NO-FRILLS AUX. input for $3.00

[Jaywyatt]

I have a 2004 with the Bose system with on* and XM. Wanted an aux. input for my cheap MP3 player and Garmin GPS to play them through the factory system. I was not interested in the artist/title display or the steering wheel controls like the Ipod adapters provide. I started looking at the wiring diagram for my radio and noticed that the XM receiver (Digital Radio Receiver as the diagram calls it) was separate from the head unit. I found the left audio,right audio,and common wires from the XM receiver to the head unit and it seamed that if I cut the left and right audio wires and installed an 1/8" stereo switching jack between the Xm receiver and the HU , that it just might work. It does  . I went to radio shack and found the jack that I needed Part# 274-246. Here are some pics of the installation.




Here are the two connectors form the HU. The wires you want are in the black 12 pin connector.


Here are the 3 wires you will be working with. The Brown/White is the left audio, the Green/White is the right audio, and the Black/White is the common. You need to cut the BRN/WHT and GRN/WHT wires but not the BLK/WHT. leave enough wire on the radio plug side to be able to splice into. I have already cut the wires in this pic.


Here is a diagram of the wire connections that you need to make


Where I mounted the jack.


My MP3 player connected and working through the system.

Just put the radio on XM1 or XM2 and when something is plugged into the jack it disconnects the XM and plays whatever is plugged in. The radio still displays the name of the XM station that it was tuned to but that does not bother me at all. I am very satisfied with this mod and thought that some others might be interested in a low cost alternative to the aftermarket adapters.
Any questions just let me know.
Happy Modding

[MS03 2500]

How does it sound

[Jaywyatt]

Sounds Great (well as good as the factory Bose system is gonna sound)
Much better than FM modulation. 

[Web]

Can you tap into those wires at the xm unit instead of pulling the radio? I wanted to add something like this, but didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling the radio.

 Thanks

[danlwil]

nice job

very clean mod 

[Jaywyatt]

Can you tap into those wires at the xm unit instead of pulling the radio? I wanted to add something like this, but didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling the radio.

 Thanks

Yes that would work also. The radio is very easy to pull out though.

[MS03 2500]

Sounds Great (well as good as the factory Bose system is gonna sound)
Much better than FM modulation. 

I kinda of figured that would work, when I added a external 6 cd player that's how it's tied in.

Good Mod

[MS03 2500]

Web what kind of XM radio do you have that's easy to get to

[Web]

Stock..But it's behind the glove box... thought that would be easier to get at...

[Jaywyatt]

Probably easier to pull the radio.

[MS03 2500]

XM is behind the glove box but way behind the glovebox against the firewall.

Much easier to pull the radio.


(1)   Instrument Panel (I/P)
(2)   Vehicle Communication Interface Module (VCIM)
(3)   Cellular Antenna Coax
(4)   VCIM Connectors
(5)   Navigation Antenna Coax
(6)   Digital Radio Receiver (U2K/U2L) XM/DAB

[Jaywyatt]

That thing is buried in there. The radio can be pulled in 2 minutes or less.

[Web]

Guess I'll be pulling the radio....

Thanks for the write up.. didn't want to put in something expensive I would only use occasionally...

Too many FM stations here to use one of those hookups also.. I've tried 2..

[Chief]

Will this work on other 03+ GM vehicles with XM - are you looking for the same color wires?

I would LOVE to do this on my GP!

[Jaywyatt]

I'm not sure. You would have to look at the wiring diagram for car. I assume that the colors would be the same but I could be wrong. I could check the wiring diagram Monday when I go to work and let you know. Anybody have a radio diagram for a '05 Grand Prix?

[Jaywyatt]

Guess I'll be pulling the radio....

Thanks for the write up.. didn't want to put in something expensive I would only use occasionally...

Too many FM stations here to use one of those hookups also.. I've tried 2..

Let me know how it goes Web. If you have any ?'s just ask.
I like your avatar
Happy Modding

[PUNISHER]

   i think i will do this mod in the AV and Trailblazer.  the wife has been wanting to play her MP3 player in her truck.  i just was not crazy about the idea of unplugging the radio to install the adapter, and have the Theft-Lok come on.  this is a cheaper/ easy alternative.

[PUNISHER]

   what is another alternative if the vehicle is not XM equipped?  the Trailblazer is not equipped with XM.

[MS03 2500]

Even if you do not have XM the plug is still there.

[MooseAlanche]

   i think i will do this mod in the AV and Trailblazer.  the wife has been wanting to play her MP3 player in her truck.  i just was not crazy about the idea of unplugging the radio to install the adapter, and have the Theft-Lok come on.  this is a cheaper/ easy alternative.

I just added an I Pod adapter to my AV this past Friday. I would have done this mod if I knew about it,  it would have saved me $146. Although I do have radio and steering wheel control for play, skip forward and reverse, fast forward and reverse, and charging of the I pod, I would have liked to do a $3 mod instead of a $149 mod.
Oh even thought I had to disconnect the radio harness plugs to add the adapter,  I didn't have any issues with the "Theft-Lock". I guess I was lucky 

[MS03 2500]

You won't have a problem with theft lock I had my HU out many times, as a matter of fact my old 6 CD HU was out of my AV for 6 months and I gave it to another member he had it unlocked and it still had my radio presets in it.

[Jaywyatt]

You won't have a problem with theft lock I had my HU out many times, as a matter of fact my old 6 CD HU was out of my AV for 6 months and I gave it to another member he had it unlocked and it still had my radio presets in it.

Yep. The only thing you have to reset is the clock. 
Not like some vehicles that if you disconnect the battery you have to recode the radio

[Jaywyatt]

I just added an I Pod adapter to my AV this past Friday. I would have done this mod if I knew about it,  it would have saved me $146. Although I do have radio and steering wheel control for play, skip forward and reverse, fast forward and reverse, and charging of the I pod, I would have liked to do a $3 mod instead of a $149 mod.
Oh even thought I had to disconnect the radio harness plugs to add the adapter,  I didn't have any issues with the "Theft-Lock". I guess I was lucky 

You will probably be a lot happier with your adapter.
It's nice to have the steering wheel controls and iPod charging if you have an iPod and use it a lot.
I only have a $25 MP3 player that I only use occasionally so I could'nt see paying that much

[Jaywyatt]

Will this work on other 03+ GM vehicles with XM - are you looking for the same color wires?

I would LOVE to do this on my GP!

Hey Chief,
I checked the diagram for your '05 GP and the wire colors and positions are the same. Get To Work

[Jaywyatt]

Guess I'll be pulling the radio....

Thanks for the write up.. didn't want to put in something expensive I would only use occasionally...

Too many FM stations here to use one of those hookups also.. I've tried 2..

Hey Web
Did you do this mod?
If so how did it turn out?
I wanna know

[Web]

Not yet... Radio Shack here didn't have the part...will try another one today..

If I get the part I'll try Monday night at Trannyman's garage...He has nice heated floors...

[SpottyJ]

Great idea, and nice work Jaywyatt 

[PUNISHER]

Even if you do not have XM the plug is still there.

   gotcha.  i was thinking only from the point of view from the wire/ harness coming from the XM tuner. 

[PUNISHER]

I just added an I Pod adapter to my AV this past Friday. I would have done this mod if I knew about it,  it would have saved me $146. Although I do have radio and steering wheel control for play, skip forward and reverse, fast forward and reverse, and charging of the I pod, I would have liked to do a $3 mod instead of a $149 mod.
Oh even thought I had to disconnect the radio harness plugs to add the adapter,  I didn't have any issues with the "Theft-Lock". I guess I was lucky 

   so maybe Theft-Lok is only if the radio if disconnected, and the re-connected to a different vehicle?  i guess i will give it a try.

[PUNISHER]

You won't have a problem with theft lock I had my HU out many times, as a matter of fact my old 6 CD HU was out of my AV for 6 months and I gave it to another member he had it unlocked and it still had my radio presets in it.

   good to know.  i have my OEM radio sitting in the closet for about a year now.

[moosc]

 sounds good guess ill give it a try

[Web]

Got my plug today.. connected  the wires to it...tested out the connections...now I just need this foot of snow to miss us tonight so I can pull the radio...

[Web]

MichiganSilver03....  thanks for the diagram... before it got dark here, I went out and looked for the XM module. The glove box has a lock tab on the right side, push it it to the left.... the glove box falls down and the XM module is sitting right there with all the wires right in front of you..(boy am I lazy)..... so maybe I won't be pulling the radio...

I'll peel back the tape on the wires there tomorrow to see if there is enough to work with in that area...

[Web]

Jaywyatt... Thanks alot. This is the best $3.00 I've spent on the truck..

I cut the wires in the back of the glove box, connected my home made harness, an wow...
 it worked.. 

So if anyone is lazy like me, and don't want to take the dash apart to pull the radio.. the XM module is sitting right behind the glove box, just push the right side of the box in to release the tab...and the box falls out of the way.   

[moosc]

Jaywyatt... Thanks alot. This is the best $3.00 I've spent on the truck..

I cut the wires in the back of the glove box, connected my home made harness, an wow...
 it worked.. 

So if anyone is lazy like me, and don't want to take the dash apart to pull the radio.. the XM module is sitting right behind the glove box, just push the right side of the box in to release the tab...and the box falls out of the way.   

what type of harness did you  make more info pics  etc

[Web]

Just soldered 5 - 3 ft wires to the mini plug,then marked the wires 1-2-3-4-5, so when I  cut at the XM plug  it was all ready to be soldered there.

Guess harness might have been the wrong wording ....

[jonny5]

I have an 04 w/XM   was wondering can you hook the wires up to the button that says CD/AUX on the HU. . . ??

What wires would those be. . . . . if not the other way will work.  

Thanks

Jonny5

[Jaywyatt]

Jaywyatt... Thanks alot. This is the best $3.00 I've spent on the truck..

I cut the wires in the back of the glove box, connected my home made harness, an wow...
 it worked.. 

