bocabob

Sweet... Doing this this weekend!

vette-oholic

What;s with the volume ****? That doesnt seem any easier than the factory one? I can understand if u put it on the steering wheel, but....

vette-oholic

pretty cool, but it wouldnt be worth losing the 12V connection.. I would def install somewhere else.

jan eric

Where do the wires from the C2 connector go to. Is there not "easier access to the green/white wire elsewhere?. I failed , when I installed insulation, in my attempts to remove the connector to the traction contol as I was breaking it. If the wire harness is "available" elsewhere I would only have to possibly worry about picking the wrong green/white wire (50/50 chance) the first time. Your instructions are wonderful.

kawal

I gave up my power plug because I only use the one in the console, into which I plug a 1 to 4 adapter and plug a number of power supplies (cell phone, laptop, etc.) into it. The power supplies fit in the console pretty nicely.

But if you really want to keep the ash tray power plug and you have a 2008, I would suggest you mount the switch where the older Vettes had the console lock. Here is Mike Morehouse's 2006 Vette with a 2008 console:


You could easily mount the switch where the lock is located and it would be very convenient to use. Of course, if you have the earlier Vettes with the silver console, the perfect place is the tombstone plate as shown on the website.

Ray

jfreez

I would be willing to bet the factory conectors can be bought, to make an interface cable that just pulgs in. That way there is no cutting of factory wires and would be a nice plug and play product.

kawal

Darn, I'm sorry you had trouble removing the connector from the traction control switch - those connectors can be a pain the first time you remove them because you aren't familiar with the locking tabs. Once you do it, it's simple after that.

I have another link here that might help the console removal:

http://www.kawal.net/F55%20Console.htm

The photos may help and perhaps the removal description. These consoles are not hard to get out as long as you can find the little locking connector tabs for the various switches. It would be a 5 minute job to remove the console if it wasn't for them.

But you do need to cut the white/green wire as shown:
http://www.kawal.net/navigation.htm

because it's the only logical place to intercept that circuit. That part of the wiring harness goes way back inside the dash, along with the other radio harnesses, into a "black hole". Plus you need to mount the switch somewhere in the console location, which means you must remove the console.

I've had a few consoles out now, including mine, before and after I switched to the new 2008 console. Be patient with the connectors and each will come out very easily once you find that little locking tab.

Good luck,

Ray

kawal

I'm sure you are right, because there are all sorts of radio adapters for adding stereo components to cars. This C2 plug is described in the modification link:

http://www.kawal.net/navigation.htm

and all Corvettes have the plug, even without the Nav system. A harness could easily be built where you could unplug the C2 plug from the Nav unit and plug it into the adapter harness, then plug the adapter harness into the Nav unit. Part of the adapter harness could have the wiring go to the included switch.

But here's the problem as I see it. In order to find the male and female plugs and connectors, one would probably have to order a number of them. There aren't a LOT of Vette owners who would still go through the trouble to doing this mod - so this certainly isn't going to be a "money-maker" for anybody.

So while a plug and play mod would certainly be wonderful, I'd be surprised if anyone went through the trouble. If someone wanted to come up with the connectors, I'd be happy to wire up a harness with a switch for any Vette owners. But cutting this single wire and connecting to a switch is pretty simple, assuming you have had a bit of soldering experience. Actually, you could also use crimp on connectors, but my personal taste is to have a more solid connection.

Good idea though if you can find the connectors or perhaps an adapter harness from a stereo installation store that already has the C2 plugs.

Ray

jfreez

yeah, your right about the number you could sell. Im just a bit of a nut about never cutting wires in any of my cars. just a personal compulsion.
After looking closer at the pics, I think I could remove the micro pin from the plug and most likely get a generic bulkhead from radio shack to make the connections, then it would be a totally reversable mod. Now I just need to work up the guts to open up the dash on my car.

kawal

Yes, I also don't like cutting wires, but I tried getting the pin out of the connector for that wire (which I can usually do quite easily) and apparently I didn't have the right tool because I just couldn't get it. Before I decided to cut the wire (big decision if you aren't sure the mod is going to work), I tried out the mod by simply removing the C2 plug from the back of the Nav unit and driving the car. Once I was sure it worked, I cut the wire and soldered in the switch wires. It would still be pretty "reversible", but there would be a splice in the original wire.

If you figure out how to do it and find the right pin to replace it in the connector, perhaps you could let me know what you used. That would be a very easy solution to making an adapter harness - one you could plug the removed pin into and a new pin for the other side of the switch. If we could find something like that at Radio Shack and had the right removal tool, I could post closeup photos of how to do it on the website.

My email address is ray@kawal.net if you come up with a solution.

For removing the console, it really isn't a big deal. It would be a 5 minute job if it wasn't for finding the little locking tabs on the varies switches you need to unplug. The first time can be a pain - after that it's pretty simple. Here is a link that may help describe the console removal:

http://www.kawal.net/F55%20Console.htm

Ray

dollarbill

Congrats on a very cool mod. I will have to do that one on my Z and the Wife's coupe. You get 4

Racer X

Could you explain this comment a little further.

Do you mean that you can set a destination while the car is in motion just by pulling up the parking brake by one click?

YellowSled

I think i already tried this idea and it does not work.

kawal

I too saw that comment and wondered about it. I tried it, although I don't understand the logic of why it might work. To my knowledge, pulling on the ebrake cannot disconnect the speed sensor signal to the Nav unit. Unless there is something more I don't understand, as long as the speed sensor indicates the vehicle is moving, the Nav unit is programmed through it's software to display all features only when the car is stopped.

I think the only way to "fix" this issue, other than remove the speed sensor signal, is to modify the software in the Nav system. This is far beyond what I can do, and so far no one else has been able to "hack" into the software. I'm sure it can be done by someone, but it would take intimate knowledge of the existing software as a start.

YellowSled

anyone in the Maryland area wants to tackle this project? I wanna do it, but dont have the nerve to try it alone.

kawal

I'm not in Maryland, but I'd be glad to walk you through it. If you want, you can email me your phone number at ray@kawal.net and I'll give you a call.

Ray

kawal

This could be the answer for a harness to install the switch without cutting the factory wires:

http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=1095

I'm not 100% sure, but that harness sure looks like it has the 12 pin C2 connector, both male and female sides. If so, you could easily modify the harness to wire in the switch. Once done, you could unplug the factory C2 connector and plug it into the harness, then plug the harness in the Nav Unit.

As a side comment, a lot of owners would like an Ipod auxiliary input. You will notice that this connector C2 also has the right, left, and common wires for an auxiliary input - see the pinout wiring on the installation website at:

http://www.kawal.net/navigation.htm

The adapter harness is only about 20 bucks, so with a little adaptation, you might be able to do a lot with it.

Here's another link on the auxiliary input subject:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1733002

Ray

Bills Z06

We've got some smart guys in here
Thanks

Jim Shearer

I did this mod over the weekend. It works perfect, thanks Kawal! Excellent instructions and easy to follow.

I have very limited mechanical ability and I found it was very simple to do. The hardest and most time consuming part was disconnecting the wires under the console. You can't see very well and the factory has keepers on them. But other than that it went perfect. Total time of about 1 1/2 hours but 20 monutes could have been cut off if I could have disconnected the wires quicker.

Thanks again.

jan eric

Thank you! Did my install Saturday-@21/2 hours. I went to Radio Shack to get $2.00 worth of parts. Used an extra "man switch" toggle switch and installed it slightly console side of the other "man switch" toggle . Spacing looks fine. No light on the new nav switch which I prefer. Works great! No more stopping in sometimes dangerous places or having the light turn green before completing the entry.