05nali's HOW TO Ipod/AUX hookup for 03+ XM equipped trucks

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DonnieBrasco

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Welp, I pulled out the radio last night to get a look and see what I am working with. It's a mess back there. When BB installed the USA SPEC unit years ago, I have no idea how they wired it in. But I KNOW they wired it in to the XM because I have to hit the FM button until it gets to XM-1 or XM-2 to play the iPod. But there's the two plugs going into the radio and then two phantom plugs that aren't plugged into anything. I can't tell how they wired in the USA SPEC unit. Tonight I'm going back in and going to completely remove the USA SPEC unit and try and figure out how it's wired in so I can put everything back to the factory setup, THEN hopefully be able to wire in this aux input. Fingers crossed...
 

DonnieBrasco

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Welp, I pulled the radio out last night and disconnected it. Good news is I didn't have any trouble with theft lock. Bad news is, it's a mess in there and I have no idea how the USA SPEC was wired in. However, I was able to unhook the USA SPEC and remove it and it didn't mess anything up. But here's the weird thing. Look at the picture I have attached and see if you can make sense of it. I can't find my XM tuner anywhere, but I know I have the capability because that's how the existing unit was wired in and I switch the radio to XM-1 or -2 to use the unit. But the way it was wired in is so convoluted. There's about three male and female 12-pin harnesses that don't go to anything, they're just wired in. Check out the pic and see if any of you can make sense of it. The existing unit that I just removed charged the iPod and allowed me to control it through the factory stereo. So that's why I think there are some wires going into the bigger gray harness going into the back of the radio. Then there are only a few wires going from the bigger gray harness over to the black 12-pin harness beside it.

Here's what I am HOPING...I am hoping I can just leave everything as-is and tap into the three wires I need (left audio, right audio, and common) on the black 12-pin harness. I just need to figure out which wires those are because I don't have a brown/white, green/white, or black/white. I've already wired up and soldered the jack (first time soldering and I think it was a success!) so I really wanna get this thing working! Thanks for any help.
 

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DonnieBrasco

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Oh and I just noticed now when I hit the AM/FM button, it doesn't go to XM-1 or XM-2. So that tells me that either I don't have an XM tuner and the BB people wired in the USA-SPEC unit to make the radio think I had XM, or I did have it and they took it out. Point is: I now either need to reinstall the USA-SPEC and just tap into its wires, or just put the USA-SPEC wiring harness back in without the actual unit and tap into its wires. Any thoughts? Thanks.

---------- Post added at 02:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

I'm so retarded. I just looked on the actual USA-SPEC unit, they box that goes in the dash, and it has two RCA audio inputs!! Problem solved. I'll just put the unit back in and wire it back up and get an RCA Y-splitter to a 3.5mm stereo cable. But now I need to go google how to hard-wire the 3.5mm jack to the cable so it'll be nice and clean looking and I can just plug into the jack. So glad I noticed this!
 

erock198

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That's a good spot but my BT button is there so I have it on the side and a second one up on the dash by my phone mount
 

Grimes

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I don't remember exactly how I found the part to get, but this is what I got from RadioShack. The only difference is that this says "Phone", while the OP's says "Stereo". Should I just say screw it and go back for the right one, or are they essentially the same? Sound quality is my worry.
 

Grimes

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Did this tonight with my step dad. We kinda banged our heads a little trying to figure out what the How To's were getting at (the pictures were unfortunately not too helpful, and the text not clear enough to make me want to cut a wire), but we did succeed in the end. I just wanted to make a quick n' dirty procedure here with a picture of what we did.

1. It is possible to do this mod at the XM Receiver end OR at the Head Unit. Personally, I suggest the Head Unit as it seems the easiest to reach and uses less material to reach more possible locations. On that note, I'll do these steps for the Head Unit option.

2. Block the truck (saying this now, I'm remembering that I forgot to take the blocks off mine!), set the steering column at its lowest position, and shift out of Park and into 1. This will give you the needed space to remove the dash bezel.