So if anyone is lazy like me, and don't want to take the dash apart to pull the radio.. the XM module is sitting right behind the glove box, just push the right side of the box in to release the tab...and the box falls out of the way.   

That's great Web.
Glad you got it done
Where did you mount the jack?
Got any pics?

[Web]

That's great Web.
Glad you got it done
Where did you mount the jack?
Got any pics?

Jack is in same place as yours,,, just had to shave a little thickness off around the mounting hole.. my screw was a little short. Thanks again.... 

Played a Zune on a trip today,,, sounded great   

[Jaywyatt]

what type of harness did you  make more info pics  etc

Here are some pics of the wires soldered to the jack.
Sorry they are not very good.
Click on the thumbnails to expand.

[CaptDeth]

Just a little note for anyone thinking of doing this.   I just tried it on my 05 that has the Bose system but DOES NOT have the xm module.   It doesn't work.   Your deck doesn't recognize it, there is no way to switch to XM1.   Just FM1, FM2, AM and CD.

Oh well. . . . just pushed me to install my alpine deck that has a iPod input. . . much better now  :D

[Jaywyatt]

sounds good guess ill give it a try

Did you do it? Huh? Huh?

[moosc]

Did you do it? Huh? Huh?

nope havent been home long enough and its to dang cold outside ill get it done in about 6months

[jonny5]

Done. . . .  :D   Sounds just like CD sound or IPOD sound anyway.  I still think CD 's sound is still a little better.  But it's so close now who cares.  

Anyway Have an 04 w/XM and went behind the glove box.  Cost me about $23 because I needed a new solder Iron, mine was well, old.  

If you dont need all the extra goodies then this is by far a great mod.  And cheap.  
 
 :thumbsup: 

[Jaywyatt]

Done. . . .     Sounds just like CD sound or IPOD sound anyway.  I still think CD 's sound is still a little better.  But it's so close now who cares. 

Anyway Have an 04 w/XM and went behind the glove box.  Cost me about $23 because I needed a new solder Iron, mine was well, old. 

If you dont need all the extra goodies then this is by far a great mod.  And cheap. 
 
  

Sounds better than FM modulation doesn't it?
And less expensive.

[Avalanche208]

hey guys, just to let yal know of a VERY easy way to do this, i bought a 6 ft ethernet (cat-5e) cable from walmart for about 5 bucks, and cut both ends off of it, and used it for the wire rather than running 5 seperate wires... it makes it cost a lil more, but you may have a spare laying around somewhere... hope i helped 

[Dune]

Great idea. However, I don't think this mod works unless you have XM. Otherwise, where would it play through? (ie XM1, XM2)

[MS03 2500]

It's there buddy and will work, the HU will sense there is a input and add it.

When I added my external 6 cd player it saw it and was plug and play

[Dune]

It's there buddy and will work, the HU will sense there is a input and add it.

When I added my external 6 cd player it saw it and was plug and play

So you are saying my single disc Cd player would recognize that? The plug is still there? Do you happen to know which wires?

[MS03 2500]

Check with JPCustoms they sent me a harness with all the splices done

[Dune]

Check with JPCustoms they sent me a harness with all the splices done

I looked there just briefly and they are all mostly over $36.00.

[cpoplayer]

Sorry to dig up an old post but, I have an 03 with base single cd player without XM......Can this mod still be done??

Again....I apologize for resurecting this!!!

[Web]

See reply #40... didn't work for no xm.......

[PEZman]

Well I added this jack in my AV and I love it !!!  Works real good and the sound is awesome.   My MP3 is a microsoft Zune.   
Thanks for this awesome mod 

[ozzy]

My av is an 06' w/o xm. So this harness won't work on my factory stereo. Is there a way u know of to hardwire into the auxillary on the rear of the factory unit?

[gilkman]

just added this input to my '04 BOSE w/ XM.  Worked great!

[MS03 2500]

Congrat's nice clean looking install.

[gilkman]

Thanks.  I was really unsure where to put it.  I found that there is a small gap between the center console and the dash bezel.
just enough room to put the plug where it is.
I'll have to remove it if I ever need to pull the dash off, however I don't see doing that much, now that I can play MP3s this way.
Thanks again for a great Mod!

[goom49]

Finally got around to doing this mod after buy the parts after seeing this post in January.

So far I love it!

Great job Jaywyatt!

[Jaywyatt]

Finally got around to doing this mod after buy the parts after seeing this post in January.

So far I love it!

Great job Jaywyatt!

Thanks
Glad it worked out for you
Got any pics?

[av111]

Quick question - if you do this, will all functionality of the XM be maintained? ie, Song/Artist/Station info shows up while you're listening to XM, etc.

[MS03 2500]

Yes but don't have the player plugged in at the same time you want XM

[goom49]

Thanks
Glad it worked out for you
Got any pics?

I get some pic, didnt take any during the install though.

Quick question - if you do this, will all functionality of the XM be maintained? ie, Song/Artist/Station info shows up while you're listening to XM, etc.

Everything works as normal on the XM channel, except when you have a plug plugged into the port.  Then it disconnects the audio for the XM and allows the audio from your mp3 player through.  (still displays the XM info..... IE mine still says preview since I dont subscribe)

[Chief]

I'm FINALLY doing this mod to my Grand Prix today.

[Chief]

Well gosh darn it, this didn't work.  Here is where I'm at.  I have auxilary playback from the 1/8" stereo jack through the left channel, I have stereo playback from the 1/8" stereo jack AND XM Radio through the right channel.  I got a brilliant idea, I'll just set the channel to Radio ID and solve that problem.  On that channel I do have the MP3 player through both channels but I have what sounds like a ground loop hum coming from the right channel with the stereo.  I've triple checked my connections.  When I unplug the 1/8" stereo plug XM radio works fine though both left and right channels.  Any ideas greatly appreciated!

[Chief]

I figured it out.   

I thought that it was possible that pin four and five had gotten soldered together since they are so close, so I went in with a razor blade and shaved away.  At first I thought problem solved, suddenly the XM playback in the right channel went away and the MP3 playback was there.  But then it went away again, then it came back, then it went away.  Ahhhh, when I jumped 4 and 5, for whatever reason, it works.  Got my handy dandy solder gun, soldered the two together and ha, now it works.

Drilled the 1/4" hole to discover, the plastic on the dash is too thick to allow the 1/8" stereo jack to stick out!   

About 30 minutes with a razor blade shaved down enough plastic, maybe 1/16" that I was able to get the ring to bite on the threads, got it on aobut 1-1/2 turns and I put it all back together.  So major kudos for confirming this can be done on other GM products!

[moosc]

 thats cool yopu got working i still need to wire my Av up

[Trey]

Fantastic Mod!   I just got an LG Chocolate 3 phone, and it has an FM transmitter for playing MP3s through the radio.  It doesn't work very well in my AV; the signal has a lot of static, and it goes in and out.  I guess it has to do with antenna placement.  So I did this mod and connected the phone to the new socket in the dash with a 3-foot stereo cord.  It sounds great.  Thanks for the advice on getting to the XM radio receiver behind the glove box.  I never knew that!    Just open the glove box and push the little stop to the left to get the whole glove box down and out of your way.

[Todd400]

Great site and simply a great mod, I stopped by radio shack and picked up the jack and a 3ft cable to connect the ipod and with-in 45 minutes I was in buisness, I wired mine in at the xm unit behind the glovebox and mounted the jack in the lower corner of the console cubby hole and man I am inpressed, Thanks again! 

[oh4z71]

quick question. ok i understand the cutting of the brw/white and darkgreen/white but it says not to cut the black white you are just to like t-tap into it correct?

[Web]

yes... that stays connected... I just skinned that, wrapped a wire around it and dropped on a little solder....taped it up...

[oh4z71]

yes... that stays connected... I just skinned that, wrapped a wire around it and dropped on a little solder....taped it up...

sweet im doing this mod tomorrow, ill try to take a bunch of pics and do a detailed how to write up.

[oh4z71]

just got done doing it. not that hard. just a lil frustrating due to the small wires and little room on the factory harness, but i got it done.  i took the advice of another member and used CAT5 cable and it worked GREAT! here are the install pics.

[MS03 2500]

Great pic's

[moosc]

 im nervous to try this mod since i did the lux upgrade my onstar doesnt seem to be rite at times

[MS03 2500]

im nervous to try this mod since i did the lux upgrade my onstar doesnt seem to be rite at times

No issue moosc that part is the same.

[manofdos]

If you do not have something plugged into the aux does the XM still work?

[Web]

Yes, just like it wasn't there....

[GregR1]

just marking for future reference 

[postmoves]

Thanks Jaywyatt-
Saved me hundreds - half an hour was worth the clean install, when all I wanted was this aux input.

[Jaywyatt]

  Glad it worked for you

[endo]

I did it!

Happy and not happy with it though.  On the positive side, it looks OEM and works perfectly.  I broke into the XM behind the glovebox.

On the negative side, not happy with the cleanliness of it behind the scenes.  I've got a network cable soldered to the switching headphone jack, and it strikes me as being way too fragile.  I looped the wires through the tiny holes on the jack and soldered them in.  All of the wires face the same direction except for "#5" which I put backwards to avoid contact with number 4....those are *REALLY* close together.  Put electrical tape between them as best I could and then wrapped the whole works in electrical tape (fairly hideous, but at least it offers more protection to it than without).   

Additionally the headphone jack wouldn't quite poke through the two-cubby panel in the center console far enough to screw on the retaining ring.  Wound up using some LocTite-brand superglue to affix it.  I'm assuming this is *NOT* going to be a long term solution as superglue tends to break in applications like this, correct?  I did rough the back of the plastic a bit first. Can anyone recommend a good glue to hold that thing on? 

Will say that the sound quality is surprisingly perfect though.  No pop-hiss when plugging into the jack.  And shockingly no interference from the iPhone that's connected (which is a device that is notorious for interference).  Even listened to Pandora over 3G through it and didn't see interference.  No alternator whine either.  I'm stunned.

