I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __Fitting a Kenwood double din head unit
I’m having a bit of a nightmare trying to fit a Kenwood DMX5020DABS to my NC.
I bought Dynamic Sounds’ kit for the NC2 BOSE system, unfortunately the instructions for linking up the head unit are pretty non-existent and I’m not an electrician by any means…
Anyway, I think I’ve worked out that the connector to the head unit needs to be split so that the speaker output can go via the level dropper unit. Left the steering wheel controls for now as I was struggling to work that bit out…
Connected the unit and it fired up (hooray!) but no sound - tried DAB (windscreen aerial fitted OK) and CarPlay to no avail. Turned the volume right down as a precaution and took out the level dropper but no difference. What am I missing here?
Also nothing connects to the smaller connector in the car - a quick search suggests that it’s for the optional CD changer unit - is that correct?
I’ve tried connections but all OK and now at a complete loss. Would the lack of steering wheel control connection be the missing link or am I missing something else?
It’s hard to see what you have there and admit it’s a good deal of wiring to fit in.
Did the same job with a Bose system and had no sound too. I had to buy an extra lead to bridge the looms, this below but only used half of it, split the large black plug in half (see link below) Result plugged it together and got sound.
Also had to order a patch lead for the SW controls proper to the JVC head unit I was fitting. Kenwood/JVC same company but i think you probably need the correct lead for yours, can’t say that’s anything to do with no sound though.
Have a look on the car side of the main connector ( the one plugged in to your large red connector )
Find the purple wire with a black tracer - this switches on the amp - check if you are getting 12v+ve to that wire with the head unit switched on.
Just looked at the instructions for that head unit.
there is a blue wire from the lower connector in the head unit.
It is the switch wire for an amp but also the power wire for the amplified aerial.
It is my guess that they have only connected to the amplified aerial.
you will need to tap in to that blue wire and also feed the amp switch on terminal in the red connector.
You have the correct pre-outs on that head to feed the bose amp properly.
I would be putting phono plugs on the speaker cables and plugging them in to the pre-outs for the cleanest sound.
I’ve had a reply from Dynamic Sounds (impressive for a Saturday evening) that suggests similar:
“The Bose adapter has a remote wire that needs power to turn on the amplifier.
This would connect to the blue wire coming off of the main ISO plug adapter coming out the rear of the stereo.”
So that would suggest cutting the blue wire after the ISO connector and the purple wire before the car’s connector (which if I recall is mostly hidden within trunking) and connecting them directly or is there a more elegant solution? I’ve not wired connectors before so it’s not something I feel totally confident with - I don’t even possess a soldering iron at the moment - or a multimeter.
This is where I start entering the unknown which always makes me a little nervous of getting it horribly wrong!
I fitted the Kenwood DMX8019DABS unit to my NON BOSE 2013 car a couple of years ago.
Agreed a bit awkward due to the Mazda wiring setup.
I take it you put the Kenwood PATCH lead in too?
CONNECTS 2 ANTENNA ADAPTER- CT27AA36?
The biggest faff for me was because I fitted a reversing camera at the same time and Robbie assisted with the Pesky Green wire behind all that.
Plugged mine all in and worked first time, (thankfully),
I am quite proficient with multi meters etc, BUT unless you know what you are looking at and where to test you could be there for some time…
I “Suspect” it will be a Bose issue.
Sure I read somewhere that you actually have to disconnect/bypass the Bose aspect completely. Because you are trying to put your amplified Kenwood unit through the amplified Bose system and they don’t like each other. (I might be wrong on that mind).
Might be time to get a man, (sorry “person”) in to sort it for you.
Interesting (and scary) topiic, i would also like to move over to a double din unit on my Bose NC2 but …this holds me off. There is a convertor kit for Pioneer units that seems to be trouble free maybe i will go for this . reason is; i want USB connectivity and Satnav but if too much hassle i will stick to the actual Mazda unit. Good luck with your upgrade…
Personally - I would do it properly.
Buy a cheap metra connector from ebay - take the relevant pin out of it with the attached wire - put the pin in to your current metra connector ( the big red one ) - then splice the new wire in to the blue one from the head unit.
Here is the connector diagram for the head unit ( and of course the loom plug that fits it )
As you can see - your blue wire will be feeding pin 1H
What you need to do is also feed pin 1J to power up the amp.
Before you get chopping wires I’ve found a thread which I was involved in, it states connecting blue/white and blue wires together, a bridge wire. So check if you have these cables. The additional lead was missing on mine but try the connection of said coloured wires first.
Quote…
“On my particular installation I connected the blue/white from the head unit to the blue in the harness as some have done. Also I needed an additional lead and bingo I had sound whereas before the power was there but no sound”
I would beep test one of the two loose wires ( red and yellow arrows ) to see if it connects to the purple wire with a black tracer in the car connector.
If one of them does connect to it - that wire needs joining to the blue wire from the head unit to power up the amp.
Thank you for ongoing help - having had a look with fresh eyes this morning, there are four open connectors coming off the main adaptor harness:
Purple and white - marked on instructions as ‘reverse’
Pink - ‘Speed pulse’
Light green - ‘Park brake’
Blue - ‘Amp remote’ - this suggests it would be the one but I’m guessing would need to connect to a power output on the head unit?
The only open wires coming off the head unit are:
reverse sensor
parking sensor
steering remote (which I believe is blue and I’m also told should connect to the Key 1 wire on the CANBUS steering wheel control interface)
ST remote input 1
ST remote input 2
ST remote GND
The last four relate to steering wheel or joystick remote control interfaces. Nothing there that would supply power to an amp?
Right…so the blue wire coming out of the HU on the ISO harness is main power, and needs to be split into two feeds, ie: the rest of that blue wire and also the amp remote blue wire - correct? If so, what is the blue wire on the ISO connector powering if not the amp?
Sorry if it sounds obvious, confused as to why a ‘plug and play’ kit needs cannibalising (and has very confusing instructions) as much as I am to my own electrical knowledge - although in my defence I have fitted head units and speakers in the past - but on cars designed in the late 20th century and the last remote control I fitted was a Sony unit that stuck to the steering column!
If this is correct, off to buy a soldering iron next…
Find out if you have a blue/white from the HU this is what I spliced into the blue lead on the additional loom as my post above.
Just an additional note, I originally fitted my JVC head unit into a non Bose NC so had all the kit including loom to swap it over to the Bose equipped NC. Trouble was no sound when installed in the other car. Doing the splice coloured wires above did the job after reading what others have done to solve the problem.
I took a picture of my wiring but sods law can’t find it👎
It shows that ISO block “A” - the top one has a blue wire in pin A5
This blue is for powering an aerial or for switching on an amp.
Currently the wiring only has it powering the aerial .
You need to tap in to this blue wire and feed the pin/wire in the metra connector that has the purple wire with a black tracer on the car side of the plug.
All sorted! Thanks guys, really appreciate the help given here - from frantic confused searching on Saturday and nervousness about butchering wiring, especially where power is being supplied.
A lunchtime playing with a soldering iron plus advice from Dynamic Sounds on how to wire up the steering wheel controls has got everything working perfectly. Best of all, it sounds much better than the old unit and means I’m not squinting at a shaking phone screen for nav functions or risking a fine for changing tracks.
Next on the list is routing DAB aerial, microphone and USB cables - any tips appreciated!
