DIY: Astro/Blazer Overhead Console Conversion for Impala SS and Caprice
October 21st, 2008, 10:04 PM
#1
CF Monarch
Thread Starter
DIY: Astro/Blazer Overhead Console Conversion for Impala SS and Caprice
Found an interesting how-to when I was searching around for stuff for my Blazer, so I re-worked it. Hope it helps or gives ideas to someone![/align][/align][/align]Installing an Astro/Blazer Overhead Console in a Impala SSor Caprice. [/align][/align]Parts Required : [/align][ul][*]Astrovan or BlazerOverhead Console.[*]Ambient Temp Sensor : PN 15971127 (Approx $12). You MUST use the sensor under this part number, as even though the one for the Buick Roadmaster will plug in it does NOT have the correct resistance calibration for the Astrovan Console display unit! [*]Figure on approx 100 ft (total) of 18GA stranded hook-up wire, preferably (if you can get it) split approximately evenly among these colors :
[ul][*]Red [*]Orange [*]Green [*]Purple [*]Black [*]White [/ul]
The color split of course is not necessary, but should make it easier to keep track of all the wires. [*]Misc electrical connectors, solder, electrical tape, heat shrink tubing, tie-wraps, etc. [*]Approx 10 sheet metal screws, 10x1.5" and 10x2". [*]Silicone caulk (SMALL amount)[*]3 or 4 wire connector (insulated, a trailer lighting connector works fine)[*]Trim Adhesive (3M)[*]OPTIONAL : Rivnut tool and rivnuts[*]Other misc hardware to fabricate brackets (i.e. .080 sheet aluminum) as necessary
[/ul]
Useful References:
[ul][*]1996 Impala SS FSM (Factory Service Manual) pages :
[ul][*]8A-202-0 thru 8A-202-2 [*]8A-68-0 [*]8A-63-0 [*]8A-150-0 thru 8A-150-7 [/ul][/ul]
Directions :
[ul][*]DISCONNECT THE VEHICLE BATTERY. (Nothing ruins a day like shorting out major portions of your car electrical system). [*]Remove the dome light the cover snaps off with a little pressure from front and back, the base pulls out, and the two-wire clip pulls off. [*]Remove the Left sunvisor (3 screws) [*]Remove the left A-pillar trim (it just "pulls" out, is held in by two clips) [*]Remove the lower dash by doing the following :
[ul][*]First you must remove the dash. Start by opening the glovebox, ashtray, and drivers door, and remove the fuse panel cover. [*]Remove the four screws holding in the ashtray. Pull it out, and unplug the light. [*]Remove the black bezel around the speedo cluster. It is two screws pointed up, then pull it out to disengage it from the "prongs" holding it to the grey plastic below. [*]Remove the following screws :
[ol][*]One on the left side beneath the black cluster bezel removed above. [*]Similar screw in the "fuse panel" that is screwed into the side of the air vent [*]Total of 4 screws along the bottom of the dash pointed straight up. [*]One screw pointed straight up that is inside the "ashtray area" basically below the right side of the radio. [/ol][*]Now just YANK on the panel, it should come loose from the prongs holding it in and practically fall in your lap! Installation is the reverse of removal.[/ul][/ul]
[/align][/align]
[ul][*]Remove the radio, but only AFTER you have written down (or remember) the "theftlock" code in the radio if you have it set. Radio is removed by removing the two screws holding it in from the front (will be obvious once the lower dash is off) and pulling it out. Unplug the 20-pin connector and antenna from the radio. Procedure to set this code is located in your Owner's Manual.[*]Disassemble the console base from the main body turn it upside down and back out about 12 T-10 torx-head screws. Open the cd holder door all the way and separate the two pieces. At this time, remove the 6-wire harness from the console that runs from front to back (plugs into the display at the front, and has a dangling blue connector at the back). [*]Now is the time to build your wiring harness for the console display. To do this, take the 6-wire harness from the step above, and cut all the wires approx 6-12" from the BLACK connector on the harness. Also, cut off the BLUE connector at this time (approximately 6 inches from the connector) and set it aside for later[*]Cut off FIVE 8-FOOT lengths of the 18ga hookup wire, and also ONE 12-FOOT length of wire. If you are lucky enough to have the wire in the various colors listed above, cut the 12-foot length from the PURPLE wire and 8-foot lengths from all the other colors (one length of each color). Solder in the wire lengths to the matching color on your split harness (i.e. the connector plus 6-12") and the other ends of the wire lengths to the SAME COLOR from what you cut off above. When you finish, you will have the original black/red connector with 5 wires that are approx 10.5 feet in length (8 feet + 2.5 feet for original harness wire length) and one wire that is approx 14.5 feet long. [*]For reference, here is a list of the pins in the black connector, wire color matching the pin, and what the signal is that runs thru that wire :