3. The dash bezel is the obvious trim of the dash extending from the left of the cabin to the end of the vent to the right of the radio and AC. It is held in place by a few simple clips. Start pulling on it above the gauge cluster and work your way around as you see where it comes off. Eventually you'll work it straight back, maybe a little up to avoid the steering wheel. Be smart when pulling it; it WILL go clip by clip, and you WILL have trouble with the shifter being in the way. Just figure out where it is being captured and work it loose.

4. With the bezel off, first put the truck back in park and remove the keys. You'll see the HU being held in by 2 bolts on its immediate right and 1 bolt on its immediate left (your right) (small bolts, can't remember if they were 5, 6, or 7 mm, sorry!). Unbolt and keep them safe. Next, pull the Head Unit straight out. It may need some wiggling as wires often get stuck, but it will shake loose.

5. With the HU out, you will find a large blue connection, a slightly smaller black connection, and the antenna connection. Remove them all (may need flathead assistance) and set the HU aside.

6. Lets talk wires. The set of wires in the black connection are from the XM Receiver. Identify the Black/White (Common/Ground) wire, the Green/White (Right Audio) wire, and the Brown/White (Left Audio) wire. These are the only 3 wires you will be handling. Cut the Green/White and Brown/White wire with enough room left over to tie in with the wires that will be coming from the jack. Do not cut the black/white wire.

7. Time to add wires to your jack. If you got the 5-prong jack like me, this info is for you. If you got the 3 prong, the concept is here, but for soldering sites you'll need to see the OP (sorry!). I'll be referencing the image below, which I found from another tutorial on this mod. For all of the following wires, I recommend starting with at least 2 feet, and trimming as you please from there. Solder a Brown wire to 2 and 3, as this will continue the Left Audio. Solder a Green wire to 4 and 5, as this will continue the Right Audio. The image says to solder individual wires that eventually link in the same place, but this is not necessary, at all. Save time and wire and just solder 4 to 5 or 5 to 4 and have a wire coming from that solder. Do the same for 2 and 3. Solder a Black wire to 1. 3-prong jackers: Same concept, you just need to know which is left, right, and ground.

diagram1sm0.jpg


8. Though the wiring is not yet finished, at this point we will begin placement and mounting. In order to fit the jack into the spare dash space (see below pic of final result), we used an assortment of tools to drill the hole and then flatten/trim the cover from the dash enough to allow for a good fit, and eventually crammed it in. Both items are durable, so don't be shy. Once this is complete, feed the wires from the back of where the cover will be to up behind where the HU goes and back out where the Radio is.

9. Now, tie your Green wire to your Green/White wire, and your Brown wire to your Brown/White wire. Then, solder your Black wire from the jack to the Black/White wire from the XM Receiver harness (I recommend something to catch any solder oopses in the truck).

10. Test it. XM1 and XM2 on the "Radio ID" (Channel 0) channel will work if done correctly. If you only here left and not right or vice versa, check your 2/3 and 4/5 connections and the wire ties. If you don't hear anything, check all solders and ties, specifically the ground/common (Black).

11. Assuming all is well, its clean up time. Clip the cover, with the jack now mounted, back into the dash. Plug the connections carefully back into the HU. Position the HU and push it straight back in (it's a struggle, but as long as no wires are stuck, just wiggle and force it back). Once the pin on either side of the HU and all the 3 bolt holes are aligned, bolt the HU tightly back into place. Shift from Park back to 1 and align the dash bezel down then straight forward, getting it under the dash/above the gauge cluster and above the steering column, using the bezel position around the buttons as a guide. With time and attention, it will clip in. Give it a good beating around the edges to ensure a proper fit, and blast your favorite music.

unnamed_zps3c235f06.jpg

I hope this procedure clears up any confusion that some of you folks who are as electrically challenged as myself may be experiencing.

Confession: This was my first time to ever solder and even tie wires. To those of you who are hesitant, just watch some quick youtube videos and give it a shot. In the end, its just a $2 jack, right?
 

easybake

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I tried this tonight, hooked everything up and flipped to my xm channel and got a message "AWRG3048"
 

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