Thanks much for the write up!

[Web]

I had the same problem with the retaining nut... shaved the plastic around the hole (from the back) to make it thinner...got it to screw on...

[endo]

Awesome, may well just do that then....I started to shave it a bit but didn't have anything except sandpaper and a flathead.

[Trey]

I took a dremel to the back side of the panel to thin it out, so the jack threads would stick out the front.  The dremel cut it down quite a bit to get it thin enough.  Supe Glue will probably not hold up to continuous pushing in of the plug.

[endo]

Thanks, yes the superglue will be evicted soon, once I get moved back down to Cali in a couple weeks (where I know several people with dremel tools  ).  It's also somewhat held in by friction of the threads as well though, so hopefully it'll survive for a bit.

[Houdini]

I just did this to my Avy yesterday.  As it has already been said, the absolute best $3 I have ever spent.  I went in behind the glove box and was done within 15 minutes.  It threw me off at first seeing two black wires with white stripes at the XM module, but figured out pretty quickly that it was the black and white wire that was grouped with the brown and green wire.  I just didn't see it until I cut away some tape.  Thanks again for the great idea, I am absolutley loving the ability to just plug and play!!! 

[Manbearpig]

I did this mod yesterday, and it seems I'm having a problem.

Whenever I plug my cable into the adapter only the left speakers work, when I pull it out about half way, both sides work.

My wiring looks good. 

[Web]

Check your cable your plugging in... I thought I had one extra at home.. but it was for video also, so only worked like you stated...plugged in part ways...

The correct one should have 3 metal contacts, separated by 2 insulator bans...

[Manbearpig]

Hell that was my problem

I bought this cable
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102950

instead of this one
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102949

Looks like I need to go get the appropriate one now. 

[Web]

I like easy fixes....

[Manbearpig]

Me too! 

[chevy_guy1]

I assume that the volume button on the steering wheel will still control the volume since it is played through the head unit? The Aux input is for MP3's only? is there a Aux input for IPOD?

[Web]

All controls work the same... just the input is changed from XM to whatever is plugged into the aux. I play a ipod through it ... just use a cord like mentioned in post 89.

[PNUT_03Av]

I need some help. I've got the bose 6 disc w/o xm. I know I can't do this mod because I don't have xm, but I was thinking I could connect my jack directly into the back of the radio where the xm module is normally plugged in. What I need is 2 things:

1st, if anyone knows that this is not possible please stop me now.
2nd, if anyone has or knows where to get a diagram for those pins I would really appreciate it as I'm pretty much stuck without it.

Thanks for any help.

P.S. This is my first post so please forgive me for any forum faux pas.

[Trey]

If the wires are there, it seems like it would work to me.

[Manbearpig]

If I wanted to install a switch to switch between the two since I leave my cable plugged in all the time (its under the cupholder in the console)
Would I just install a switch across the common wire?

Im just to lazy to unplug it rofl

Thanks!

[Trey]

If I wanted to install a switch to switch between the two since I leave my cable plugged in all the time (its under the cupholder in the console)
Would I just install a switch across the common wire?

Im just to lazy to unplug it rofl

Thanks!

No, I don't think that will work.  This particular socket has two springs in it.  When you plug the cable into it, it breakes the "through" connection for BOTH wires and connects them to the two conductors on the plug.  If you leave the cable plugged in, it bypasses both wires.  You would have to install a double throw switch (switches both wires).  If you do that, there's no need for the little Radio Shack socket, which handles that for you.  You would just hardwire a new double splice across the double-throw switch.

[Manbearpig]

No, I don't think that will work.  This particular socket has two springs in it.  When you plug the cable into it, it breakes the "through" connection for BOTH wires and connects them to the two conductors on the plug.  If you leave the cable plugged in, it bypasses both wires.  You would have to install a double throw switch (switches both wires).  If you do that, there's no need for the little Radio Shack socket, which handles that for you.  You would just hardwire a new double splice across the double-throw switch.

So, I would put a double throw swtich across the L/R audio wires?

[Trey]

Yeah, it would be a sort of double splice switch.  When you throw the switch, it would change the (+) head unit connection from the (+) XM wire to the (+) new wire.  It would also change the (-) head unit connection from (-) XM wire to the (-) new wire.  The (+) and (-) wires go to the new AUX cable.  That's actually what happens when you plug the cable into the Radio Shack adapter; it takes care of that for you.  If you leave the cable plugged into this adapter, you will never get XM radio (the connection has been switched).  To do what you want, you need to hardwire the cable to a double throw switch instead. 

[PEKSAV]

Hello,
I have been reading about adding a jack to the AV radio.  Allot of great info.  From what I have read though, it does not seem that I can add this mod to my 2002 Av with factory radio.
Am I correct?  If I am, is there another route I can take?
Thanks

[PEKSAV]

SORRY
that's a jack for a mp3 player to a 2002 av factory radio with single cd

[ctrujillo45]

Hello there-

I also have  a 2004 with the Bose system with on* and XM. The only difference is that I have a factory 6 disc CD changer. Does this make a difference or can I still do this? This seems like the ideal solution since I don't care to use any of the steering wheel controls.

Do you also have a larger image of the wiring schematic?

Thanks.

Carlos-

[ctrujillo45]

Also, how do I remove the stereo? It seems as if there are 2 methods to get to the XM receiver....through the glove box or by removing the stereo. The glovebox seems to be the easiest method. How do you remove the factory radio?

Any suggestions on which way is easiest?

Thanks in advance.

[oh4z71]

Also, how do I remove the stereo? It seems as if there are 2 methods to get to the XM receiver....through the glove box or by removing the stereo. The glovebox seems to be the easiest method. How do you remove the factory radio?

Any suggestions on which way is easiest?

Thanks in advance.

radio is real easy too. thats the way i did it.

just pull off the trim around it, then there should be 2 bolts holding the HU in place.

[ctrujillo45]

So can this be done with the 6 disc CD changer model?

Also, is there a tutorial on taking off the face plate or should I just use a screwdriver and pry it off?

Thanks.

[Web]

So can this be done with the 6 disc CD changer model?

Also, is there a tutorial on taking off the face plate or should I just use a screwdriver and pry it off?

Thanks.

I have the 6 disc... works for me...

Just open your glove box...release the locking tab... the wires are sitting right there...that's an easier tutorial....

[oh4z71]

So can this be done with the 6 disc CD changer model?

Also, is there a tutorial on taking off the face plate or should I just use a screwdriver and pry it off?

Thanks.

i dont even use a screwdriver. i start around the gauge cluster and just pull it off.

[ctrujillo45]

Thanks for all of the information guys. One final suggestion...do I have to solder the connections on to the plug? I assume this is recommended.

Please let me know.

Thanks.

[ctrujillo45]

Hello there-

I recently installed the mod as described in this post. It was really easy. I don't mess with radio wiring too often, but all together it took me about 1 hour to complete. I spent most of the time learning to solder my wires to the input jack.

A few tips:

1. Use a Cat5 patch cable if you have it laying around. You will need approximately 18" dependent upon the location of your input jack.
2. Solder wires on the the input jack to ensure a clean connection.
3. Removing the radio is very simple. The is the recommended method.

I am very pleased with this mod. It's by far the best $3.00 I have spent on my Avalanche.....it sounds great too.

[Doug1]

Hey Gang,

Wasn't clear on the final answer. I have a 2003 Av without XM. I have the Bose 6 CD changer, and had seen earlier posts that said it was possible to make this work, using the empty slot in back of the HU that the XM usually occupied. Then there seemed to be some contradiction. Help me prove my skeptical wife wrong... She doesn't seem to believe that this can be done for around $3-5.00.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Doug

[Doug1]

Anybody have advice on this?

[Tango Chaser]

Anybody have advice on this?

Advise: Yes  Answer: No

MS3 is usually right on the money with his posts. 

It's there buddy and will work, the HU will sense there is a input and add it.

When I added my external 6 cd player it saw it and was plug and play

I say take the $3 and give a shot.

[Web]

See reply #40... 

[MS03 2500]

I think you need XM or OnStar(does having have to be working) for the HeadUnit to turn on the port

[Doug1]

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate it!

I think I am getting addicted to the Mod and maybe this is a good intervention!

Doug

[GRUMPE]

Can I do this with an aftermarket radio.  I have an 04 which had the boise and on star but now has a pioneer nav/dvd system.  I would really like an aux hook up to play the music off my phone.  I got the truck this way so I do not know exactly how the HU is hook up.

Thanks,
RON

[Trey]

Can I do this with an aftermarket radio.  I have an 04 which had the boise and on star but now has a pioneer nav/dvd system.  I would really like an aux hook up to play the music off my phone.  I got the truck this way so I do not know exactly how the HU is hook up.

Thanks,
RON

It will work if you have XM and the XM radio works through your head unit.

[GRUMPE]

It will work if you have XM and the XM radio works through your head unit.

I do not currently have xm.  It did years ago wwhen new with stock radio but now I have a touch screen pioneer nav/dvd HU.  Would there be any harm done if I just spent the $3 and hooked it up?  Is the worst thing that could happen is being out the $3, if so I may try it anyways.

Thanks,
RON

[goom49]

I do not currently have xm.  It did years ago wwhen new with stock radio but now I have a touch screen pioneer nav/dvd HU.  Would there be any harm done if I just spent the $3 and hooked it up?  Is the worst thing that could happen is being out the $3, if so I may try it anyways.

Thanks,
RON

For my Pioneer HU, the plug with the stock XM wiring is not connected to the HU.  Pioneer uses another it own proprietary input for its XM.  Therefore I dont think this mod would do anything for you.

[GRUMPE]

That's what I was thinking but not sure about. Thank you very much for the info. Really appreaciate it

RON

[erockem]

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate it!

I think I am getting addicted to the Mod and maybe this is a good intervention!

Doug

Doug,

Did you ever get around to trying this?  Did it work?

