Stereo Wiring Questions - rear speakers and dimmer

[fireball]

Good evening gentlemen! Installing a new HU and amp and front speakers and I have 2 quick stereo questions I'm hoping to get help with. Firstly, a picture of the pretty new head unit.



Onto the questions:

1. DIMMER WIRE: I bought a Kenwood head unit from Crutchfield,with the included wiring harness. The harness doesn't have a dimmer wire. The OEM radio does. Does anyone know the wire that in the factory harness that I need to connect the Kenwood dimmer wire to?

2: REAR SPEAKERS: I'm going to be running an amp for the front speakers and subs. I'd like to run the rear speakers off the HU. Do I need to run wires from the back of the head unit down to the amp connections under the pass seat? One plug from the amp has all the speaker wires running out, which then run to the rear doors, but I'm wondering if I can tie into wires behind the dash and avoid running wires from the dash down to the OEM amp location. Rob's guide here is helpful, but I would like to understand all the wires that plugged into the back of the OEM head unit. That would probably help make sense of it all! Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[Sandroad]

If you don't find an answer here with a search, or get a response, try calling Crutchfield. They have tech info for most vehicles and can probably get you an OEM plug diagram as well as help with the dimmer wire.

 

[Astralplane]

Here is some info on the dimmer wire.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/699262-new-head-unit-install.html

 

[RobRed]

Generally these newer head units with touch screen don't dim, they have night mode. The old illumination wire in the LC can trigger this function but dont expect the display on the new HU to dim, but instead switch to a dark or negative display for night time viewing.

In the case of my Pioneer AVIC the buttons are always illuminated at a static level.

 

[re_guderian]

Generally these newer head units with touch screen don't dim, they have night mode. The old illumination wire in the LC can trigger this function but dont expect the display on the new HU to dim, but instead switch to a dark or negative display for night time viewing.

In the case of my Pioneer AVIC the buttons are always illuminated at a static level.

this was my experience with my Kenwood, even when hooking up the correct wire in dash harness...

 

[fireball]

Generally these newer head units with touch screen don't dim, they have night mode. The old illumination wire in the LC can trigger this function but dont expect the display on the new HU to dim, but instead switch to a dark or negative display for night time viewing. In the case of my Pioneer AVIC the buttons are always illuminated at a static level.

Which one is the old illumination wire?

 

[Astralplane]

It is #2

 

[fireball]

Pin 2 does not have 12 V when the parking lights are on. You sure that's the one?

 

[RobRed]

#2 is correct (solid green wire).... just not on a 15 pin connector. The standard should be a 20pin connector to the radio.

Looks like a camry connector in the pic.

look at R36

http://tlcfaq.com/main/2012/05/land-cruiser-lx-470-stereo-wiring/

 

[Astralplane]

Here is the Metra installation instructions. They list #2 as dimmer but the wire is not there.

http://metraonline.com/files/products/INST70-8112.pdf

 

[SkiLyft]

Alright! Im glad you posted this thread because it finally got me to get off my @ss and connect the dimmer wire to my HU...

Ive attached the pictures of what the #2 wire looked like on my factory harness (2000, LC)

When I was all done I thought I did it wrong because my HU did not dim when i rolled the dimmer from the left to the right... As it turns out the Pioneer peeps are genius and when the trucks lights switch on my HU slowly dims down to a pre-set level so i can adjust it myself! And when the auto lights flip off it goes but up to its original position... I LOVE THIS HU... (there are more reasons haha).

anyways hope this helps...

ps if you want a great HU look at the appradio 3

 

[Wilsil]

I can confirm it is #2.
And I have the 15-pin connector in my LX470.

 

[fireball]

Chris - you and I look to have different connectors.

Wilsil - Pin#2, that same green wire, did not have 12V when the parking lights were turned on. It did have a small voltage... maybe .25V or so. I was looking for 12V?

Does it not need 12V? Just the bit of voltage causes it to trigger? I was going to tie into the green wire that goes down to illuminate the seat heater and PWR/ETC button. Oddly enough that does have 12V when parking lights are on.

 

[Wilsil]

When I measured it I had 12V but not sure with only the parking or just the normal head lights on. I only drive with no lights on during the day and main beam at night, no with parking lights.
Did you try with the normal lights on?

 

[fireball]

Forgot to mention, yes the Kenwood unit I have just uses the illumination wire as a trigger to switch to NIGHT mode. You can adjust the setting/brightness/etc for day and night mode, and hopefully whenever I turn the parking lights on it'll automatically switch to the dimmer nighttime setting.

I don't think any of the newer HUs have the fancy rheostat brightness control like the OEM HU has. Just two setting like the Kenwood and RobRed's Pioneer he described.

 

[RobRed]

YOU can tap the green wire that feeds the other illumination.

WILS LX doesn't count he since everything is backward in AU

Fireball post a pic of your stock radio front please.

 

[fireball]

Both of the green wires read 0V when the parking lights or head lights are turned on.



The green wire at the seat heater switch shows 12V when the parking lights or head lights are on.



I had a single disc OEM player. I don't have it with me now, but here's a shot of it when I first bought it.

 

[Wilsil]

WILS LX doesn't count he since everything is backward in AU

Oi, you. Be nice.

I don't know where Fireball is located, it isn't under his avatar.

 

[fireball]

Fireball is located in the USofA. Where they made 99 Land Cruisers with slightly funky wiring harness changes specifically to drive me crazy!

 

[RobRed]

Wils LX was driving me nutty as the AU version came with the same wire harness yours did Ben. the USA Lx had a 22 PIN (diff from the LC) to make it more confusing.

If you go to the ashtray / cig lighter /power port below the radio & HVAC area the green wire is illumination.