[/ul]
Legend: Pin Number at Black/Red connector at compass display Color of Wire at Compass display Function of wire[/align] [/align] 5 Black +12V Ignition [/align] 6 WhiteGround[/align]7 Green Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS)[/align] 8 Purple w/ Yellow Stripe Ambient Temp sensor feed[/align] 9Orange Interior lights dimming feed[/align] 10 Red Interior lights feed[/align][/align]
[/align][/align]
[ul][*]The top piece is covered in headliner fabric maynot match. (Get a gray one if you can!).Remove the old fabric, which does not come off easily, and the remove the glue. If you have a matching console, you can skip this step.[*]Now you are ready to fit the base. Hold it up in the position you want it (it fits perfectly between the sunvisors, like it grew there) and draw a pencil outline from the inside edge of the base. [*]Take a very sharp X-Acto knife or a mat knife with a new blade and (gulp!) cut your headliner on the pencil line. Take care at the front of the headliner near the rear view mirror because six wires, for the mirror and its courtesy lights, run directly underneath it. No need to cut past the dome light hole console fits flush past where the dome light mounted. CUT CONSERVATIVE HERE : you can ALWAYS remove more headliner material, but it is pretty hard to undo if you cut too much! Also, take some of the bigger scraps here and set aside. They are perfect for gluing later on the "inside" of the upper console to fill in the gaps near the dome light (will be obvious when you have the console).
[/ul]
[/align]
[/align]
Pic of mounting brace near domelight, wiring splices for light wiring, and optional epoxied wood mounting base (for inside the CD Case)
[ul][*]One more scary part now.Drill into the windshield header. With a 3/8" bit and mount a rubber-encased 10/32 nut, the kind that cinch against the sheet metal as you tighten down. Use a drill stop, which can be made from any old piece of tubing, to limit your drill bits penetrating length, and you'll remove any worry of seeing sky.Then mounta short piece of threaded 10/32 rod in the rubber nut, bend it slightly so it would match the angle of the mounting hole in the console, and used Loctite blue to make sure it wouldn't back out. Note that you cando this with a 10x1" sheetmetal screw WITH THE TIP CUT OFF and it will work fine.As long asyou drill asmall pilot hole for the screw (using a drillstop of course!) and putting the screw in afterwards.
[*]You can use 10-32 nutserts in the roof braces at the windshield and roof light area. These work great because if you are slightly off on your hole position you can thread in a screw and use pliers to slightly bend the support to the exact angle to match your hole. This will not distort the roof, and allows for a factory quality mount that allows for fast console removal.
[*]Go toa local auto partsstore and buya roll of the headliner material in your color.Cut it out along the same lines as the old piece, use spray adhesive and cover the console base.Make sure to cut the fabric on the same bias as the Impala headliner. (Tiny stripes in our head-liner run from door to door, rather than from windshield to backlite, so you might want to match this pattern on the console.) Note that if you got a MATCHING console, you can SKIP this step!
[*]Now, wire in connectors for the console lighting. Use either a 3 or 4 wire connector that can be easily disconnected yet can handle the current AND is also insulated (a 4-wire trailer lighting connector works VERY well here), and then just "plug" in the console lighting while mounting it. All of the lighting wiring is in the 4-pin black square connector on the console. Snip off this connector, so you have just the four wires from the console (orange, black, red, purple).
