Bolamite

Here it is people, YES YOU CAN ADD NAV TO A NON NAV CAR, and heres how.
Special thanks to Paul Mooney, the resident Nav guru, and Acura North Scottsdale.
Before I start I gotta say, this project is not that hard if you have some audio video experience and know how to read a wiring diagram. I'm only gonna DIY the stuff thats directly related to the nav, you can get instructions for taking your console and dash apart from lots of places. This is for a 1999 TL-P and there are some differences in the model years but nothing big.
PARTS LIST:
Nav Display and DVD unit $????EBAY
Instrument Cluster Bezel $90
Left and Right Brackets for Nav Display,EQ, and Radio $20
Gps Antenna $115
Climate control unit (2 pieces) $115+$135
Hazard Light Switch $25
Bracket for Nav DVD unit $25
Wire: My Nav unit and display came with the cut off connectors so I just soldered wires to make a harness. I used about 15ft to run from trunk to dash, I recommend you use 17ft. If you can read a wiring diagram you'll know what you need to get. Read the whole DIY before you start so you know where all the wires go when you buy them. The only wires I didnt use were the Nav service connector and Alternator charging signal. I used 22 gauge for everything. I got 2 and 4 conductor/stranded/shielded wire from home depot for about 15 cents a foot, they also have primary wire. You dont have to shield everything so get some primary wire too. I recommend you ground your shields exactly where the diagram says, ESPECIALLY if it grounds to a pin in the module, better safe than sorry.
MAKE A WIRING DIAGRAM of your homemade harness so you dont get lost DONT SKIP THIS, YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU DO
Zip ties
Electrical tape
Theres also various screws and such, check out Paul Mooneys siteHERE for a parts diagram and you should be able to figure out what you need.
TOOLS:
Ratchet
Dykes(cutter)
Basic metric socket set
Philips Screwdriver
Set of Torx drivers or bits
Soldering tools
Multimeter
WIRING DIAGRAMS
Razor or wire stripper
Eyeglass screwdriver set will help you pull the pins out of the connectors.
First you need to take out your back seat. Pull up on the front edge of the seat itself and it should pop up, then you need to undo a 10mm bolt thats holds the seat in. Its in the middle/left between the seat and seatback. Pull the seatback up and out and you'll be looking at this.
Next remove the cover for the sub. For those of you who aren't familiar with removing trim pieces, it usually is just pulling firmly but gently on the piece and working it out. Remove the piece of trim on the left of it(drivers side is always left)and mount the GPS antenna like this
Make sure you run the wire through that hole so you can connect it to the Nav unit. Mount the Nav unit in the trunk so you can judge where to run the wiresThen pull the trunk carpet trim back so you can run the wires Now take apart your passenger side sill trim front and back. Just pull it up gently and the clips will release, dont worry if the clips break, do worry if the trim breaks. Run your wiring harness behind the backseat and down the passenger side of the car, but first separate the Nav units ground, ILL and Back Lt and run those behind the left side of the trunk trim and splice them to the trailer lighting connector which has an ILL, and Back Lt circut and a Body ground right below it.Then separate the Nav unit ACC and run it to the middle of the backseat and use a coat hanger to slide it under the carpet so you can splice it to the ACC power in the center console.Make sure that you go behind the seatbelts and secure your harness to the harness thats already running down the passenger side with zip ties. Pull back the carpet and run the wires under the passenger footwell and up to the dash.
Now you need to do some splicing. The 99 uses a vsp sensor which only comes on Nav vehicles and only in 99, just splice your PCM speed signal instead. Your PCM is behind the radio on the floor and the front most connector is the one with the speed signal. Use wire color to make sure you have the right wire before you splice. The rest of the wires go behind the radio and display. When you take out the radio you need to take out the EQ and brackets because the new brackets will have nuts on the back to hold the bolts which mount the Nav screen. Thats the only difference in the brackets but it is very important so make sure you have the nav brackets. Take out the stupid CD/WTF is this/waste of space thing above the radio so you can put the new climate control unit in. All the connectors will plug in to the new stuff (climate, hazard) but the clock goes byebye. Use the clock wires for B+ for the Display and Nav unit, ground, ILL+and - for the display, and ACC for the Display. You need to put a 10 amp fuse in the clock circuit or it will just blow the 7.5 it has(passenger side fuse box). For the security signal cut into the radio and add the Nav display in series to the circuit so the signal goes through the nav display instead of straight to the multiplex unit. Pin A4 of the radio, you'll see what I mean. For the voice into the radio you should have 4 empty pins in the main radio connector. I went to Best Buy and bought a reverse wiring harness so I could get the pins to fill the slots, part #71-1721 I think. Make sure its the same connector that goes into the back of the radio. To get the pins out you need to pop open the little clip on the connector then use something VERY small, like a sewing needle, to lift the tab inside of the connector and pull out the wire. This is pretty hard to do if you dont know how but dont get frustrated, if you insert the needle into the front of the connector you can get it underneath the tab which holds the pin in and lift it enough to slide the pin out. Dont pull on the wire until you lift the tab because it will just get stuck. Once you have the pins out you can connect them to your harness and plug them into the radio connector, make sure you use 2big and 2small pins and put them in the right place. Run the wires to the appropriate place and put your car back together. Remember to check your system BEFORE you put it back together and dont forget to hook up the EQ when you test or you wont get sound from your radio Im sure I forgot something so if theres any Q's
HOLLA

