Pioneer Nav & Bluetooth Installation

[salsa06]

I have recently purchased the Pioneer AVIC-D3 Nav unit, Bluetooth hardware, XM receiver and back-up camera - I started the install on Sunday but quickly put the dash back together when I realized I had more questions than answers. I need help...lots of help....

1) Wiring Harness - The harness on my OEM radio (2006 base SR5 Radio - no JBL) has three connectors going into the back of it. The harness for the new radio appears that it will only use two of the OEM connectors. Is the third connector (with the narrow pin terminals) used?

2) Antenna Leads - The OEM radio has two antenna wires - one larger in diameter and one smaller. The Pioneer radio only has one connection for the antenna. Is it necessary to use both of these antenna leads and/or is there an adapter that allows me to use both in the new radio?

3) Interior Trim Removal - I would like to install the MIC for my Bluetooth unit next to my sunroof switch. To do so I need to route the MIC wire behind the A-pillar trim piece and under the head liner. Is it difficult to remove the A-Pillar trim piece?

4) Exterior Trim Removal - I would like to remove and notch the chrome trim piece above my rear license plate to accommodate the B/U camera - similar to the OEM installation. Is this piece difficult to remove? How does it come off?

5) XM/Navigation Antenna Locations - Has anyone come up with a creative location for their Nav or XM antennas? My best guess at this point is to install the antennas in the center of the dash (close to the windshield) and route the wires through the defrost vent. Any other suggestions?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[nserpa9248]

1- That second plug is most likeley for steering wheel controls if you are equipped..there should be a 2-Plug harness that you will use (metra 70-1761 if your using metra)

2-The smaller diameter antenna is not used..just the larger of the two.

3-you should'nt NEED to remove the A-pillar..you should be able to tuck it under the plastic with a plastic panel tool or something similar

4-Not sure.

5-Both of your antennas should be run to the rear of the vehicle, where the seam between the lift gate and the roof meet, place the actual antennas far enough "forward" so that the lift gate does not smoosh the antennas or dent the lift gate/roof when the lift gate is opened all the way.

 

[salsa06]

nserpa9248 - thanks for the quick response and advice!

In reference to the A-pillar trim, is it possible to get the mic wire under the head liner without removing the trim piece? I can get it tucked in under the trim, but I am not sure how to make the transition under the headliner.

That's a great suggestion for the Nav/XM antennas - out of sight and out of reach.

Thanks!

 

[toytrukn78]

Antenna

Well some people don't agree with me, but I've got both of my antenna's (XM and Navigation) on the magnetic strip that it came with in the very corner of the windshield on the passenger side. I tucked the wires into the pillar, and you don't even notice it.

I like it better here because it draws less attention to your vehicle as it's not as noticeable as it is on the roof. As for signal questions, I

 

[nserpa9248]

You can certainly try mounting the antenna near the A-pillar, some dont like it, its a matter of prefrence...however they are designed for roof-mount..

As far as the transition from the a-pillar to the headliner..the headliner should be slightly "tucked" under the a-pillar trim.. you should be able to finagle the wire under there, just be gentle, its not a wire you want to break.

 

[salsa06]

nserpa9248 / toytrukn78 - Thanks for the information!

 

[nserpa9248]

btw salsa..whats the year, body style of your 4Runner?

 

[salsa06]

I have an '06 SR5 4x4 V6. This is now the 4th 4runner that we've owned since '98 ('98, '01, '03, '06), but the first that I have felt the need to do any modificaitons to. These are truly outstanding vehicles, but the base radio in the '06 has got to go.

 

[jduran280]

Just did this exact install !!

1. For the FM antenna, you'll need to use the larger of the 2 antenna connectors.
2. The D3 comes with a square, self-adhesive magnetic pad. I fixed this to the top of one of the air vents. There are 2 behind where the D3 will sit. You can put the GPS antenna and the XM antenna on top of this pad, and if you neatly bundle all of the extra wire from the antennas, there's a spot behind the ducts that the extra wire will fit. Both antenna will be completely hidden, under the dash, but will function perfectly.
3. One thing I found out about the metra plug (unless mine was defective) was that the illumination wire - the one that signals the stereo that the lights are on - was in the wrong spot. I had to 'jumper' the orange/white wire on the 'Toyota' side of the metra harness to the orange wire on the pioneer side of the metra harness.
4. You can 'bypass' the parking interlock' by moving the mute wire connector from it's position to the empty one above it, then grounding it. Complete instructions can be found on a site called www.avic411.com. This site is completely dedicated to all things having to do with Pioneer Avic nav systems.
5. As far as gaining access to mount the backup camera, remove the small plastic cover that is by the nylon pull strap on the hatch, and remove the screw attaching the strap (I think this and most screws in the 4runners are a 10mm screw). You can carefully pop off the entire plastic panel, from the bottom, up. Once you pop off the panel, slide it up about 2 inches to remove it. You'll need to CAREFULLY pull the plastic sheeting off. There is a black, sticky substance holding it. If you don't mess with it, you'll be able to 'restick' it later. To remove the exterior plastic panel (where the release switch is), you remove 4 nuts (10mm) that are in a line, attached to studs. There are 2 additional nuts that hold the key switch for the window, and those have to be removed as well. There is one electrical plug that will have to be disconnected (feeds the license plate lights). Once the 6 nuts are removed, there is a spring-type fastener behind the Toyota logo that you carefully pop off.
I routed my camera wires against the back side of the sheet metal (remember that the window rolls down!!. You can fish a 12 AWG solid wire through the access ports in the corner of the door, then run the wires through the existing wire loom to get them into the head liner. I then fished the wires down the passenger side rear pillar, and through the interior trim panels to the front.
If you still haven't hooked up the VSS wire (speed sensing wire), let me know and I can let you know where that wire is so you can tap into it. Also, I didn't run a wire all the way back to the reverse lights, I found the wire in the front that tells the nav unit when you're in reverse. It was easier to hook it up than running a wire all the way to the back. I can take pictures if you need.
By the way, this is on a 2005 4runner Sr5, without the JBL sound system.