[*]Solder up one end of the connector to the 4 wires from the console (lighting harness). If you are using a 3-pin connector, then solder both the red and orange wires in the console lighting harness to the same pin on the connector (since both are gonna be the same signal of +12V at all times). [*]Take the matching half of the connector and solder it up to the following wires on the car, matching up the pins/signals of course! Note this differs on the 94 Impala SS from the 95-96 Impala SS (not sure on other B-bodies or other cars)[/ul]
[/align][/align]On the 94 SS: [/align][/align]Color of wire in the console harness, followed byfunction, followed by color of wire on cross-car lighting harness that runs across the B-pillar roof braceare as follows:[/align][/align]Black: Floating when dome light is on, Ground when off: White on lighting harness[/align]Purple: Ground at ALL TIMES: Dark Blue on lighting harness[/align]Red: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness[/align]Orange: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness [/align][/align][/align][/align]On the 95-96 SS:[/align][/align][/align]Color of wire in the console harness, followed byfunction, followed by color of wire on cross-car lighting harness that runs across the B-pillar roof braceare as follows:[/align][/align][/align]Black: Floating when dome light is on, Ground when off
ark Blueon lighting harness[/align]Purple: Ground at ALL TIMES:Black on lighting harness[/align]Red: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness[/align]Orange: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness [/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align]
[ul][*]Time to install the 6-wire console harness now. From console to radio, it will run as follows : from the console front, along the front of the headliner (tucked up in there) to the left A-pillar, down the a-pillar (behind the trim), down thru the SMALL hole between the a-pillar and dash, and then split with ONE wire (the longer purple one) going out thru the grommet near the convenience center to underhood, while the other 5 wires are tie-wrapped to the underdash main harness to run towards the radio and eventually to the back of the radio. Reread this a few times, and it will make more sense.
[*]Start up at the top center of the headliner. Feed the black/red connector thru your newly-cut hole in the center-front of the headliner (with a few extra inches of wire to spare), and run the wires under the headliner towards the left A-pillar. Once they come out at the A-piller, reinstall the left sunvisor (3 screws). Next, run the wires down the A-pillar, and then snake them thru the small "gap" between the base of the pillar and the dash (You might havea "foam block" here that simply pulls out to show the gap, cars may differ). Once the wires are thru this hole and are coming out under the dash, reinstall the A-pillar trim (it just "snaps" back into place).
[*]Now, take the ONE longer wire (purple) and run it out into the engine bay. Do this thru the rubber grommet that is located on the firewall near the big plastic unit (convenience center) that holds the flashers and a bunch of relays. If you have not run a wire thru this grommet before, take a SHARP punch or blade and put a small hole in the grommet to feed the wire thru. Once the wire is fed thru, it comes out on the firewall below the brake booster in the engine compartment. Pull the wire thru completely, and tie-wrap it underdash to other wiring if you can. Once in the engine compartment, run it along the left fenderwell (either in existing looms or factory looks) until it is alongside the PCM, and then run it approx 1 foot further out and cut it.
[*]Take the OTHER FIVE WIRES from the console, and run them along the other underdash wiring bundle that crosses the bottom of the dash. Zip-tie it to this bundle in 2-3 places so it would be secure. Once you get it over to the radio, run it up to the back of the radio and thru the hole in the back of the dash where the stock radio harness runs. pull the wires thru snugly, and cut them approx 6" past the front of the dash (this should leave plenty to work with).
[/ul]
[/align]Now, time to hook up the harness that you just routed. First, start with the purple wire in the engine bay. If you look on the side of the PCM, there is a connector on the side (C100 in the 96 Impala FSM) with 6 wires into it. Two of the wires from the FRONT of the car into this connector are LtGreen/Black and Yellow (Pins J & K). These wires run to the temp sensor connector located at the front of the car near the hood latch brace. You'll notice that there are NO wires coming out of the back of this connector (towards the rear of the car) on pins J & K.
[/align]
[ul][*]Unplug this connector, and on the firewall-side connector pry off the tab (either grey or tan, depending on the year of the car) on the connector (prys from each side). Remove the "plugs" (little rubber things) that are in pins J and K.
[*]Take the blue connector (with approx 6 inch leads) that you cut off of the console wiring harness above. Press in on the white tabs thru the side, and remove the white plastic piece that helps hold the wires in the connector. Using a paperclip, push in and "release" the tabs (from the side of the connector with the pins) holding the purple and green wire pins in the connector.
[*]Now take these two wire/pins and put the purple one into Pin J of the connector C100. Yes, it snaps right in!. Do likewise with the green wire into Pin K. Once both pins are snapped in, seal them into the connector with the silicone caulk, and reassemble the connector. This is a bit of extra work, but give a nice "factory quality" connection underhood for these signals.
