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vss and reverse wires for nav unit


jpmtotoro

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I'm installing a Pioneer AVIC F900BT in my '95 cutlass supreme. I'm just about done with everything (even PAC steering wheel switch), BUT there are 2 semi-required wires and I am not sure where to patch them in:

 

1) the easy one... it asks to be wired into a reverse light lead. It shows a picture of the trunk and the wire they provided is long enough. It has a fuse resister on it as well. I BELIEVE they want me to just tap into the power lead for one of the reverse light bulbs. Mine are black and green... i'm assuming black is ground, so I'd tap into the green wire. right?

 

2) it also wants to be tapped into a vehicle speed sensor lead. It shows a picture of the passenger dash (behind the glove box). Anyone know which wire I'm supposed to tap into? There are obviously lots of wires hanging out back there...

 

Any help is appreciated. I have the service manuals and I'll try to dig into them tomorrow; but if someone can point me in the right direction, it certainly makes things MUCH easier.

 

JP

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you can find the reverse light as one of a few wires at the base of the A-pilar behind the carpet on the drivers side. It is light green in color. there are two light green wires, the other is a speaker feed. the speker feed will be taped up in a bundle that includes the other rear radio wire colors.

 

Isolate the correct one with a multimeter or test light. make sure the radio is off(so if you ground it's feed wire you don;t ruin the radio), block the tires so the car won't roll and turn the key to run but don't start the engine. place car in reverse. verify the reverse lights are on. probe the green wire to ground. if you get voltage, shift the car out of reverse and verify the voltage drops. if you get the wrong one, try again and seal the hole you made.

 

 

 

 

the vss sends a signal to the cluster via the PCM. You should be able to splice into that wire. Here is a cluster pinout for your car, find the VSS. Merry Christmas.

1994-1996 GP, 1995-1997 CS, 1995-1996 Regal Cluster

(info courtesy of StockGP)

Pin# Wire color Purpose(connection/source)

C1 GRN/WHT fuel to HUD (must add!)

C2 --- not used

C3 PNK switched ignition feed

C4 BRN Airbag warning signal

C5 YEL/BLK low coolant level

C6 DK BLU GP=second gear start, Buick=cruise, CS=traction off(not used?)

C7 TAN oil pressure light

C8 BRN/WHT oil level light

C9 GRY backlighting

C10 --- not used

C11 --- not used

C12 YEL fasten seatbelt

C13 DK GRN VSS/speedo

C14 PPL fuel

C15 --- not used

C16 BLK ground

 

D1 BRN/WHT malfunction indicator?

D2 ORN charge

D3 GRY security

D4 DK BLU right turn

D5 LT GRN high beam

D6 LT BLU left turn

D7 LT GRN low trac

D8 DK GRN coolant temp to HUD (must ADD!)

D9 DK GRN coolant temp

D10 WHT ABS

D11 TAN/WHT brake

D12 WHT tach

D13 --- not used

D14 --- not used

D15 --- not used

D16 BLK ground

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You will not need the reverse wire, thats for hooking up a backup camera. The VSS wire just keeps the nav a little more accurate but you dont absolutley need to hook it up.

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You will not need the reverse wire, thats for hooking up a backup camera. The VSS wire just keeps the nav a little more accurate but you dont absolutley need to hook it up.

 

x2. More often than not, I never connected these wires.

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the reverse light isn't exclusively for the camera; it also helps the vehicle position itself, just like the VSS wire (or so the manual tells me).

 

I've noticed I don't NEED it, but I'd like to find out where to hook it up if at all possible. It'll help in certain circumstances.

 

Crazy K; thanks for the pinout information! But there's a small problem... I don't know where the heck that is! Can you provide some stupid-friendly directions on where I can actually find that plug?

 

I'm assuming a VSS wire is going into the cluster somewhere... but I can't really get into the cluster because I cannot get the trim piece/bezel past the steering wheel on my car (cutlass supreme convertible, '95). Is there a trick to removing this thing?

 

I took off the glove box and there's a whole host of wires back there, but I'm not sure if I can access the vss wire from here. Crazy K (or anyone else), can you give me another nudge in the right direction? Sorry, I'm a computer dork, not a car dork. :(

 

JP

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connector for the cluster in on the lower right.

 

to remove trim, remove lower panel piece and loosen the 4 bolts holding the column into the car. remove the top two bolts long enough to remove the trim and stick em back half way in holding the column loosely. look to the right of the column for the cluster plug.

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ahhh. you can pull the column down? That should help it get past the steering wheel!! I'll have to try that, thanks very much Crazy K!

 

I could pull it off enough to see the wire harness in the bottom right of the cluster... but I couldn't GET to the thing. If I can successfully yank the column down (without taking the steering wheel off, obviously), then that would help so much. I would even have better access to the radio in the future (Bending that thing into the tiny gap was precariously dangerous).

 

cross your fingers... i'll give it a try tomorrow! (Wish I could jump into it now, but I'll have to wait).

 

 

JP

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When I had my AVIC I didn't bother with the VSS wire and the GPS was pretty accurate. Might save ya some time.

 

Yea the car is tracked by satellite so the VSS is really not needed. If its easy to get to ill hook it up but often times they are a bitch to find, i wouldnt pull your hair out over it.

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1) it's useful when using tunnels, parking garages, or driving in biiiiiig cities (otherwise I understand it is not necessary).

2) now it has become a "me vs the car" thing. i don't want to NOT do it just because I can't figure it out. The more elusive something becomes, the more I want to solve it. Just in my nature.

 

I WILL DEFEAT YOU, VSS WIRE!!!

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Crazy K,

 

I think you did give me everything I needed. I was just responding to everyone else who was saying "don't bother" (who I 1/3 agree with).

 

As we speak, the cluster trim is off and I just pulled the wire harness out of the cluster. I just popped on to grab the pinout you provided to make sure I did, in fact, find the right wire. Then I'm gonna TAP INTO THAT LITTLE F*^(#^%* LIKE A FRAT BOY INTO A KEG!

 

hopefully I'll be done very shortly...

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JP WINS!!!!! Thanks for the help. It was actually very difficult to get to the wire (even after unplugging the harness), but I was able to crimp onto it after swearing for a little while. They just didn't give a whole lot of slack there. But, I tapped it, and I tapped it goooooood.

 

Thanks for your help (especially Crazy K). No way I would have found it otherwise.

 

 

JP

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