Daveb99 Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 I have a new head unit arriving tomorrow - Kenwood KMX8019DABS - and reading the installation guide it seems that for the Wireless Apple CarPlay to work, I need to splice one of the wires in the harness into the speed sensor wire on the car itself. Has anyone done this, I’m hoping someone is going to say yes, and that it’s easy to find......! Existing HU is also a Kenwood (but old tech) so I’m expecting the rest of it to be plug and play (other than needing to install a DAB aerial as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internets Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 Assuming we are talking Evora here, I pretty sure there is a speed sensor wire already in the head unit loom. I did a pin out somewhere .... Pin 17 green/grey Quote 1982 DeLorean DMC 12 #16327, 1999 Lotus Elise, 1998 Lotus Esprit GT3 #2272, 2011 Lotus Evora S, 2013 Lotus Exige S,2016 Lotus Evora 400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveb99 Posted July 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 Thanks - much appreciated - hopefully the pins / wiring colours are the same on the pre-400 cars then (mine is an early Launch Edition but as mentioned, it has had a Kenwood head unit fitted several years ago. A couple more questions - can I remove the existing unit using the release keys only (I have them), i.e. without needing to remove any fascia etc? Also, I'm expecting to (hopefully) find ISO connectors in there, into which I connect the ISO connectors on the Kenwood loom with the new head unit. Is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo73 Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 9 hours ago, Daveb99 said: A couple more questions - can I remove the existing unit using the release keys only (I have them), i.e. without needing to remove any fascia etc? No, I don’t think so. You have to prise off the surrounding piece of trim first then the screws for the h/u are revealed. I suggest you start ‘prising’ and the bottom right hand corner first. Also, I'm expecting to (hopefully) find ISO connectors in there, into which I connect the ISO connectors on the Kenwood loom with the new head unit. Is that correct? That depends on how the Kenwood h/u was installed. If they decided to splice in the ISO connectors, you’re in luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internets Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 I had both an early Evora S and also a 400 and both had the same setup as far as the head unit wiring was concerned so you should not have a problem. From memory there is a big white connector on the main loom, I just re wired the short head unit loom. You will have to remove the radio facia , be aware there are connectors to disconnect on the back, but it’s just clipped in. as far as what a PO has done then as Bravo mentioned it depends on how they wired in the head unit but ISO connectors do not appear in the Evora as standard. Quote 1982 DeLorean DMC 12 #16327, 1999 Lotus Elise, 1998 Lotus Esprit GT3 #2272, 2011 Lotus Evora S, 2013 Lotus Exige S,2016 Lotus Evora 400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdm2018 Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Hence I got a car audio company to sort my Kenwood replacement for apple car play pioneer HU the comments from audio fitter was what fikins had done this job as apparently my Kenwood unit was an upgrade option on the Alpine HU but wiring and connections were poor. anyway they sorted for & £75 fitting charge and I got 12 months warranty job done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveb99 Posted July 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Big thanks to @internets and @Bravo73 for your help so far. I’m in the middle of it now and there M’s mostly good news - but one sticking point. The existing Kenwood HU was wired in well, an ISO connector has been joined onto the correct wires on the original Alpine loom. Happy days. So, other than this, and the usual aerial, sub, mic and reversing cam connections, on removing the old unit I found one long loose green/grey wire connected from the Kenwood loom to pin 18 (not 17) on your pin out diagram @internets . So it’s a little different to your diagram. The wire in that (original white) connector block is also green/grey. Turns out that’s the reverse wire - to activate the reversing cam no doubt (and it worked perfectly). No problem - I can replicate that connection with the new head unit as it also has a green/grey wire coming out of it. However - the issue I have is finding the speed sensor wire - as that’s a requirement of the wireless CarPlay functionality on the new HU. Looking at the connector block I have 3 wires in 16, 17 and 18 as per your pin out, so I thought perhaps the middle one (17) is the speed sensor wire - but it’s pink/yellow, labelled JAP with a (unused) connector on the end……! Help……everything else makes sense and is doable apart from this…..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveb99 Posted July 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2021 Update - the new head unit is now in and fully working! I found the VSS (Speed Sensor) wire after a search on Lotustalk. It's yellow with a pink stripe, pin 17 in the OEM white connector. I cut off the old connector on the end of this wire (it was redundant anyway), and decided to use a Tamiya-style connector to join both the VSS and the Reverse signal wire to those on the new Kenwood harness, I soldered the wires into the pins. After some tidying up of the harness, and wrapping the cables etc in cloth tape to prevent rattles, I've now got a fantastic Kenwood wireless CarPlay head unit installed - and what a transformation! So much easier to use than the old stuff, like a home from home if you have an iPhone of course. I did have to make some spacers to bring the unit forward a little when mounted, because there's less protrusion from the front when compared to the previous head unit, so it was a fiddly install, but well worth it. I've attached some photos. Hopefully this will help others in future who are doing a search on here, trying to locate the Speed Sensor wire.... Thanks for all the help & advice. @internets, in my OEM white harness connector, pin 17 is the VSS (speed sensor) wire (yellow/pink), and pin 18 is the reverse wire (green/grey). This is different to your pinout guide in the post you linked in your earlier reply above, probably because yours is an Evora 400 and mine is a very early Launch Edition NA (different head unit from new = different connector wiring probably). Regardless - thank you 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Daveb99 Posted July 21, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted July 21, 2021 OK so despite thinking it was fully working, the speed sensor wire was actually causing havoc with the GPS positioning when using CarPlay wirelessly. Spoke to a couple of people in the trade who advised to disconnect it. Works great now and despite what the manual says, no pop up messages saying it must be connected for wireless CarPlay to work. I have fitted the GPS aerial under the binnacle cover, works perfectly. I’ve also managed to customise the start / boot screen. Really happy with it all now, what an upgrade, the integration that CarPlay gives is superb, especially using Siri as well. Feels like I’ve got Emira tech in my 12 year old Evora LE 🤣 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.