[*]Solder the PURPLE wire you ran from the console to the purple wire put into Pin J on the connector C100 above. Then, solder a small extension wire on the green wire on Pin K, and crimp a lug onto the other end. Attatch this lug to a GOOD ground somewhere (I ran it to the lug nearby above the headlamp unit). This completes the underhood wiring. Also, plug in your Ambient Temp Sensor at this time to the blue connector at the hood latch brace, and mount the sensor on the brace so that it does notinterfere with the hood, latch, or grille (there is plenty of room to do this, it is nothard to do).
[*]Now, time for the other five wires at the back of the radio. The pins on the back of the radio are labelled 1-20, with the top row of pins being 1-10, 11-15 being unused on the Impala (used to hook up those neat steering-wheel controls and rear seat radios in other GM vehicles), 16 being the VSS, and 17-20 being speaker wires. For reference, this is pages 8A - 150 - 0 thru 8A - 150 - 7 in the 1996 FSM. Hook the wires from the compass to the radio wires as follows:[/ul]
Connector at Compass Display > Wire color at Compass display > Pin number at the connector on back of radio>Wire color at the connector on back of radio.[/align][/align]5 > Black > 9 > Yellow[/align]6 > White > 5 > Black w/ white stripe[/align]7 > Green > 16 > Dark green w/ white stripe[/align]9 > Orange > 7 > Gray[/align]10 > Red > 6 > Yellow (Brown in 9c1's)[/align][/align]You can "lineman splice" the wires into the radio wires, or just get lazy and use the 3M "quick splice" connectors for these wires.
Note that on the 94 SS, the Vss signal (Dark green with white stripe, pin 16) is NOT in the radio harness. Instead, you need to connect it to the Dark Green with White Stripe wire (also Vss) that is in connector C200 under the dash (approximately above the drivers right knee) at pin D8.
[/align][/align]
[/align]Pic shows wiring slices on the harness that plugs into the rear of the radio.[/align][/align][/align][/align]Now, the point of "electrical truth":[/align]
[ul][*]Remove the compass display from the currently disassembled console, and hook it up to the black/red connector for it in the car. Reconnect the vehicle battery. Turn the key on the either the "ACC" or "ON" position, and your console display should now light up! Note that the compass will probably NOT be correct. You will have to calibrate it later according to the procedure listed below. Also, when you turn on the parking/head lights, the compass display should dim just like the radio display, and be adjustable in brightness. The temp displayed should be correct, or at least pretty close (may be higher if you are like me and the temp sensor was sitting in the sun before you took this reading). Note that if you have an OPEN CIRCUIT problem with your wiring, or the sensor is not connected, it will read "OC" for the temperature. If you have a SHORT CIRCUIT problem, it will read "SC".
Assuming that the console display works, turn off the key and unplug the display (put it back in the console). Also, RE-DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AT THIS POINT!!![/ul]
[/align]
[/align]Moment of electrical truth ^^^[/align][/align][/align][/align]
[ul][*]Reinstall the radio (remember to plug in the harness and antenna!), and then reinstall the lower dash.
[*]Put the console back together it's lip will help hold the new material down. Then test-fit it, trim as necessary, and mount. When you mount it, BE SURE to plug in the compass/temp display as well as the map and dome lights! I thought I needed one more mounting location, so I epoxied a piece of oak to the inner roof panel, pre-drilled it to accept a sheet metal screw, and then drilled a small hole in the inner panel of the cd holder portion of the console. Note that you may NOT need this extra mount point. [*]Hook the battery back up, and test to make sure the dome and map lights are all working.[/ul]
[/align][/align]Note that you can cover the "gaps" in the side of the console by CAREFULLY peeling back the carpet at the gaps, putting some "wood splints" there (made from wooden kitchen spoons!), CAREFULLY re-gluing everything, and then install it. [/align][/align][/align][/align]Assuming everything works, now you need to go find a parking lot and perform the following Compass Calibration Procedure:
[/align]
[ul][*]Find a parking lot where you can do some WIDE 360 degree circles.It mighteven work to drive around the edge of a parking lot. Important thing here is you MUST be able to make at least 2-3 circles, and EACH "circle" must take at least 15 seconds or so. In other words, tire-smokin parking lot "donuts" will NOT work here....
