Well, to start, I guess I should mention I do have some experience wiring stereos. I have done two (before this one), one in a 00 Jetta and another in a 2007 Tacoma. Each took me maybe two hours start to finish. It is not so with my R50...

From the beginning...
I bout a used stock iPod kit that I planned to install. Unfortunately I didn't realize how annoying removing pins would be (I purchased prior to looking at the install instructions). Also, it was missing a part (plug), likely left in the other vehicle before being pulled. While I was popping pins I also cracked the plastic housing of the harness. Not too badly, mind you, but enough that I thought it should be replaced.

It was at this point that my stock stereo stopped turning on. I still get illumination and dimming though

So I replaced the housing, replaced the bent pins by crimping on new ones that I got from a vendor here (forgot which but they looked complete stock). Same symptoms. Stereo doesn't turn on, but illumination and dimming work.. I decided to just buy a prewired housing, clip all wires, and resolder them. Unfortunately for me the newly wired housing didn't come with matching colored wires. I was able to match things though, using the following diagram. I soldered each wire and covered with shrink tubing.



After this "modification", my symptoms persisted; No stereo power, but illumination and dimming works fine. I decided to try an aftermarket stereo, something that I could match the colors of the dash with, and ended up with the Pioneer DEH-X6600BT. I wired up the Pioneer harness to a female mini harness, plugged it in, and of course nothing.

I guess the question is, where do I start to diagnose the problem? BEFORE I attempted the iPod kit install everything was fine. I am assuming I did something, but I am at a loss as to what that could be since I rewired a brand new harness. I am completely confident in my soldering skills, as I have done a bit of electrical and computer soldering, so I am not concerned I wired something wrong. The only thing my stupid head can think is maybe I knocked a wire loose deep in the bowels of the car that I can not see?

Any help would be appreciated, as always. I have now been without music for over a month! Not that the sound of the engine and the open road aren't pleasant, but I sure would like some driving tunes, especially during the stop and go commute.

 

I thought I would add some pics...

Here is the newly added "housing" that I installed. This is the one that came prewired, and I had to match the wires based on the diagram above. Note that the white rectangular plug is completely stock (if that even matters). I never touched those wires, so I popped it out of the damaged housing and into the replacement.


Some examples of the ioneer harness wired to the fewmale wiring harness

 

I see quite a few people have viewed the thread. Opinions are welcome, even if you don't know what exactly might be the issue. Maybe something I can try?

 

I don't know anything about this sorry, but doesn't crutchfield sells and adaptor for the harness that is just plug and play?

I hope that you can figure it out soon good luck

 

The adapter I bought was plug and play, in theory (you still have to match bare wires out of the box, just nothing on the car hanress end). The issue was that I cracked my original harness and had to replace it. Since then I am able to get illumination on the stock headunit but it won't turn on. If I figure out the reason for that I am confident I can get the rest owrking.

 

Which head unit do you want?

The stock head unit is not starting because there is no iBus.

 

Well, either I am confused, or maybe I wasn't clear enough.

One of the steps I took was replacing the stock wiring harness bracket because it was cracked. This should now function exactly like the previous bracket that came with the car, when plugged into the stock radio. That does have an iBUS (just like it did before I cracked it). When I plug that bracket in, it should theoretically power on the stock radio, should it not?

 

Yes with the iBus the stock radio should unlock and the display activates.

If you have HK then only the stock HU will send a message to the HK amp to switch it on over iBus.

 

So your opinion is that the iBus cable isn't getting/sending a signal? is there a way for me to check it?

I do not have HK by the way.

My feeling is that this is a power issue seeing as how neither unit seems to power on (as far as I understand power an illumination are two different beasts in terms of the stock stereo). Is there any way to check that? Is it possible I pulled something loose deep down in the confines someplace? I didn't pull really hard, and all of the cables are wrapped together, so if you pull one you kind of pull them all, but I just don't know what to think right now...

 

I recently installed a pioneer headunit (DEH-X9600BHS) in my non-HK R53. My observation based on your pictures: it looks like you haven't connected all the the wires between the pioneer plug and the harness.

By my count and experience, according to the alpine diagram, all but 3 wires should be connected (pins 9, 10 and 11). I see five loose wires in the very last picture of the harness.

The wires that should be connected are 8 speaker wires, ground, power, accessory, illumination and the power antenna (a total of 13). If you are only getting illumination, I might guess that the accessory wire is not connected properly?

Good luck.

PS: for a discussion of why the power antenna should be connected, look at https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...25-post76.html

 

The final picture you are seeing is the adapters for the aftermarket stereo. There is literally nowhere for those loose wires to go. There is a wire connected to every one of the wires on the pioneer plug, EXCEPT Blue/white (which was labeled out of the box as "REMOTE"). The loose wires are all on the harness side. There are a total of 11 wires...

The wires on the harness side that are not connected:
1) Brown - labeled "MUTE"
2 Brown (a second one) - Labeled "MUTE"
3) Brown/Red - not labeled
4) Orange - labeled illumination
5) Blue/white - labeled "AMP TURN ON"

In terms of the rewired harness (that I am plugging into the back of the stock unit) there are two wires not connected to anything (because I do not have the HK system).

EDIT: are you able to tell me where wires 13 (blue/white - AMP TURN ON) and 14 (Orange - ILLUMINATION) are supposed to connect on the Pioneer plug?

 

Also, where did you find the diagram?

Also, I am not getting AANYTHING (not even illumination) from the pioneer unit. The only thing I get illumination on is the stock head unit.

 

Crutchfield has a harness adapter for $13

comments:
Easy to use with great instructions. Made installation quick and easy on a MINI Cooper

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1207090...er-reviews-tab

 

Do you have a multimeter?

Again, which stereo do you want, the stock or the Pioneer?

AMP TURN ON is an output and not needed at this time (May be needed for FM, later).
Illumination is, well, illumination.

 

That looks like exactly what I have, minus that loose red wire. What is that? Where does it go? I do have a red wire inside the adapter.

 

I do have a multimeter.

Ideally I want the pioneer, but would be happy just seeing progress with the stock. But I guess I don't understand the question. I am using adapters here, so I should theoretically be able to use either thing. Once everything is wired to adapters it should all be plug and play, no?

I think I will make a video because my suspicion is that what I have done is not coming through in my words/pictures.

 

Go step by step. Draw a wiring diagram. Check you wiring against it. Check the voltages on the supplies with the multimeter. Usually the problem becomes quickly apparent.

 

That's where I am fuzzy, else I would have done that by now.

I check with the multimeter with the car on? Or just battery connected?

And the next stupid question of the day... I have only ever checked voltages between two points. How am I checking voltages between those two points.

Sorry for the ridiculous questions. But... I wouldn't be asking if I completely knew what I was doing.

 

Well you have two supplies, Battery and Ignition.

Brown is always GND, IGN is violet/w a stripe and battery is Red/w a stripe.

Check the battery (red), then turn on the ignition, check the violet.

 

ty

 

Well... either doing something terribly wrong or... something IS terribly wrong...

I am leaving the negative lead of the multimeter on GND. Postive (black) to battery. 0.00 reading. Do the same with ignition (GND on negative, ignition on postive) and 0.00

 

Start at the vehicle battery. Take a 12V reading there a cross the two battery terminals to test your equipment.

 

Make sure you are set to DC Volts not AC volts.

 

I just tested it in a AA battery I had in the house (I can run back outside, but it's a little chilly). I got a 1.6 reading on a brand new battery, so thinking it is working properly?

Here is a quick vid I shot:

 

EDIT: Ok embedding is fixed