thx2249

Great write up! Any idea if the bracket that holds the navigation system will be able to hold any other after market navi system?

Bolamite

The bracket that holds the Nav display or the Nav unit?

thx2249

The bracket that holds the Navi unit in the trunk.

Bolamite

Im sure it could hold some thing else. Theres two holes on each side for screws to secure the nav unit. If you had a similar sized unit I think you could find a way to secure it.

derrick

Good job. I am contemplating this ... but don't know if it's possible to install a US navi system to a Canadian car. Will the climate control work with Centigrade (vs Fahrenheit) ? Guess I'll wait for someone else to do it first ... LOL.

Bolamite

Good question, I have no idea. You should try asking the parts dept. at the dealer. My parts guys were really good about helping me, the shop foreman even gave me an old wiring harness to use for parts. I work for another dealer in the complex so its a little different but you never know, they might be interested enough to help you. All the parts were plug and play and I dont think they would change the build process for Canada, theres probably some way to change the settings.

Jimmy The Saint

boy I'm glad i bought mine already installed :-) GREAT WRITE-UP

thx2249

Is the factory navigation the size of a single din unit? I'm thinking that any other single din navi unit should be able to fit in the bracket in the trunk.

Bolamite

Its similar but its a little bit bigger. It wont fit in a dash but any single din unit will be able to fit in the bracket, it's just a matter of securing it. If you plan on using the factory screen you need to find a way to connect the two.

jacko74

Has someone from Canada installed a nav-unit on 01-03 TL's? I just wanna know if the dvd from the 2nd gen TL gives coverage for Canada? looking at the alpine/acura dvd site, clearly states Canada coverage started in the 3rd gen TL. Please could I get more info?

VTEC11

I thought the 2nd Gen Navi DVD only had coverage for the US.

Bolamite

I couldn't figure out how to edit my post so FYI. If you dont hook up the Alternator charging signal the display will shut off every five minutes. Theres a wire in the instrument cluster that carries the signal but I havent tried it yet. HOW THE FREAK DO I EDIT THE ORIGINAL POST?

snowman81

I see in the ETM that the alternator charging wire comes from the engine bay itself but not sure where it would be behind the dash. It says it's a wht/blu wire that goes into the dvd unit. Is there also one that has to go to the display or the are you talking about the one that goes to the unit?

khoifl

Well, when I converted mine, I used the wire behind the gauge cluster. Took out 2 screws on top of the gauge cluster and unplug connector A of the guage, 30 pins far left if you face the guage. You can connect the alternator charging to A21 of guage assembly. You can verify this by taking a look at Circuit E03 in page 15-9.

No, you don't need to connect to the display, only dvd unit

ResidualFreedom

final pics?
and total cost?

khoifl

Total about $800 but I got a bit overprice display & navi unit. I could have saved $100 but I couldn't wait

Well, I don't have anything special for interior.
Here is the pic before I converted navi



After



Bootscreen



A/C

ResidualFreedom

And this most likely will be able to do to an 02TL-S right? Sweet!!! Now I've got to find out if the Navi mapincludes Canda, if not I'm going to see if the new 04TL Navi unit will fit in...The 04TL comes with navi in canada..

Amazing DIY nice work.... Do you think the 04TL Navi parts would work with the mounting hardware for the 02TLSwith NAV..


Oh and you got to change your sig now... With Navi

khoifl

Yes, TLS is the same. Well, as far as I know, the 2nd gen navi does not include Canada. I don't know if later Acura would include Canada in their later version, however I has heard that the older version has a portion of Canada.

04TL would not fit nicely unless you have some modifications to the bezel because 04 screen is 8in, while 2nd gen TL only has 6in. Another problem would be the voice recognition button. I don't have a chance to see ETM for 04 yet, so I couldn't say anything about A/C. I converted to OEM navi because I like the "original" look (such as 'cool' A/C ) and factory audio is enough for me. However, if you look at after market navi, I think it's better & easier to do.