[D-Loc]

I want to try this out but am unclear on what cables to use exactually sincec the first post said to cut two wires but then you have to solder 5 wires..... I dont get it haha. I was going to use the CAT5 cable so does it matter what wires I use from that... probably not but when I want to splice them into the XM harness does ne one know what goes to what.... like 1 goes to brown, 2 goes to what ever you know... If you could help I would appreciate it 

[Web]

Click on the 3rd image on the 1st post... all the info is under the pic of the plug.

You get 5 wires from...

cutting one... you get 2 ends to solder
cutting second one ... 2 ends to solder
tap into 3rd  wire   1 wire to solder onto

5 wires...


 

[D-Loc]

Click on the 3rd image on the 1st post... all the info is under the pic of the plug.

You get 5 wires from...

cutting one... you get 2 ends to solder
cutting second one ... 2 ends to solder
tap into 3rd  wire   1 wire to solder onto

5 wires...


 

Ya that one doesnt work for me lol, it has an X on it, i dk y but it doesnt. Does it matter where the wires go...?? And when you say tap into it...  im sorry if the pic worked it probably would answer my question but even when I click on it it doesnt work   

[Web]

3rd pic

http://img142.imageshack.us/i/diagram1sm0.jpg/


tap in .. just skin and solder a wire onto it...

[D-Loc]

3rd pic

http://img142.imageshack.us/i/diagram1sm0.jpg/


tap in .. just skin and solder a wire onto it...

O ok, u know what I mistaken the 3rd pic with the 4th pic, the 3rd one with the diagram part was confusing but under the pic I wrote that down and will go from there, im going to use a CAT5 ethernet cable though, so I will probably just have to use quick connects (to make it alot easier) and connect the right prongs to its corresponding wire. I hate wiring!!!! I get so freaking confused all of time with somethings that other people have absolutly no probalem understanding!!!! 

But I think I understand it now finally haha, hope so, if not im pretty shure u will let me know lol

[Donnie1]

So basically all you are doing is using the plug as a splice? As in the brown goes in one prong on the plug and out of another and so on?

[Web]

The plug itself is a switch.. when you plug in a jack it disconnects the xm box and connects the ipod or whatever... in its place to the wires feeding the input to the radio...

[Donnie1]

The plug itself is a switch.. when you plug in a jack it disconnects the xm box and connects the ipod or whatever... in its place to the wires feeding the input to the radio...

Gotcha, I think. I'm sure I am making this look harder than it is.

[D-Loc]

Gotcha, I think. I'm sure I am making this look harder than it is.

No im having troubles understanding as well haha. Im using the ether net CAT5 method though becuase I want to hide the plug a little better.

[ricb]

I did this mod today. Works like a champ and looks great too

[notyme]

I have an 04 with XM, ON star,6disk in HU. There is a button labled CD/AUX is there a way to gain access to the AUX and connect there?


Thanks

[D-Loc]

So I was going to do the mod today... I dont have a saultering gun though. Anyone have luck with just using a lighter?? Ive seen it done before but not with this part. Let me know, Thanks!!

[D-Loc]

Well I tried it... it didnt work. I would have to get sooo close to the part and it would melt the plastic What I did do though was string the wire through that little hole and then twist it on and wrapped some electrical tape around the posts. I also did the splicing behind the glove box becuase the xm wire harness doesnt give you much slack to pull it out!!! Ive had some problems though.

I turn on the truck and then XM, plug my MP3 in and it plays for a little but really low. It plays for a couple seconds but then cuts off!! the truck shuts down, sometimes displays XM ERROR but still wont work.

It might be becuase its not getting a good connection on the part so I NEED to saulter it but have no gun 

Anyone know wuts up?!?!?!?!?!? Thanks!!!

[Trey]

A soldering iron only costs $8 at Radio Shack.

[D-Loc]

Alright so im having trouble. I borrowed a saultering iron from someone and did what I had to do but when I plug it in it makes a loud crackling buzzing frilly noise. If I leave it like that it cuts out and then sais XM ERROR and turns off. I made all of the nessasary connections but i dk. Has anyone else had this problem!?!?!?!?! Please help meeeeeee, Thanks!!

Now it doesnt even want to play at all, just the frills and buzzes

[Trey]

Does it play XM radio when your Mp3 player is unplugged?  If not, then you soldered the wrong wires together or you shorted some of the solder joints together.

[D-Loc]

Does it play XM radio when your Mp3 player is unplugged?  If not, then you soldered the wrong wires together or you shorted some of the solder joints together.

Ya XM plays perfectly when its not plugged in. And none of the prongs on the back of the part are soldered together.

[Web]

If your sure you have the correct wires soldered in the correct positions... then make sure you have the correct plug between the mp3 player and your jack.

The correct plug is discussed somewhere in these pages...you need a 3 contact stereo plug...     tip, insulator,small barrel, insulator, long barrel on both ends...

[D-Loc]

If your sure you have the correct wires soldered in the correct positions... then make sure you have the correct plug between the mp3 player and your jack.

The correct plug is discussed somewhere in these pages...you need a 3 contact stereo plug...     tip, insulator,small barrel, insulator, long barrel on both ends...

Ya I have the right one. Ive used it to connect my mp3 to my amp and BOSE wave system. Nothing else you can think so that went wrong???
I used wire nuts to splice them together so I think anohter day I will sauter it all together instead.

[Trey]

If I recall correctly, there are two black wires to choose from on the XM harness.  Maybe you chose the wrong one to splice into.  So with the MP3 unplugged, the XM wires would be spliced back correctly through the plug.  But maybe you are pumping music into the XM box ground wire or something when you plug in the MP3.

[D-Loc]

If I recall correctly, there are two black wires to choose from on the XM harness.  Maybe you chose the wrong one to splice into.  So with the MP3 unplugged, the XM wires would be spliced back correctly through the plug.  But maybe you are pumping music into the XM box ground wire or something when you plug in the MP3.

Ya I was confused when I saw the two black/white wires (I dont know if i mentioned im going from behind the glove box) but when I was connected to the wrong one I didnt get sound from the passenger speakers, switched to the other black and both worked. But still this isnt working. Well I guess I just need to confirm all of my connections are solid so ill just try to salter them to inshure it. HOPE IT WORKS!!!

[D-Loc]

This is really bugging me now 

So I have these wires from the part to the XM. Im using an ethernet cable if you are wondering.

Post 1- Green/White  into   Black/White
Post 2- Blue/White     into   Brown/White
Post 3- Orange          into   Brown/White
Post 4- Brown/white  into   Green
Post 5- Green             into   Green

I still have these in the harness untouched- Black/white, Green/white, and orange. The instructions stated that 4 and 5 go into "dark green" but I have a dark green/white and a lighter green, I used the solid lighter green. This is starting to loose its fun 

[Web]

You used green... it's suppose to be dark green and white....

the diagram says white tooooooo....... on the left side...

[D-Loc]

You used green... it's suppose to be dark green and white....

the diagram says white tooooooo....... on the left side...

HAHA ya after I wrote my last post I looked over the first post in this thread and saw it said green/white... i was like WTF!! haha, I think since I was looking at the diagram and on i belive its prong 4, it sais to use dark green no white, so I probably just went with green on both... I think he ran out of room to put white. What is really agravating though is that I cut the green/white first then said DAMN thats the wrong one and spliced it back together HAHAHA, now I can laugh about it. Ne ways I got it in and fixed and working now.

Two things Im not too happy with about it though 1.) When I was installing it I made a little burr on the outside that is uneven  my fault though. 2.) It is reallly low, you have to turn the volume all the way up on the MP3 and then up more than usuall on the HU so if you were to unplug it XM would play LOUDDD, same with everyone else??

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much Web and Trey for all of your help tring to figure out my stupidity HAHAHA. Thanks agian!! If you want pics i cat put them up... just have to go take some pics wich im going to do and put on my cardomain ne ways 

[Web]

Glad you got it in...

My ipod has to be turned up as well, but I set the eq setting to Classical, and it boosted the sound louder,  so I don't have to turn up the volumn on the radio...My Zune plays louder on it than the ipod, but I still need to turn up the volumn on it, but not on the radio..

[D-Loc]

Glad you got it in...

My ipod has to be turned up as well, but I set the eq setting to Classical, and it boosted the sound louder,  so I don't have to turn up the volumn on the radio...My Zune plays louder on it than the ipod, but I still need to turn up the volumn on it, but not on the radio..

Me toooo!!!! 

Hmm, maybee ill mess with the EQ then. Its not that big of a deal to turn my volume all the way up on the zune but I just have to rmember to turn it down b4 I unplug it haha.

[Trey]

Glad you got it fixed.  I have to turn up my LG Chocolate 3 phone MP3 player and then turn up the HU a little more as well.  Just have to remember to turn down the HU before unplugging the phone.

[D-Loc]

Glad you got it fixed.  I have to turn up my LG Chocolate 3 phone MP3 player and then turn up the HU a little more as well.  Just have to remember to turn down the HU before unplugging the phone.

Thanks!! It was just a stupid mistake on my part haha. And im glad to hear that everyone has o do the same thing for the volume 

Thanks again!!!

[durell81]

Is there any way to get this mod to work if you have the HU w/o XM?

[D-Loc]

Is there any way to get this mod to work if you have the HU w/o XM?

A little earlier in this thread some stated that it could, then someone said it couldnt. At the back of your HU if you have the little black harness that is meant for XM then it should, but since you have no XM i dont know if it will be.

[ny_in_tx]

just chiming in with my experience.  I've had this $2.49 part sitting in my dash cubby for a while now.  I use an FM modulator for listing to my ipod/BOLD but the channels in my area have become so packed that I can't get a signal now.  So I figured I'd take the plunge.  I followed Jaywyatt's original posting instructions to the letter and it went flawlessly.

Avalanche208 had suggested a Cat 5 cable which I thought was a great idea. I decided to make my cable before hand so that I could just snip and solder inside the dash. 

You will have to thin down the dash plastic to get the nut to install, but other than that there were no surprises.  I used a dremel with a cutting wheel attachment and slowly shaved away the plastic on the baskside. 

