- HKS ALC Install Instructions and Trouble Shooting Guide -

A list of things you will need are:

1) Socket wrench with medium length extension (makes things easier)
2) Phillips head screw driver.
3) A set of medium length handle pliers.

Well then, lets begin.

First, you will need to get at the area beneath the passenger side floor board. Just lift the carpet (it should be velcroed) and you will see a wooden panel. There are some screws holding it down. Use any of the tools listed to get the screws out (socket wrench works best). After that, you will see two main boxes. The one on the left is your ECU box. The dull gray one on the lower right that has a thick black bundle of wires coming out of it is your stock ATC (Automatic Transmission Controller). This is what you want to work with.

Ok, the next order of business is removing that box. I advise the socket wrench again with the medium length extension to extract the screws holding it to the car frame (some are hard to see and are even harder to get at). You could also use the phillips screwdriver here though the fit will be tight on the back screws. With the stock ATC off, you can now add the ALC harness.

To attach the HKS ALC, you must first disconnect the stock harness from the stock ATC box. Do this by first taking off the clear plastic cover which is covering the end of the stock harness. It should snap off on the sides relatively easy. Next, unscrew the bolt in the center of the blue harness. The stock ATC box should now be free of the harness. Now, on the HKS ALC harness, there is a side with a screw in it. This is the end that will attach back into the stock ATC. Attach the HKS ALC harness to the stock ATC making note of the fit since it only goes in one way. Once in a little, screw down the bolt until it is -fairly- tight and flush with the stock ATC. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN! Overtightening can cause some problems (listed at the end of this document). Ok, with that done, you can now connect the other end of the HKS ALC harness to the stock ATC wire harness. Make note of the fit once again and make sure the connection is tight and flush.

Alright, now all that is left is to first reattach the stock ATC to the car frame (simple enough), find a way to fit all the new wiring we just introduced and attach the ALC box to the harness. You have two choices at this point. You can hide the ALC box under the floor boards along with everything else down there (A) , or you can have it sit out and mount it somewhere relatively close to the floor boards (B). My ALC is velcroed on the right side underneath the glove box so I can see the two lights.

A) If you want to fit everything under the floor boards, then attach the ALC box to the harness at this point. Now, manipulate all the harness wiring until it will fit under the floor boards nice and snug. Make sure the HKS ALC is seated firmly so it doesn't move around. Reattach the floor board while adjusting any harness wires to ensure a flat fit. Lay down the carpet and you are set.

B) If you want to have your ALC box sit out in the passenger area, then you will need to cut a small section out of the right side of the floor board to allow the HKS ALC connection wire to come through. You need the cutout because the floor board sits on a little rim. Therefore, you will need to cut into the floor board longer than that rim's length to avoid having the wire being squished between the rim and the floor board. Ok, with that done, start to lay down the floor board while keeping the connection wire around your new cutout. Adjust the harnesses as necessary to get the floor board to rest flat. Screw in the floor board, lay down the carpet and attach the ALC black box to the wire you fed out of the cutout on the side of your floor board. Choose where you want to mount it. There aren't many choices since the wire is so short. I recommend using some velcro (two 1/2" tabs are fine) to attach it to whatever surface you choose.

Ok, now for the precautionaries. The first time you run it, slowly go through the gears to make sure it will shift through them all. This will check if it is properly attached. After that, go ahead and give it a test run. I was amazed at the quickness the shifting now had. Another thing to note however. Just disconnecting the box from the harness isn't good enough if you want to "shut off" the speed shifting. You need to take the whole kitten kaboodle out. And after you do, it will continue to speed shift for a little while (a few minutes) before going back to it's stock shifting sequence. No biggie.

The two lights on the box each represent something. The green light just shows that the box is operating. The red light tells you when an "ALC" shift is about to happen. As the throttle opens and a gear shift is in order, the red light will start to brighten. The faster you depress the accelerator, the faster the lights brightens until it is full bright and the shift has occured. Basically it is an indicator. Interesting to watch sometimes.

Ok, now for the troubleshooting part. If you are experiencing any of the following problems (or possibly others) then keep reading.

- Does your OD feel like it isn't engaging?
- When you let off the gas, do your RPMs drop to almost nothing?
- Are your shifts extremely hard under a very light acceleration?

Then this may be your answer. This comes courtesy of Joe Mangune who was experiencing the first problem listed above. Thanks Joe.

According to Stillen, this was a common problem. Actually, the Stillen rep called HKS directly to find out what the solution was based on what I told them. (Stillen called me back within 15 minutes!) They also acknowledge the same type of problem with people doing the chip install, 'over tightening the connector on the wiring harness, thus causing the ends to bow out'.

I found the loose connection on the car's harness to the ALC harness, not the ALC harness to the Z's transmission computer (that connection was solid). Basically, after hand tightening, I used a 10 mm wrench turning the center nut at least 1 1/12 turns then I purposely squeezed the connector ends to check for play and tighten until there was no play left.
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Well, I hope this helps any future ALC installers. It's pretty simple really so I apologize for my drawn out explanation but I wanted to be as clear as possible. If you need any more help or don't understand something, feel free to email me at hydelaar@cox.net.