C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

yellow memory and irange dimmer wire for head unit.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 18, 2017 | 01:42 PM
  #1  
VikingTrad3r's Avatar
VikingTrad3r
Thread Starter
Oil Producer
Supporting Gold
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 9,380
Likes: 2,744
Default yellow memory and irange dimmer wire for head unit.

1986. 4+3. has after market keyless entry installed. Has both of the door ajar pressure switches removed. I plan on replacing them. Though I have to say I am a little concerned why both of them have been removed, it seems a bit questionable. Perhaps he had issues with the keyless entry

goal is to replace the walmart brand head unit that the previos owner installed. speakers have all been replaced.


given the above, i have two weird things i found that previous owner had bubba'd and id like to un-bubba:


1. yellow wire that feeds constant 12v for memory to head unit was merged into the red keyed 12v power supply. That would imply that the stereo would never have kept radio presets or clock. i dont know as i never checked before i tore the interior down for refurb. the only yellow wire i can see that looks like it was cut is shown in this picture. there a few unused plugs sitting nearby. i suppose a great test for constant 12v would be to put the boltmeter on that wire and see if it is hot? you can see the second picture shows how the yellow was merged into the red (using a white wire to get there). the previous owner also had one of these feedback loop thingys and i have elected to use it again.

this is the only yellow wire that looks like it was cutoff. i will check if it is hot
the yellow was spliced into the red like so.



and 2. orange wire that controls dimmer for head unit.

it was severed at the back of the harness adapter. the only orange wire i can find is in this photograph.

it comes out this white plug and has been turned around and been crimped into a white wire.

note that the severed yellow cable and the orange wire come out of the same plug.





im totally inexperienced at electrical. ill figure it out but thought id post this to bounce off you guys if any guidance and thoughts come to mind. cheers.
Reply
Old May 18, 2017 | 02:24 PM
  #2  
VikingTrad3r's Avatar
VikingTrad3r
Thread Starter
Oil Producer
Supporting Gold
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 9,380
Likes: 2,744
Default

bit more info.

the orange and yellow do infact come from the same white plug.

the yellow comes from the pink/white wire.

it iis hot 12v all the time. so i found where my yellow wire was supposed to be attached. not crimped into the red keyed 12v power. so i will make that connection.

the orange is as i feared, related somehow to the keyless entry. it is fed by a brown wire.

the orange wire looks to have been intended for the dimmer switch control on the factory stereo. but it was snipped and sent over to a black box that i assume is related to the keyless entry. why would keyless entry need a dimmer line? maybe i am wrong about orange being dimmer line.

that orange i think took the dimmer signal to the head unit. it was clipped and re routed to come into the black module which i suspect has to do with the keyless entry system.
here is a pic of the orange wire, which was changed to white in the process to make leap, as it lands over at the suspected keyless entry module??

Reply
Old May 18, 2017 | 02:38 PM
  #3  
don hall's Avatar
don hall
Safety Car
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,842
Likes: 230
From: SANTA CRUZ CA
Default

Good luck!
Reply
Old May 18, 2017 | 02:49 PM
  #4  
JimLentz's Avatar
JimLentz
Melting Slicks
Supporting Lifetime
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 254
From: Downers Grove Illinois
Default

Does your keyless entry only do the doors or the hatch too? When I purchased my '92 it only opened the doors, but there was a button on the remote for a trunk/hatch. I already had things apart for a stereo install and so found the manual for the keyless entry and was able to hook the grey wire out of the controller to the hatch release switch. That unit looks similar to mine. They really don't put any identifying information on the system to aid in figuring out what it is.
Reply
Old May 18, 2017 | 09:02 PM
  #5  
Patsgarage's Avatar
Patsgarage
Team Owner
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 30,427
Likes: 1,609
From: Outside the Quick Stop N.J.
Default

Your car looks like it was a factory non-Bose car which should make things easier. Is there another unused plug with black, red, and grey wires in it ? Did the PO install new speakers and wiring for them ? If all the stock wiring is good up to the plugs you can use an adapter (Metra PN 70-1677) to make your life much easier. I would scrap the entire aftermarket keyless system entirely, it will probably cause more problems than it is worth.
Reply
Old May 19, 2017 | 11:37 AM
  #6  
VikingTrad3r's Avatar
VikingTrad3r
Thread Starter
Oil Producer
Supporting Gold
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 9,380
Likes: 2,744
Default

there was a number on the back of the keychain that I called. It turned out that it is in Audiovox unit. At least that's why answered the phone and gave me a very very good technical support.

he walked me through some diagnostics and I hate barking dogs is bang on

The power keyless entry in the car is an awesome feature that I really enjoy. I'm just going to hook up the wires correctly, the only two that work incorrectly installed by the always on direct 12 V battery memory wire, which is that pink and white striped one that goes to the yellow one on the aftermarket harness. And the second one was the dimmer switch which is commonly left uninstalled on aftermarket situations.



Originally Posted by ihatebarkingdogs
Ok. The white 2-pin with the orange and yellow wires in it is an aftermarket adapter. You also have an aftermarket adapter from (3) 4-wire connectors. The black, blue, and natural. I am only going to reference the CAR-side wire colors.


In the 2-pin, there is brown and pink/wht.
Brown is TAIL lights. It does not dim. Comes on in park or head lights. It is used for the LED dimming in the OEM radio. The
RKE module has a light-flash output, and the installer hooked that output to this brown wire because it was convenient, and is tail lights.
Pink/wht is HOT at all times. Used for memory. (Aftermarket stereos this wire is YELLOW).


In the BLACK 4-pin:
Black = Ground
Yellow = HOT in RUN or ACCY (Aftermarket stereos this wire is RED)
Grey = Dash lights (dimmer circuit). These DO dim. ( Because I often run at night with the dash dimmed to zero%, I use the brown wire so the stereo remains dimed).
Pink = Power Antenna. (Aftermarket stereos this is USUALLY blue/wht. There is also a blue, which is "Amplifier turn-on", which also works for antenna).


In my 85 (with Bose), there is a 1-pin Pink wire connector, similar to your 2-pin. It is for the turn-on signal to the amplifier relay. (I mention this because I think I see it in your pics. The antenna and amplifier turn on are both pink, so pay attention to which is which).


Again: All colors above are the CAR-SIDE of the aftermarket adapters.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To yellow memory and irange dimmer wire for head unit.





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:51 AM.

story-0
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 most overrated Corvette track packages ever.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:46:45


VIEW MORE
story-1
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

Slideshow: Every 2027 Corvette engine explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:16:31


VIEW MORE
story-2
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-08 19:53:43


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-6
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-8
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE