Help needed. I have a Steinbauer power module on my cooper sd which can be switched off by earthing the appropriate wire. I was looking to use the sport button to trigger a relay to switch on the module by "unearthing" the wire. However I am aware from the amazingrando posts (to enable automatic switching on of sport mode) that this is not possible by just tapping into the sport button wiring. Any suggestions/help in resolving this issue would be appreciated. I could just use a remote switch to achieve the on/off function but feel it would be better using the sport switch.

Hope this makes sense!

 

Did you ever do anything with this idea?

 

No gave up and used a remote

 

I’ve been trying to use the oem switches for other purposes without luck. Like the defroster, rear wiper, even the heated seat buttons but I can’t get them to do anything. #becauseracecar

 

Yes, unfortunately gone are the days when switches were simple on/off circuit breaks!

 

Welcome to the world of CAN bus wiring! Instead of opening and closing contacts, switches now pulse voltages through the wiring, which is monitored by the ECU. Depending on the voltage on that terminal, the ECU performs some function. In the case of the “Sport” button, the ECU will go into “Sport” mode. So, yeah, as you found out, you can’t just tap the wire to add additional relays.

This is also why the car starts to freak out when battery voltage gets low