THE best $2.49 you can spend

Thanks so much for everyone sharing their knowledge!! 

Neil

04 WBH XM Onstar 6 disk in dash



 

[MS03 2500]

Yep it is a cool $3.00 mod.

[D-Loc]

I had trouble with it at first but I dont know much about electrical so thats a big reason y. After I got it and did it I loooooove it!!!!!

[jstatham]

Hello everyone I was surfing the web and came across your post on how to add the ipod connection to the Avalanche. Awesome job!!  I have a couple of questions.  I have a 2002 Chevy Tahoe.  It only has the CD radio with the external tape deck, and onstar which I don't use and no XM satellite that option was not available until 2003.  I read over your post and looked at my wiring diagram and I am wondering if I could just splice in the jack at the tape deck or just unplug the tape deck and connect the harness to the jack.  I have attached the diagram of my Tahoe and would love to hear your opinion.  I think it should splice fine and if I switch the radio to cd or Aux and have the ipod plugged in I should her the ipod, if I have a tape in I should hear the tape.  I have had the car 5 years and never used a tape haha.  Anyway if you see an easier way let me know.  I have attached my wiring diagram.  Any help will be greatly appericated.  Thanks again.

[MS03 2500]

I believe it you splice it in it will work for you, don't disconnect the tape deck.

[jstatham]

Thanks.  I will give it a try and let you know what happens.

[jstatham]

I wanted to give an update in case there is another 2002 tahoe owner out there who wants to do the mod.  I wired everything like shown above but I used the wires coming from the tape deck instead of the XM (2002 did not come with XM).  It will only work if I put a tape in the tape deck.  Which is no big deal to me.  I just put an old tape in the deck and plug in the ipod and everything works fine.  There seems to be a communication wire that goes from the tape deck to the stereo to let it the steror know there is a tape and to start picking up the input.  Anyway it sounds good.  If I unplug the ipod I then hear the tape.  Thanks again for all the help.

[GoldBowTie]

I wanted to give an update in case there is another 2002 tahoe owner out there who wants to do the mod.

I'm a 2002 Av owner curious about how you made that work.
I added the external cassette deck to my Av a while back and maybe some day I'll move out of the 80's and start using an Ipod.


edit:
  I just noticed you are new here. 

[jstatham]

How did you add to the cassette deck?  Did you radio have the button for aux?  Do you know what radio your car came with.  I have access to the wiring diagrams and I see three different options.  Base, Premium with rear seat and without.  Let me know which one you have and I may can help.  If you had the base it may not be possible.

[GoldBowTie]

I'm pretty sure in 2002 the Avalanche had only one radio option.
A single CD head unit, no XM, no Bose.
Radio does have Aux button.
No rear seat controls in 2002 Avalanche.

When I bought my Av, the dealer told me the external cassette deck was not an option in the Avalanche although I saw it in a Silverado.

I ordered my parts from radiosandmore.com in May 2002.

LD-0014 Y adapter (needed because my Av had OnStar)  $20.00
15312903 harness  $12.50
15068081 remote cassette player  $150.00

[harleyt26]

This mod worked out great on my 06 Avy. I also have an 05 Infinity G35 that I would like to do this to but the wires coming from the XM unit to the head unit have an extra ground. It has a positive and a negative for each channel instead of one ground and two positves as on the Avy.
The ground at the switching jack seems to only be grounding the MP3 unit so what would any of you recommend. Maybe connect it to only one ground from the XM or should I jump the two channel grounds together to tap the switching jack to,would this create a feedback? Should there be a diode/or two installed somewhere? Or will this not work at all?

[bassbuff]

Got mine done today! Thanks for posting this mod!! I had to get a new soldering iron, solder, and wire too. Total cost was $25! Works like a champ! I put the jack in the blank panel next to the Traction Control button.

[rfraboni]

Intalled this today and I am not getting complete cut off of the XM.  There are not pins shorted.  Anyone know why I would be getting the bleed through?

Thank you,

Rich

[bassbuff]

Sounds like you might have the wrong aux cable causing a short in the jack.

[gilkman]

I did this mod a while ago.  I'm having issues now where the XM signal does not pass through when I do not have anything plugged into the jack.  I have a 2004 w/ BOSE, XM, and ON*. 
thoughts?

[MS03 2500]

Check you connections, also does the ON* work OK

[gilkman]

I don't have ON* activated, so I'm not sure.  I am able to hear music from my MP3 player thru the plug.  XM says "No signal"

[MS03 2500]

OK that sounds like the antenna or the XM module is bad.

[Trey]

I did this mod a while ago.  I'm having issues now where the XM signal does not pass through when I do not have anything plugged into the jack.  I have a 2004 w/ BOSE, XM, and ON*. 
thoughts?

You probably wired it wrong or have a bad connection.  Try wrapping two little wires around the solder joints to reconnect the XM wires across the new switch.  This would essentially repair the break in the wires.  The XM should then work.  If not, something is wrong with your XM, or you tapped into the wires incorrectly at the XM unit.
Assuming the XM works under these circumstances, then you probabbly soldered to the wrong posts on the switch.  Recheck your layout.  I think it's pretty impossible for the switch to fail in the default position (unplugged).

[gilkman]

Finally had a chance to check the wiring.  all wired up correctly.  I may switch out the splices for a piece of CAT5 and redo the soldering.
might have a bad connection somewhere.  would have to be one of the two XM wires, as the MP3 works fine.
Jim

[ShanMan14]

I have a 2004 Z71 with the Bose 6-disc in dash and XM.  I bought a $50 adapter off of EBay (no titles or steering wheel controls) and when it arrived it was not "plug and play" as advertised.  It required me to tap into power, find a ground etc.  I returned it after I saw this thread.

I bought the $2.49 miniplug and soldered my CAT5 cable and installed it last night.  I put the jack in the little cubby below the air vent to the right of stereo.  I have a right-angle cable so I still have functionality for storage and the jack is hidden, somewhat.   

I bought a Griffin Tuneflex:


This will keep the cabling to a minimum, no drilling to mount the iPod and will charge it as well.  I don't have the the Tuneflex yet but I have been using the jack since yesterday.

It took me about 30 minutes to install it the way I wanted and it turned out great.  Most importantly it sounds incredible and I lost absolutely no functionality of the OEM system.  This is a great mod and easy to do, thanks for posting this!   Over two years later people are still benefiting from this thread.   

[Mr.Goose]

I bought the $3 thingy, had it all soldered up and ready for install, then realized it wouldn't work in my radio.

I have OnStar, CD single player AM/FM radio pretty basic, but no XM.  So I went with the PAC unit for $60.  Works fine.

BUT....if anyone wants my $3 thingy, soldered and ready to hook up, just call my cell and we'll work out a $5 paypal deal including free USPS envelope to your place anywhere in the 48-US.

I'm just paying it forward and feel bad throwing this thing in the trash.  Charlie, cell is717-386-1740.

[germanbuc]

Will try that today/tomorrow, had a PXAMG for IPOD installed about 2 years ago, got rid of all what says IPOD,  on ANDROID Phone now which I want to connect and use that for my music and also Slacker radio.
Anyone interested in PXAMG for 06 Avi with Boose 6disc changer? Sent me an email at prestigeab@gmail.com 

[germanbuc]

Well, tried it, had everything soldered up, but then the problem started.

HU could not find XM, tried to connect but could not, and yes the 1/8 plug was not in
plugged my motorola in, lots of noice could get right chanel working by pulling the plug a little bit out of the phone, and yes I have the three/two plug 1/8
After some testing no xm/aux is completly gone, have only FM1, FM2, AM and CD when a CD is loaded.
Has the XM unit a fuse anywhere
I am lost

[frank20]

Germanbuc,

I have a 2006 trailblazer ss but this mod also works for my truck.

Anyways I attempted this last night and I am having a similar problem to you.  I am only get sound from my left speakers and when I pull the cable half way out I get xm sound from both left and right speakers. When it is plugged in fully I only get left side sound and also when the Cable is out I only get left side sound from xm. I tired both black/white wires and it didn't change anything.

I'm gonna redo the whole thing today with a new plug and new wires. I'm gonna do it perfect and take my time and see if I can figure this out.

In the meantime if anyone has any suggestions to what we might be doing wrong please help!

Thanks

[germanbuc]

Could not get it to work , but here is the good thing, re installed my PXAMG for Ipod, but low and behold PAC offers also a cable for AUX with 3.5mm plug, got it for $9.99, installed it, set up the radio  XM chanel to AUX and here we go, it works, so I am a happy camper

[doublebluejay]

 

             I did this last night. Everything worked well. I am, getting the buzzing sound (alternator noise) does anybody have advice on how to get rid of this. It sounds like back in the old days when an amp didnt have a good ground any advice.

[jay1514929]

I have a 2003 avalanche 4x4 model with the bose head unit and 6 disc changer. There is a cd/aux button. How do. I know if I can do this mod? Please help as I really want to.fm modulation sucks!!!

[Web]

This setup doesn't use that button.... You tap into the wires going to the XM unit... so you need an Xm module in the truck.... XM doesn't have to be active, just that you get at lease channel 1 of the xm to play... then it will work...

[Red05AV]

Did this last night.  Works great!  Thanks for the mod

Best $3.00 I have spent.  Used a Cat5 cable.  Sound quality is excellent...

[FinniganDW]

So I know it can't be done without the XM option, but has anyone looked at doing this through the CD player or AM radio; AM radio because I don't care if I lose it 
Or if anyone has the stereo prints for an '03 Suburban with Bose system

[MS03 2500]

Not quite sure what you are asking FinniganDW, but the Burb and the AV have the same wiring.

Also to the club

[Red05AV]

             I did this last night. Everything worked well. I am, getting the buzzing sound (alternator noise) does anybody have advice on how to get rid of this. It sounds like back in the old days when an amp didnt have a good ground any advice.

I am having the same noise.  Any ideas?