By the way, Bolamite wrote the D.I.Y & he was also the one who helped me with a couple quesitons when I installed mine.

khoifl

Thank you. I should

snowman81

I'll be doing the conversion on an '02 TLS tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes. I don't see forsee any problems but I am sure that I will have a few snags while I am working on it. Working on a car NEVER goes as planned. I agree with khoifl in keeping the orginal look. I bought the Magellan Roadmate 700, which I love, but didn't like the presence of it in the car....stuck to the windshield with the wire plugged in. Definitely like the in dash better but I also didn't want an aftermarket system, I like the way the dash looked. So this was definitely the best alternative for me. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to change my sig to "w/Nav".

snowman81

Thanks for the info...should come in useful tomorrow

MichiganRich

p.s.- some redneck called, he wants his clock and air freshener back...

oh wait, he said nah, you can keep 'em

Bolamite

LOL, what a d!ck! A21 in the gauge cluster is the wire I was talking about. I didn't know you got it finished khoifl, feels good don't it?

snowman81

Must have gotten used to the clock always being on, whether the car was or not. I'll admit, I will miss it to....but that thing needs to go. Just doesn't go with the lines of the dash...and it's freakin huge.

The NAV looks awesome though....just giving you a hard time.

khoifl

No problem. just ask if you have other questions.

I know, the clock is on when car is on or not is awesome In addition, sometimes, I turn off the display completly at night, so I need a clock.

Yup, it does. And it helps me many times too including "huge" phonebook built-in.

LOL

MichiganRich

good sense of humor on khoifl... good guy

snowman81

Finished the install yesterday...everything works pretty well. I do have some questions though. It seems very jumpy, like the antenna is not getting a good signal. When I am moving, it will jump back and forth about 1/10 of a mile. For example .8 to .7 then back to .8...all while I am driving. When I am stationary it doesn't move around at all. The only thing that I can think is that my tint in the back is interfering with the antenna, but maybe someone here has a better idea of what's going on. Other than that I love it. Install took most of the day and there was way to many wires in there. Don't know if I would ever want to do that again but I think it was definitely worth it. Right now my Magellan Roadmate is more accurate, but hopefully I can find a fix for this. Thanks in advance.

phaze

did you ever fix the problem snowman?

snowman81

Yep, turns out one of my grounds came loose after I put everything back together. I went back and read the wires with a multimeter and found power on the signal wires. So once I fixed the ground, all was well.

Acuracy02

Anyone have suggestions other than ebay for picking up the navi DVD unit and oem screen? Hard to find on ebay and if I find it the parts are hella expensive.

snowman81

Ebay is the only place I know of. What are you considering expensive? The prices on ebay are about 1/3rd of the dealer price...that sounded pretty good to me. Talk to diezelboy28 on ebay...that's where I got my stuff from. My username is 2002tltypes if you want to tell him I sent you. Good luck...be prepared for ALOT of wiring.

llangley

excellent job. i have 03 tl-s and want to do the same thing. can you tell us where you got everything?

snowman81

I got the dvd unit, screen and climate control with harness off ebay. Everything else I got from here. Total cost was about $1000. I got the wire and connectors and all that good stuff from work. The main things you will need to buy from that site are the antenna, new dash piece, new hazard light switch and all the nuts, bolts and screws. It was also be highly beneficial to buy the Helms Electronic Troubleshooting Manual. That has the wiring schematics in there that you will need. You may also want to look into getting the correct bracket for the Nav screen. I made the pre-existing bracket work but it may be a little easier if you get the new one. That's just a general look. If you have specific questions feel free to ask and I'll see what I can remember.

khoifl

There is one on sale in the off topic. Well, the seller has less than 50 posts.... so just a word of caution. However, the price is decent.......So it's up to you

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...highlight=navi

Carson89X

I caught the fever last week when I was on eBay. I got the screen and AC unit for just under $100 shipped. I couldn't pass it up. Now the fun begins......

khoifl

Oh, and for the GPS antenna. I got a generic Alphine off ebay. It's about $46 shipped. I am too cheap for OEM.

I coverted to navi, too. It's awesome, so hurry up so you can enjoy it sooner.

llangley

Thanks a bunch for the leads on where to buy. i definatley have the fever so i will get started right away. my last question to you guys is how long did it take you to perform the convert, start to finish? was it a few hours, or an all day project?

again, thanks for the help

Acuracy02

I've only been able to find the hard copy, i.e. - paperback. Any leads on where to buy on cd? Aleady searched ebay, etc.

snowman81

Sorry, I may have mislead you....I meant to say Electrical vice Electronic. Helm doesn't make the ETM on cd. I think its much easier to have the paper copy anyway. You'll see once you get it that you will be doing alot of flipping back and forth between pages to look at pics and diagrams of the harnesses. Sorry for the confusion.