[*]Once you are ready to circle, press down the "on/off" button and hold it. WHILE HOLDING THAT BUTTON, ALSO press the "US/Met" button (so you are holding down BOTH buttons) for approx 5 seconds. The display will say "var", which is your que to set the "variance" for the compass. You set the "variance" by releasing the buttons, then hitting the "US/Met" button to scroll thru the different variances. Once you get to the correct one, hit "On/Off" to set it into the compass. A map showing the variance to be used for various geographic locations is listed below.[/ul]
[/align][/align][/align]
[ul][*]Next, repeat step 2 again with the buttons, but this time hold the two buttons PAST when the word "var" shows up, and eventually the word "cal" will light instead. Once the word "cal" comes up, start your driving in circles. After anywhere from 1 to 3 circles, the compass will calibrate itself and the word "cal" will go out. Once this happens, your compass is calibrated! [/ul]
[/align]
Enjoy your newly-installed and fully working Astro/Blazer Overhead Console Mod!![/align]
[ul][*]Red [*]Orange [*]Green [*]Purple [*]Black [*]White [/ul]
The color split of course is not necessary, but should make it easier to keep track of all the wires. [*]Misc electrical connectors, solder, electrical tape, heat shrink tubing, tie-wraps, etc. [*]Approx 10 sheet metal screws, 10x1.5" and 10x2". [*]Silicone caulk (SMALL amount)[*]3 or 4 wire connector (insulated, a trailer lighting connector works fine)[*]Trim Adhesive (3M)[*]OPTIONAL : Rivnut tool and rivnuts[*]Other misc hardware to fabricate brackets (i.e. .080 sheet aluminum) as necessary
[/ul]
Useful References:
[ul][*]1996 Impala SS FSM (Factory Service Manual) pages :
[ul][*]8A-202-0 thru 8A-202-2 [*]8A-68-0 [*]8A-63-0 [*]8A-150-0 thru 8A-150-7 [/ul][/ul]
Directions :
[ul][*]DISCONNECT THE VEHICLE BATTERY. (Nothing ruins a day like shorting out major portions of your car electrical system). [*]Remove the dome light the cover snaps off with a little pressure from front and back, the base pulls out, and the two-wire clip pulls off. [*]Remove the Left sunvisor (3 screws) [*]Remove the left A-pillar trim (it just "pulls" out, is held in by two clips) [*]Remove the lower dash by doing the following :
[ul][*]First you must remove the dash. Start by opening the glovebox, ashtray, and drivers door, and remove the fuse panel cover. [*]Remove the four screws holding in the ashtray. Pull it out, and unplug the light. [*]Remove the black bezel around the speedo cluster. It is two screws pointed up, then pull it out to disengage it from the "prongs" holding it to the grey plastic below. [*]Remove the following screws :
[ol][*]One on the left side beneath the black cluster bezel removed above. [*]Similar screw in the "fuse panel" that is screwed into the side of the air vent [*]Total of 4 screws along the bottom of the dash pointed straight up. [*]One screw pointed straight up that is inside the "ashtray area" basically below the right side of the radio. [/ol][*]Now just YANK on the panel, it should come loose from the prongs holding it in and practically fall in your lap! Installation is the reverse of removal.[/ul][/ul]
[/align][/align] [ul][*]Remove the radio, but only AFTER you have written down (or remember) the "theftlock" code in the radio if you have it set. Radio is removed by removing the two screws holding it in from the front (will be obvious once the lower dash is off) and pulling it out. Unplug the 20-pin connector and antenna from the radio. Procedure to set this code is located in your Owner's Manual.[*]Disassemble the console base from the main body turn it upside down and back out about 12 T-10 torx-head screws. Open the cd holder door all the way and separate the two pieces. At this time, remove the 6-wire harness from the console that runs from front to back (plugs into the display at the front, and has a dangling blue connector at the back). [*]Now is the time to build your wiring harness for the console display. To do this, take the 6-wire harness from the step above, and cut all the wires approx 6-12" from the BLACK connector on the harness. Also, cut off the BLUE connector at this time (approximately 6 inches from the connector) and set it aside for later[*]Cut off FIVE 8-FOOT lengths of the 18ga hookup wire, and also ONE 12-FOOT length of wire. If you are lucky enough to have the wire in the various colors listed above, cut the 12-foot length from the PURPLE wire and 8-foot lengths from all the other colors (one length of each color). Solder in the wire lengths to the matching color on your split harness (i.e. the connector plus 6-12") and the other ends of the wire lengths to the SAME COLOR from what you cut off above. When you finish, you will have the original black/red connector with 5 wires that are approx 10.5 feet in length (8 feet + 2.5 feet for original harness wire length) and one wire that is approx 14.5 feet long. [*]For reference, here is a list of the pins in the black connector, wire color matching the pin, and what the signal is that runs thru that wire :