 

[salsa06]

jduran280 - Thanks for the great write-up. Once I observed all of the obstacles with the installation last week, I put it all back together without really going too far. All that I have done to this point is modify my OEM brackets so the D3 would fit flush with the Metra dash kit. Any pictures of your install would be GREATLY appreciated.

OBTW - did you also use the Metra dash kit? Before I put the dash back together I did a "dry fit" of the radio in the dash. I am really not to happy with the Metra kit - the radio sticks out to far beyond the dash opening (which I think I've fixed by modifying the OEM brackets) and it still has a gap at the top and bottom of the radio. Any suggestions in this area as well?

Thanks again!

 

[jduran280]

All in all, the install took several hours: I also replaced the stock speakers. If you ordered your stuff from Crutchfield, you should have gotten a copy of their 'master sheet' . This is a booklet of instructions with pictures for accessing the stereo and speaker locations. If you didn't get this, let me know, and I can email the PDF to you.
I'll attempt to post some pictures below. One of the coolest features of this nav unit is the ability to load your own background screens (instructions on how to do this are in the manual). I'll post the JPGs that I used as Background screens - feel free to use them. There also a bunch available on that Avic411 site.

 

[jduran280]

Backgrounds

Sorry in advance for the size of these images, but they are sized to fit the nav system.
Yes I did use The metra brackets, but I think they look fine - I don't think they stick out too much.
To use these backgrounds, burn them to a disk, in a folder called Pictures (you'll also need some 'dummy' data on the disk), then select 'from disk' in the menu area to replace the default backgrounds. (the manual has full instructions).

Splash page

Navigation page

Media page

 

[salsa06]

jduran280 - Thanks for the screen images. If you can post the installation images as well, that would be great.

BTW - Did you try the D3 with the stock speakers? How did it sound? I am still contemplating the replacement speakers.

Which replacement speakers did you install? I recently bought a set of Infinity speakers for my Miata and have been very happy with them. I was considering Infinity for the 4-Runner as well.

Any suggestions?

 

[cwgrant05]

Re: Just did this exact install !!

1. For the FM antenna, you'll need to use the larger of the 2 antenna connectors.
2. The D3 comes with a square, self-adhesive magnetic pad. I fixed this to the top of one of the air vents. There are 2 behind where the D3 will sit. You can put the GPS antenna and the XM antenna on top of this pad, and if you neatly bundle all of the extra wire from the antennas, there's a spot behind the ducts that the extra wire will fit. Both antenna will be completely hidden, under the dash, but will function perfectly.
3. One thing I found out about the metra plug (unless mine was defective) was that the illumination wire - the one that signals the stereo that the lights are on - was in the wrong spot. I had to 'jumper' the orange/white wire on the 'Toyota' side of the metra harness to the orange wire on the pioneer side of the metra harness.
4. You can 'bypass' the parking interlock' by moving the mute wire connector from it's position to the empty one above it, then grounding it. Complete instructions can be found on a site called www.avic411.com. This site is completely dedicated to all things having to do with Pioneer Avic nav systems.
5. As far as gaining access to mount the backup camera, remove the small plastic cover that is by the nylon pull strap on the hatch, and remove the screw attaching the strap (I think this and most screws in the 4runners are a 10mm screw). You can carefully pop off the entire plastic panel, from the bottom, up. Once you pop off the panel, slide it up about 2 inches to remove it. You'll need to CAREFULLY pull the plastic sheeting off. There is a black, sticky substance holding it. If you don't mess with it, you'll be able to 'restick' it later. To remove the exterior plastic panel (where the release switch is), you remove 4 nuts (10mm) that are in a line, attached to studs. There are 2 additional nuts that hold the key switch for the window, and those have to be removed as well. There is one electrical plug that will have to be disconnected (feeds the license plate lights). Once the 6 nuts are removed, there is a spring-type fastener behind the Toyota logo that you carefully pop off.
I routed my camera wires against the back side of the sheet metal (remember that the window rolls down!!. You can fish a 12 AWG solid wire through the access ports in the corner of the door, then run the wires through the existing wire loom to get them into the head liner. I then fished the wires down the passenger side rear pillar, and through the interior trim panels to the front.
If you still haven't hooked up the VSS wire (speed sensing wire), let me know and I can let you know where that wire is so you can tap into it. Also, I didn't run a wire all the way back to the reverse lights, I found the wire in the front that tells the nav unit when you're in reverse. It was easier to hook it up than running a wire all the way to the back. I can take pictures if you need.
By the way, this is on a 2005 4runner Sr5, without the JBL sound system.

I'm getting ready to install the AVIC-D3 in a 2005 4runner SR5 also. Your install looks great. Can you tell me where you tapped into the VSS and reverse wire and the color of these wires.

Thanks

 

[revlis240]

hey,
Which wire did you tap for the reverse lights up front?

Thanks!
Abe

 

[riceandpho]

u need to fix ur metra trim thing, its a lil crooked/ slangted. all in all it looks great compare to mines