OK, I got it done! SUCCESS!
As was off work this morning, prepping for "one of those every 5 year medical exams (guess which one)", I decided to install the NAV-TV ViM unit.
As I had attemted this before, several weeks ago, and had the head unit problems I decided to proceed a little differently.
I started the car, kept my foot on brake, and put it in D (shifer all the way back out of the way). I then shut the car off and applied the parking brake. I also placed a chock under the back
wheel.
I then disconnected the negative (-) batt terminal in the trunk.
I had my plastic putty knife, cross tip screwdriver, 10mm socket/ratched, a very small screwdriver (flat tip), needle nose pliers, and paper clip.
I used the plastic putty knife to pry off the cover plate for radio. Remove the 4 screws and two 10 mm bolts. Place a towel over the console so you won't scratch it. Pull out the head unit. I can see they replaced my cut video cable off the read. It's difficult to remove so leave it on. Drawback is that you do not have a lot of room to work with. Helps to have a flashlight or 'headlight' as well.
I stress, be CAREFUL with head unit. Do not it fall or slide off the console either way. To do so will invite the cable issue I had. Remove the latching lock off the back side of the head unit. You have to carefully REMOVE the fiber optic cable from the OEM connector. That's where you need the small flat tip screwdriver and paper clip, if necessary. Carefully pry the plastic tab that holds the small protruding 'clip' on the fiber. Once it is free, carefully pull the fiber connector from it's place and install it into the SAME place on the ViM connector. Once done, then INSERT the VIiM connector into the head unit and latch it down to lock.
There is an intermediate cable that connects to a connector coming off the Vim harness. Connect it (only one connector and it's easy). Now at the end of that cable is an 18 pin connector for the "black box". Connect it to the black box.
OK, that was the easy part. Now you have to STUFF all that extra harness and wires back inside behind the head unit. This is what took an hour and a half to try and figure out. It was a slow process of push and fit, shove and fit.
It will be much easier if you have one of those
wooden paint stir sticks. It makes stuffing the wires in easier as you have no room to maneuver. Without it, it would be much more difficult. Take a flashlight and get a good look at what room you have to work with. It isn't much.
The large Vim-OEM connector has to go up and to the left in that open area. IT's not a big area but enough to hold that big double connector and the wire bundles up in there with some judicious stuffing with the stick.
Once you maneuver it there, keep the other harness out to the front and see if you can get the head unit back into it's proper mount position. Once you get that, you can do it again if need be.
The black box has a USB cable. You can connect it now to figure out what you want do do with it. I left it on and it's coiled up and stuff to the RIGHT of the head unit between the head unit mount bracket and the dashboard that supports the glove box. ..that's the last thing to do.
Now, you have to ensure your black box harness has its wires RUN BEHIND the head unit cables for the antenna and the video display cables. If you don't run it behind them you will get into a bind. Anyways, do that, and now if you are careful, that black box will fit BEHIND the head unit, about in the middle, flat against the air box and just behind the metal bracket of head mount.
This is where i had to make a tactical decision. The harness is used for a LOT of vehicles and has a LOT Of extra long wires that dangle and get in the way. Speaker wires, ground wires, etc as well as two or three video cables. I did NOT cut the video cables or sound cables with the rca connectors. Left them alone. I did remove all other unused extraneous wires, clipped em and stuck them in the box. Once I got rid of THOSE, finishing up was easy. I was able to push the head unit back all the way with little effort. The black box usb cable is accessible in the are to the right..to upgrade the firmware I'll still have to remove the front cover but that is EASY with the plastic putty knife...you can run the cable anywhere you want for easier access. I did it my way cause it was easier.
Once I got it in, before bolting everything up, I hooked up the car battery, and got it back in park, brake on. I was able to determine my activities did not affect the head unit in any way. It still works fine. I a DVD of "Red Dawn" in and it played. At that point I then bolted head unit back in place, replaced bezel and cleaned up my tools.
I started the car and of course, the DVD started playing in park. Once I backed out of driveway, rear camera worked fine. As I started down the street to stop sign, I got the message about no video in motion. At stop sign I engaged the "VOICE COMMAND" button for 3 seconds and released it. The display then showed the video just fine and dandy.
I took it out and around the block, and it worked fine.
SO all in all, the project was a success.
As for cutting the wires...and if I have to return the unit. Oh well. They will have to charge me difference in those few unused cables I cut if need be.
Very happy with the results and my wife is happy with it as well.
How did the ViM installation fair?