[Bru_PPH]

I have an 04 with XM, ON star,6disk in HU. There is a button labled CD/AUX is there a way to gain access to the AUX and connect there?


Thanks

Hey notyme...did you get this mod to work for you? I've gone through this entire thread and you are the only person on here from Colorado. I live in Colorado Springs and I just dont have the tools or anything to make it happen. On top of that, I'm a little nervous to mess with the electrical stuff but maybe i'm just making it seem more difficult than it actually is ha. Anyway, i was just looking for someone near me that would be willing to help out, of course i'll buy lunch or beer or something...

[Trey]

I am having the same noise.  Any ideas?

When I did mine a long time ago, there seemed like only one way to screw this up...there are two black wires coming out of the XM box.  If you use the wrong one it can cause poor sound quality.  I think one might be the ground to the box, and one might be the neutral signal wire.

[FinniganDW]

MS03,
Thanks for the welcome 

I was wondering if I can use the AM radio or CD wires to do the same thing as you guys, because I don't have XM. (i.e. Hook the plug in-line with the AM the same way as  the XM).

Thanks,
Finn

[Red05AV]

When I did mine a long time ago, there seemed like only one way to screw this up...there are two black wires coming out of the XM box.  If you use the wrong one it can cause poor sound quality.  I think one might be the ground to the box, and one might be the neutral signal wire.

That might be it... Just flipped a coin and picked one of the two black wires. Thanks!

[bassbuff]

MS03,
Thanks for the welcome 

I was wondering if I can use the AM radio or CD wires to do the same thing as you guys, because I don't have XM. (i.e. Hook the plug in-line with the AM the same way as  the XM).

Thanks,
Finn

Nope. AM is internal to the head unit, the XM module is seperate thus allowing you to tap into the wiring.

[Devildog16]

Did mine yesterday work great thanks for a great modd!!!

[Slovak]

Just finished mine... great mod! Hooked it up behind the glove box... a little tight space for soldering, but using a spare CAT-5 cable it all went great.

[olsenjon]

HELP ME PLEASE!!!!

Okay so I did this mod yesterday to my 04 Silverado with XM, OnStar, and 6 cd changer. I used a cat5 cable and went in behind the radio. I finished the mod and everything was working great. I had my ipod playing through my new aux. input while I reinstalled the dashboard panel...all of the sudden it said XM ERROR and the radio stopped playing and the whole truck just started to 'shut down'. I now have no electrical power whatsoever. no dome lights...nothing. The truck won't start..it doesnt make a sound when I turn the key. I rechecked all my connections and they look great. And like i said it was working PERFECT until i started putting the dash panel back in. They only possible wrong connection I believe I could have made is the splice into the black/white since there are two of those I don't know if i used the correct wire. Did it drain my battery??? Blow a fuse?? idk whats going on!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks all

[MS03 2500]

I can't imagine what happen here. Unless some thing is loose in the steering column

[thunderstruck06]

Since you said it happened when you were putting the dash back together, try double-checking the wiring harness. Maybe something got nicked accidentally and shorted out while you were putting the radio back in.

Also, were you charging your iPod while you had it plugged into the radio? For some odd reason, when I try to charge my Sansa Clip while it's plugged into my iSimple adapter, it will cause the factory radio to shut off for a moment.

[olsenjon]

I think my battery just inconveniently died while installing the aux input.  

Turns out the battery was only reading about 4.8 volts. So we jumpstarted the truck and everything works great now including the aux input. I let the truck run for awhile and it starts no problem now.    I still plan on getting a new battery to prevent this from happening again. It still seems strange that the entire truck was without electrical power..

[Trey]

I think my battery just inconveniently died while installing the aux input.  

Turns out the battery was only reading about 4.8 volts. So we jumpstarted the truck and everything works great now including the aux input. I let the truck run for awhile and it starts no problem now.    I still plan on getting a new battery to prevent this from happening again. It still seems strange that the entire truck was without electrical power..

Probably drained an already old battery from keeping the doors open and dome lights on while soldering under the dash.

[HenryJ]

Thanks for the write-up! I did the mod this afternoon. Works great on my 2005 Avalanche.

[qwerpy]

Just did this mod today and it's awesome!!   Took about 30 mins, used the cat 5 cable and tied in behind the glovebox.   If you use pliers, you can uplug the wiring from the xm module to give yourself some more room to work. 

Thanks for the great info!!!

[notyme]

Hey notyme...did you get this mod to work for you? I've gone through this entire thread and you are the only person on here from Colorado. I live in Colorado Springs and I just dont have the tools or anything to make it happen. On top of that, I'm a little nervous to mess with the electrical stuff but maybe i'm just making it seem more difficult than it actually is ha. Anyway, i was just looking for someone near me that would be willing to help out, of course i'll buy lunch or beer or something...

Sorry for the late reply but yes I did this and it works great so great that a buddy of mine wants me to do it on his 04 Trailblazer so I came back to get the instructions.

Let me say that I had a few setbacks and my mod cost 70.00 dollars and that was because I had to buy a dremel tool to grind the plastic thin for the nut to screw on the plug . Also it took me about and hour to get the nerve pull as hard as needed to get the radio wire bundle to come out of the truck. The bundle was taped real tight. I use a Griffin flex holder pluged in the aux lighter so it charges my ipod and the holder has an aux output that I plug into the mod I can hear a light buzz at high volume but this works great.

[redheadedrod]

Here is something that should answer a couple questions... Right from PAC-Audio website...

Under the part number ISGM11 you will see under "compatibility notes"

When using the PGHGM5 harness: Some radios may have an inactive satellite radio port if not equipped with a factory satellite radio tuner. Please see a dealer for activation of this port to enable the interface

So in short.. ALL radios that can support the Satellite radios should work with this... Just might need to have the plug turned on.

I just might have to make this work for me..   I have an Alpine Blue tooth/Ipod FM modulator unit I bought on clearance for $19.. It has an audio out so I don't need to use the FM modulator. This would make it easy for me to add blue tooth and full Ipod functionality to my factory unit. So I should be able to wire this plug in and hard wire my alpine unit with a switch so I can use either the plug in the dash like some here have or have a switch that will allow me to tie in the alpine unit.  The alpine unit will fully control the Ipod or bluetooth device and comes with a remote control and has a small display. Sounds like it will match up real well and give me full functions... Now where to mount the display unit.. It has a cigarette lighter plug in unit for power. I am considering converting it to wire in but I would need a decent source of power. (Tap into one of the cigarette sockets might work since this unit should not pull much power.)

[Trey]

I just might have to make this work for me..   I have an Alpine Blue tooth/Ipod FM modulator unit I bought on clearance for $19.. It has an audio out so I don't need to use the FM modulator. This would make it easy for me to add blue tooth and full Ipod functionality to my factory unit. So I should be able to wire this plug in and hard wire my alpine unit with a switch so I can use either the plug in the dash like some here have or have a switch that will allow me to tie in the alpine unit.  The alpine unit will fully control the Ipod or bluetooth device and comes with a remote control and has a small display. Sounds like it will match up real well and give me full functions... Now where to mount the display unit.. It has a cigarette lighter plug in unit for power. I am considering converting it to wire in but I would need a decent source of power. (Tap into one of the cigarette sockets might work since this unit should not pull much power.)

This particular plug unit has a built-in switching function.  When you plug in the plug, it switches over to the plug input.  When you unplug, it goes back to normal.  I think hard-wiring to this would defeat the purpose of the plug.  You be better off just wiring right into the factory input, assuming you don't have satellite radio to have to bypass.  Also, FM modulators suck.  The bandwidth of these systems if the same as an FM radio channel, which can not support the full spectrum of CD-quality sound.

[redheadedrod]

Ok, I didn't make myself clear...

The plug will allow you to bypass the Xm audio with an external plug... This I understand just fine...

My Alpine unit is normally an RF unit but does have an aux out so you can go directly to the radio if it has an Aux in. So if I put in a double pull double pull relay between the socket and the radio I can switch this with a small switch in the dash. This switch would allow the alpine unit to be connected if activated but if not activated it would allow the Xm/Aux input to pass through the relay.

Also... This mod would go a little smoother if you actually use a Cat5 extension cable. This will have a male end on one side and a female end on the other side. You then can cut the wire somewhere in the middle, plug the two ends together and have an easy to remove connection by now using the ends you now have by making the cut in the middle.

Another note about the solder jobs...  Try making the wires neat so they are less likely to short against each other. And if you cut the wire back enough you can use heat shrink tubing to insulate your finished joints from each other so they never touch. You don't need alot of excess wire to make this work. The more wire the more chance of shorting it out.

Heat shrink tubing is a piece of small rubber like tubing that you can slide over the wire and then use a lighter or other heat source to heat it up making it shrink. The more you heat it the more it shrinks so don't get too crazy with it.

Rodney

[elitepuckster]

I just would like to say a personal THANK YOU to Jaywyatt for posting this.  It was exactly what I was looking for.  I accomplished this today in about an hour, and it was easy.  Thanks again!  Its things like this that make these trucks and this site great!

[skydog4884]

Has anyone ever figured out an easy way to do this without XM Radio. i dont want to buy the adapter for 50 bucks I just want the female 3.5 connector.  Is there a way to just use the aux button?  I have on* and and single cd unit but no XM, I think.  I have an 04 z71
Thanks

[greystoker]

Has anyone ever figured out an easy way to do this without XM Radio. i dont want to buy the adapter for 50 bucks I just want the female 3.5 connector.  Is there a way to just use the aux button?  I have on* and and single cd unit but no XM, I think.  I have an 04 z71
Thanks

Do you have a 6 disc changer? In doing this hack I found that my 6 disc changer goes into the same port that the xm does (into the stereo). It's likely possible to do it through there.

Or, is your Single CD changer integrated (part of the unit) or is it separate?

