up under the dash that doesn't do anything anymore. Heh, the PO had some stereo work done and did get an amp installed, but he wired it so that the aerial for the radio was completely controlled by the fader switch. Hahahha!!! Now people Sony know if I'm listening to a cd, or if I had a psychotic break and am talking to one of myselves in my car while driving down the road with that aerial down. And seriously, I really do like being able to put the antenna down when I don't need it. Just flip a switch when I switch over to fm.

All joking aside. Apparently I got lucky with how my ungo box seemed to just not work anymore. I think it was disabled, although there is a massive rat's nest of wiring for it just on the other side of the firewall, under the carpet on the passenger side just on the other side of the grommet that let the wiring in. I want to remove it, but I'm scared that I'll unbreak it and then only be able to ungo.

Michael

[Fishrule]

Originally Posted by Arizona 911

What are you going to do with the box after you remove it?

Arizona 911, I have no idea. I don't even know if it works. Perhaps someone will want it for a period restoration. Interested?

bfunke, thanks for your time. I will look up those models immediately. The BMW install that you linked to has LED warning lights, motion sensors, etc. My old Ungo predates all of that stuff, unfortunately. And I will contact that Craig's List seller. Although his item is newer than mine, it might be worth the $19 to find out how similar.

UrQuattro, Like you, I should've probably left well enough alone, but I'm a tinkerer and I wanted my glove box back! Most of all, I didn't want to get left on the side of the road with a non-functioning car. Now, at least, my non-functioning car is in my garage.

[Arizona 911]

Yes, I may be interested. When you decide what you are going to do, let me know. Thanks

[Fishrule]

Originally Posted by Arizona 911

Yes, I may be interested. When you decide what you are going to do, let me know. Thanks

Will do.

[john walker's workshop]

that's a candidate for the round file. antique stuff. toss it and install something up to date if at all.

[blucille]

you can be pretty confident the red porsche wire is providing power, and with a simple 12volt test light (available at any car part store, it's a probe on one end and an alligator clip on the other, you ground the clip, the probe tells you when the wire you are touching is live)

so, test--1--key off is there power?
test 2, key on, is there power?

the alarm wants power when the key is off to energize the alarm system and potentially signal the siren

really, the ONLY wire you care about is the starter or running disabler, often there will be a circuit on the alarm to break the yellow wire, so the starter motor cannot turn, otherwise, it could interrupt the ignition system.

so, it seems you could probably just cut the red wire and possibly just cap it.

as background, I've removed dozens of alarm systems over the years, and back 15 years ago, I installed even more....I paid my way thru high school and college doing high end car stereo and security system installs.....but it's been a very long time since I was around an ungo box.

Lewis

[Pete000]

Wow, that should be in a museum! Is that from around 1977?

I remember you had like 10 seconds to enter the car dial in the combo and hit the button. I think Clifford had one like it too as seen in the first episode of Magnum PI !

Best to leave it out of your car all together.

[gsmith660]

I had one of those in my car and it was state of the art in 1982 there was nothing that could touch it saved my car from being stolen often in Hawaii the worst I got out of it was a broken wing window. I think the purple wire was passive arming wire when you shut the car off it would sense power loss and arm the system. Cut the purple wire close to the red wire and shrink tube it unless the red wire is not going to anything then trace it back to it source and remove it but I think the red wire is a feed to something.

[gsmith660]

Originally Posted by Fishrule

Arizona 911, I have no idea. I don't even know if it works. Perhaps someone will want it for a period restoration. Interested?

bfunke, thanks for your time. I will look up those models immediately. The BMW install that you linked to has LED warning lights, motion sensors, etc. My old Ungo predates all of that stuff, unfortunately. And I will contact that Craig's List seller. Although his item is newer than mine, it might be worth the $19 to find out how similar.

UrQuattro, Like you, I should've probably left well enough alone, but I'm a tinkerer and I wanted my glove box back! Most of all, I didn't want to get left on the side of the road with a non-functioning car. Now, at least, my non-functioning car is in my garage.

That isnt entirely true the ungo actually had a very sophisticated motion sensor for the day in the way of a mercury switch that when set would even pick up a cat jumping up on the car and if someone tried to jack the car to steal the tires it would go off at 2 degrees inclination.

[cgarr]

put in code 7700 and see what happens.

[Gogar]

+1 I think it's a safe bet that the purple UNGO wire to the red Porsche wire is switched 12V, and as mentioned you can find out pretty easily with a meter or a test light.