[greystoker]

What's the reason for connecting wires to the XM unit? It works fine with the 3, Common, Brown & Green, from the stereo. Is there any reason to connect the last 2 wires to the XM unit? As it stands, I have all 5 connected and I got into my truck this morning and heard voices talking to me. It turns out it was the XM demo station being uber-muted because I had my headphone jack connected to the cable I use to connect to my phone. I unplugged that and he came in loud and clear, but I don't want to hear him at all. If it's not necessary to have the XM unit connected, I'm going to disconnect the wires.

[skydog4884]

I do not have a 6 disc at all.  I do have a dvd player HU that I am thinking about installing but I dont know if I want to mess with loosing the steering controls.

[greystoker]

I do not have a 6 disc at all.  I do have a dvd player HU that I am thinking about installing but I dont know if I want to mess with loosing the steering controls.

Yeah those steering controls will be missed. I can only use the volume but the way I am I'll find some cheap do-it-myself way to make something that holds my Droid X within finger's reach of the wheel. I already have the button placement on my phone memorized and don't need to look at it to do something.

Also, for the make/model of your vehicle, that doesn't matter as much as the make/model of the stereo and any other peripherals involved. I found, when opening my 03 Yukon up, that the equipment I had wasn't as "standard" as other people described.

So, onto your Aux button. If you can provide photos of the stickers on any units connected and all the connections that'd help. If I can see it, I can probably lead you in the right direction.

[greystoker]

I've made a video of this procedure. It's in 3 parts because YouTube limited me to 15 minutes at a time.

Part one contains soldering and preparation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zo8HEGpkro

Part two contains interior hookup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW9UNwvq9kc

Part three contains results, afterthoughts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J6kJe89ymk

[BlkAvy04]

Just did this mod today. Easy as pie. Sounds great, total cost about $13 including a cheapo soldering iron.

[Petecal21]

First of all, this is a great community of people.

I have a 2002 Avalanche with a factory HU. Single cd player and onstar (which doesn't work because of it being analog). Can I add a XM harness to the existing HU and do the discribed connects mentioned in the earlier posts? 

Thanks for the help in advance.

[MS03 2500]

to the club Petecal21

Since you have onstar I thinking it should work.

[eecyclone]

When you do this are you able to keep xm radio? Does the local aux input just override the xm radio signal?

I'm thinking of doing this, except using an RCA input instead of a headphone jack input. For my needs that would be more versatile.

[Web]

When you do this are you able to keep xm radio? Does the local aux input just override the xm radio signal?

I'm thinking of doing this, except using an RCA input instead of a headphone jack input. For my needs that would be more versatile.

The jack is what makes it work. It cuts out the xm signal and inputs the external player. You could do it with switches, and put in a different plug, but the jack does it automatically.

The xm still plays as usual if nothing is plugged into the jack...

Also you could make the jack that plugs in, with and RCA plug at the other end...like a little extension .

[eecyclone]

So the radio shack jack used is D?

[Web]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103451&cp

part # 274-246

[eecyclone]

I got this done yesterday. Today I realized that the RSE DVD input is also over ridden when something is in the 1/8" jack I added. Is this normal? Is there another way I can wire up to this input to keep my DVD sound without unplugging my aux input? What if I tap into the wires at the xm unit instead of behind the radio?

Thanks.

[eecyclone]

I got this done yesterday. Today I realized that the RSE DVD input is also over ridden when something is in the 1/8" jack I added. Is this normal? Is there another way I can wire up to this input to keep my DVD sound without unplugging my aux input? What if I tap into the wires at the xm unit instead of behind the radio?

Thanks.

Any suggestions with this? Or should I just try cutting the wires at the xm unit and see if that fixes the no sound from the RSE issue?

[Web]

It's just the same wires behind the radio or at the xm unit...so that's not changing anything. Those wires are external inputs to the radio, controlled by the radio by the xm band.so really what your asking is for the radio to handle 2 inputs at once...

[eecyclone]

So does the RSE DVD output its audio to the XM unit, then the XM unit outputs both the XM and RSE DVD audio to the factory head unit? Then the head unit controls both via its proprietary data bus?

[eecyclone]

So does the RSE DVD output its audio to the XM unit, then the XM unit outputs both the XM and RSE DVD audio to the factory head unit? Then the head unit controls both via its proprietary data bus?

Any suggestions for this? Or does anyone have schematics for the audio system and how the RSE DVD system is integrated?

[Ranallie]

Okay so I have been following this thread for a few weeks now and got psyched because I have the I simple ISGM75 kit in my avy. So I thought I would take that out of the avy and put it in the wife's Envoy. My wifes envoy does not have Xm so I thought I was sunk. I saw where someone showed the quote about turning on the xm port in the radio at the dealer. I talked to the dealer today who stated that they wanted 98.00 mininum to do this. I DON'T THINK SO! So I went to an audio shop that deals in the ISimples and the guy there stated that he believed that if you hook up the Isimple and plug in your audio device and then run through the bands it should work when it sensed the input and bring up the aux port automatically the tech who would know for sure was gone for the day by that point. but he could have sworn they had used them on none XM cars before. I am going to try and see if it works. If so and the same wires are there as on xm units I think you would be able to do the same bypass switch on those wires and have the same effect. Will repost once I know.

[Ranallie]

FYI! AM FM on your band button is not a band button. It has to say Band on it to work  . I took my isimple out of my Avy and put it in the the wifes envoy to no avail. I tried it and it did not work. and will someone tell me why they put an CD/AUX button when the only thig it works is the cd player  . So anyway disregaurd my last post. 

[eecyclone]

Any suggestions for this? Or does anyone have schematics for the audio system and how the RSE DVD system is integrated?

After doing a little bit of research, I believe that the RSE and XM units merge into the splice pack SP-250. So if I did this mod at the xm unit, I would be able to keep my RSE input without unplugging the headphone connector. Basically, I only want to override the XM source.

[eecyclone]

After doing a little bit of research, I believe that the RSE and XM units merge into the splice pack SP-250. So if I did this mod at the xm unit, I would be able to keep my RSE input without unplugging the headphone connector. Basically, I only want to override the XM source.

I finally got around to changing how my aux input is wired up. I wanted to report back that spicing the adapter into the xm unit behind the glove box will ONLY override the xm source. If you have RSE, you will still have RSE playing when you switch to that input. However, the RSE and XM inputs are not completely isolated. There are things you can do to the XM wires that will basically mute the RSE, even when the XM is not the source selected from the head unit.

[brute21]

Hey guys I just did this in my 06 chevy silverado and it sounds great plus its really affordable. I want to try and do this in my wifes 2006 honda accord with XM the same way I did this with my silverado but I dont know which wires to cut and which ones to connect too. Has anybody tried this with a Honda accord? I read in a couple other forums that it can be done but nobody listed what wires to be cut. Any Help would be much appriciated because we are leaving for the beach in 3 weeks would love to have it by then.

[__Marcus]

Got my truck this friday and first thing I realised was that I've got to get a AUX input.
This mod was done with a hangover this sunday and mod works great!
Good job figuring this out!

One question though, what is xm?
Never heard of it here in Sweden.

[GoldBowTie]

Got my truck this friday and first thing I realised was that I've got to get a AUX input.
This mod was done with a hangover this sunday and mod works great!
Good job figuring this out!

One question though, what is xm?
Never heard of it here in Sweden.

XM is satellite radio.

[PerfectReign]

Got my truck this friday and first thing I realised was that I've got to get a AUX input.
This mod was done with a hangover this sunday and mod works great!
Good job figuring this out!

One question though, what is xm?
Never heard of it here in Sweden.

to the club!  Where in Sweden are you? (My wife has friends in Uppsala.)

[__Marcus]

to the club!  Where in Sweden are you? (My wife has friends in Uppsala.)

Thanks man. My town is Borlänge, 140 miles nortwest of uppsala.
Went there a couple of weeks a go and got a Dodge 1500 for my friend.

[PerfectReign]

Ahh, still in the south. 

Wow!  I just looked at your fuel prices and then converted how many Euros to fill up!   

From what I can tell, you pay about 190 Euros to fill up the truck. That would be about $240 USD.

[__Marcus]

Ahh, still in the south. 

Wow!  I just looked at your fuel prices and then converted how many Euros to fill up!   

From what I can tell, you pay about 190 Euros to fill up the truck. That would be about $240 USD.

Thats right, $240-245 for filling up with 95 octane and about $160-165 for E85.

[DRKHOG]

Just bought a used 2005 Avalache LT Z71 fully laded with the exception of an aux input. After joining this forum & searching found this excellent post. Planned to do the mod tomorrow but some of Jaywyatt tutorial images are broken links, i.e., 1,2&3 are showing but 4&5 are missing. Anyone have these images or instructions to complete the tutorial? If Jaywyatt is still around 4-1/2 years after posting this it would be great if you could repost the tutorial with images. Thanks much.

[Radikul]

If you want to see it done with commentary, it is on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zo8HEGpkro&feature=channel&list=UL

[erict1234]

Thanks for the video link. 

[JOHNDEERE10]

ok, so i got a 03 with xm and bose 6 disc changer.  now i dont use my xm at all so i used just 3 wire to conect everything. i soidered everything the first time i did this i conected down in the glove box.  everything worked but the voices would go low to high and it sound like it was skipping. so i unplugged it from the xm and put a new jack in and just threaded the wires throu the hole.  i pulled the radio and put it in there instead thinking it would work better. will i was wrong, now i have alt noise like crazy and if the jack is in all the way in the ipod there is no voice just music and its driving me nuts cause nothing is working.  could some one please help!!!!

[FLIPnAV]

 
Thank you for this mod! Using an FM transmitter was a hassle and I was never planning on ever using the XM radio feature. The pics and videos from previous posts were very helpful. I don't work with electronics or wiring that often so this took a little longer for me than others will encounter. Haven't tested to see that since I have all 5 wires connected, whether or not the XM demo will play while I have an MP3 player connected and playing. I'm hoping it won't otherwise I'll have to go back in and remove the 2 wires connected to the XM receiver side. I figured I would just connect them all as was initially posted and perhaps keep the XM if needed. FYI, in my case all the wires that I connected to were twisted together with the "bare" taped wire and "light green/white" wire seperated. As posted earlier, which still might cause confusion, there is no "dark green" only wire you need to worry about, I think the diagram with the Stereo Phone Jack on the right was just cut off. Also, as noted in another post, if you turn the volume up on the radio too high, there will be feedback. Only solution is to keep it below halfway and turn it up on the MP3 player. BTW, I have the Jack just below the empty cubby (similar to the pics posted by gilkman and oh4z71). Let's just say how you go about making the hole will take some ingenuity. Mine started out clean, then I got impatient.

Anyways, Happy Modding!



@JOHNDEERE10 - Check your connections, sounds like either the wrong wires are connected on the Radio end or something isn't soldered right on the Jack end. Also, some people have posted that only a certain type of 1/8" (3.5mm) male input will work. 2 rings iirc.

[trailblazer_08]

This article was very useful and I thank you for posting it.

I performed this mod last night on my 2008 Trailblazer (w/XM) and it works great. I placed the headphone jack squarely between the two 12v sockets. I can now use my Livio Radio (http://www.livioradio.com) to gain both handsfree calling and the ability to play my iPhone wirelessly. I don't use my XM anymore anyway so I lose nothing.

The only thing I had to do was use a dremel on the back of the dashboard to ease the plug far enough forward so the nut would thread over the jack. We then used just a touch of hot glue to keep the plug from moving. We had a 50/50 shot on picking the right green/white wire but chose right on the first try.

This is the most useful $14 mod I've ever seen. Now I don't have to spend $400 getting a BT Parrot installed.

[Rob S]

At the XM unit there are 2 black wires. I have seen several post saying they used the wrong one and had to switch to the other black wire. Does any one know which is the right black wire?

[greystoker]

At the XM unit there are 2 black wires. I have seen several post saying they used the wrong one and had to switch to the other black wire. Does any one know which is the right black wire?

CUT THE RED ONE!!!

But seriously, solder wires to the jack and then simply twist the jack & XM wires, A&B together and C&D. Test it. If it works, great. Finish up the job the right way (solder, cap, electrical tape, dealer's choice). If it doesn't work put A&D together and B&C. Basically, it's like a USB port. It will work 1 way or the other. Make sense?

And keep in mind, you ONLY need the XM wires if you want XM down the road. If you're unsure, it's smart to hook it up. If you know you'll never use the Sat radio at all (like me) you'll only need to hook the jack to the main unit.

[chaiyz]

Hi there.  This is a pretty old thread and the diagram on the 1st page will not load on my computer.  I also tried it at work but that pic of the diagram will not load.  Can someone please repost the pic of the diagram or pm me the pic.  This should be very simple but without the diagram, I (an engineer for over 20 years) will not even attempt it without either the diagram or a schematic.

[chaiyz]

Ok, so I posted earlier.  Purchased the part from radioshack.  I've already soldered in new ethernet cable to the 5 connectors on the aux jack, now I go outside and pull my trim cover, unscrew the 3 long screws and my stereo only comes forward about 1/2 inch.  I've tried giggling, wiggling and nothing is working.  Now I have to go thru the glovebox.  That's all good but I don't know what wires go where on the xm unit.  Can someone, anyone that knows please post a pic or something.  The original on page one will not load on my computer.  I was able to see it on the page at home but when I clicked on it the page showed nothing.  At work, I don't even see the thumbnail. 

I've looked behind the glove box and I see the XM unit but I can't remove the cable, some kind of blue clip that I don't know how to remove.  I've got several inches to work with though but I still don't know which wires I'm supposed to put where.

The wires comming from the XM unit are as follows.  6 wires in total

1-Orange wire
1-light green wire
1-brown w/white stripe
1-Dark Green w/white stripe
2-Black with white stripes.

Can anyone help me out?

[ohiobellboy]

Ok, so I posted earlier.  Purchased the part from radioshack.  I've already soldered in new ethernet cable to the 5 connectors on the aux jack, now I go outside and pull my trim cover, unscrew the 3 long screws and my stereo only comes forward about 1/2 inch.  I've tried giggling, wiggling and nothing is working.  Now I have to go thru the glovebox.  That's all good but I don't know what wires go where on the xm unit.  Can someone, anyone that knows please post a pic or something.  The original on page one will not load on my computer.  I was able to see it on the page at home but when I clicked on it the page showed nothing.  At work, I don't even see the thumbnail. 

I've looked behind the glove box and I see the XM unit but I can't remove the cable, some kind of blue clip that I don't know how to remove.  I've got several inches to work with though but I still don't know which wires I'm supposed to put where.

The wires comming from the XM unit are as follows.  6 wires in total

1-Orange wire
1-light green wire
1-brown w/white stripe
1-Dark Green w/white stripe
2-Black with white stripes.

Can anyone help me out?

There's two black and white wires. You want the one that is grouped with the green/white and brown/white wires
SPLICE your wire from the number1 pin to this.
CUT your brown and DARK green wires. both will have stripes on them.
again the wire attached on pin 2 goes to the RADIO side of the brown/white wire you just cut
pin3 goes to the XM side of the brown/white wire you just cut
pin4 goes to the XM side of the DARK green/white wire you just cut
pin 5 goes to the RADIO side of the DARK green/white wire you just cut

[chaiyz]

Hey there.  Thanks for the reply.  Ok, so I'm still having trouble.  When I look at the connector on my XM I see 6 wires that I listed above.  The whole bundle is together.  I can't figure out which black/white is supposed to be grouped with the green/white and brown/white.
The brown/white and Green/White are on the first row and it looks like the plug has 16ports but only 6 are used.  From the bottom to top closest to firewall I have a blank, then green/white then brown/white then blank till the 2nd to last which is light green.  On the bottom, the first and second pins are the black and whites and all the rest are empty till the orange one at the end.

I can't see the diagram for the aux adapter so I'm assuming that you are starting with the pin closest to the jack plug being ground and number one, then around clockwise up a number on each pin.  I just need to know which pins return to the head, and which go back into the plug at the XM. 

I also need to know which black/white to use, when tilting my head to the 90degree left I'm looking at the wires now, far left or the one next  to it on the right?

[chaiyz]

It's all good.  I got it working.  I soldered the aux but used UR connectors for the splices as they are waterproof and were much easier to use.  I also used a patch/stamp to jump into the ground which I must have gotten right.  I tested both black and whites and I can say that it's the one under the green/white wire on the XM plug.  I'm going to run this for a week or so and then pull it apart and make it permininent with some good easy to understand pictures.  Hold me to it.  I want everyone to be able to do this in the time it took me to actually do it, not the hours I spent doing research.

Anyway, sounds fantastic. 

Great MOD!

[greystoker]

Did you get a chance to look at the videos? Your XM unit must be different from mine because I don't remember having to worry about the number of wires. I know I still have analog in my truck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zo8HEGpkro

[chaiyz]

I did look at the video's.  I guess I'm like everyone else.  I wanted to know exactly what I was doing before I even started.  That's why all the trouble.  Once I said to hell with it and just cut the brown and green wires, I knew I'd either figure it out or die trying.

Anyway, this is a great mod.  My GF wanted to get me a $150 converter for christmas and I said, I don't think I need it.  That's how I found this post and got the mod done in the first place.  I was assuming there were alternate inputs behind the head unit but didn't realize I'd be splicing into the harness myself.  Oh well.

3 hours of worry and reading.
20 minutes of careful snipping and viola'


Cheers and I'll be reposting with video from my Hero3 black when I redo the thing.

[Rewbob]

I've been gone from this forum for a long time... but I still have my '03 Av.  I was happy to see this mod and just did this yesterday.  Thanks a bunch!

[extrikate]

Finally attempted this mod.  Less than 1 hour beginning to end. 

For the ground (black wire w/ white stripe), I recommend using a 22ga quick splice connector.


Thank you to everyone who provided input on completing this mod!

[denneym1]

Did this to my 06 LT today and it works great.  Had a little trouble getting the head unit to pull out, felt like there was not any slack in the cables, so I mad the connections behind the glove box.   Thanks for figuring this out and posting the instructions!!

[afic15]

   I have read every reply to this post but im still frustrated because my truck has the 6 disc head unit and it is xm capable but the truck did not come with the xm unit. The head unit does have the plug for the xm input but the only wires in it go to the on*. After ordering a new plug and rechecking the wire connections at least 20 times the head unit will not give me the option to select xm when I push the band button. Does anyone know if the head unit has to be programed to accept a signal from a digital audio device (xm) or should it be just plug and play?  Thank you.

[MS03 2500]

If you have ONStar the port should be active

[ohiobellboy]

   I have read every reply to this post but im still frustrated because my truck has the 6 disc head unit and it is xm capable but the truck did not come with the xm unit. The head unit does have the plug for the xm input but the only wires in it go to the on*. After ordering a new plug and rechecking the wire connections at least 20 times the head unit will not give me the option to select xm when I push the band button. Does anyone know if the head unit has to be programed to accept a signal from a digital audio device (xm) or should it be just plug and play?  Thank you.

You may have to have a device hooked up to so the HU sees something. If it doesn't see the module, you may not have the option to select it until you plug in an ipod.

[afic15]

Ok thank you im thinking there may be a current sensing relay in the head unit that tells it there is the xm module. oh well thanks everyone for the awsome idea but i think im stuck with buying the input module. 

[denneym1]

So apparently, before one tries this they should make sure they can select XM band on thier tuner....just fwiw.

[greystoker]

Ok thank you im thinking there may be a current sensing relay in the head unit that tells it there is the xm module. oh well thanks everyone for the awsome idea but i think im stuck with buying the input module. 

Have you tried it with the 6CD changer cables? In the videos I made (previously posted) I tested it with the 6cd changer wires and it worked exactly like the XM. I've actually removed my XM and 6CD changer since I installed.

[afic15]

My stereo has a built in 6 disc changer so ther is no external changer. i will look at the video again. thanks