[/ul]
Legend: Pin Number at Black/Red connector at compass display Color of Wire at Compass display Function of wire[/align] [/align] 5 Black +12V Ignition [/align] 6 WhiteGround[/align]7 Green Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS)[/align] 8 Purple w/ Yellow Stripe Ambient Temp sensor feed[/align] 9Orange Interior lights dimming feed[/align] 10 Red Interior lights feed[/align][/align]
[/align][/align] [ul][*]The top piece is covered in headliner fabric maynot match. (Get a gray one if you can!).Remove the old fabric, which does not come off easily, and the remove the glue. If you have a matching console, you can skip this step.[*]Now you are ready to fit the base. Hold it up in the position you want it (it fits perfectly between the sunvisors, like it grew there) and draw a pencil outline from the inside edge of the base. [*]Take a very sharp X-Acto knife or a mat knife with a new blade and (gulp!) cut your headliner on the pencil line. Take care at the front of the headliner near the rear view mirror because six wires, for the mirror and its courtesy lights, run directly underneath it. No need to cut past the dome light hole console fits flush past where the dome light mounted. CUT CONSERVATIVE HERE : you can ALWAYS remove more headliner material, but it is pretty hard to undo if you cut too much! Also, take some of the bigger scraps here and set aside. They are perfect for gluing later on the "inside" of the upper console to fill in the gaps near the dome light (will be obvious when you have the console).
[/ul]
[/align]
[/align]
Pic of mounting brace near domelight, wiring splices for light wiring, and optional epoxied wood mounting base (for inside the CD Case)
[ul][*]One more scary part now.Drill into the windshield header. With a 3/8" bit and mount a rubber-encased 10/32 nut, the kind that cinch against the sheet metal as you tighten down. Use a drill stop, which can be made from any old piece of tubing, to limit your drill bits penetrating length, and you'll remove any worry of seeing sky.Then mounta short piece of threaded 10/32 rod in the rubber nut, bend it slightly so it would match the angle of the mounting hole in the console, and used Loctite blue to make sure it wouldn't back out. Note that you cando this with a 10x1" sheetmetal screw WITH THE TIP CUT OFF and it will work fine.As long asyou drill asmall pilot hole for the screw (using a drillstop of course!) and putting the screw in afterwards.
[*]You can use 10-32 nutserts in the roof braces at the windshield and roof light area. These work great because if you are slightly off on your hole position you can thread in a screw and use pliers to slightly bend the support to the exact angle to match your hole. This will not distort the roof, and allows for a factory quality mount that allows for fast console removal.
[*]Go toa local auto partsstore and buya roll of the headliner material in your color.Cut it out along the same lines as the old piece, use spray adhesive and cover the console base.Make sure to cut the fabric on the same bias as the Impala headliner. (Tiny stripes in our head-liner run from door to door, rather than from windshield to backlite, so you might want to match this pattern on the console.) Note that if you got a MATCHING console, you can SKIP this step!
[*]Now, wire in connectors for the console lighting. Use either a 3 or 4 wire connector that can be easily disconnected yet can handle the current AND is also insulated (a 4-wire trailer lighting connector works VERY well here), and then just "plug" in the console lighting while mounting it. All of the lighting wiring is in the 4-pin black square connector on the console. Snip off this connector, so you have just the four wires from the console (orange, black, red, purple).
[*]Solder up one end of the connector to the 4 wires from the console (lighting harness). If you are using a 3-pin connector, then solder both the red and orange wires in the console lighting harness to the same pin on the connector (since both are gonna be the same signal of +12V at all times). [*]Take the matching half of the connector and solder it up to the following wires on the car, matching up the pins/signals of course! Note this differs on the 94 Impala SS from the 95-96 Impala SS (not sure on other B-bodies or other cars)[/ul]
[/align][/align]On the 94 SS: [/align][/align]Color of wire in the console harness, followed byfunction, followed by color of wire on cross-car lighting harness that runs across the B-pillar roof braceare as follows:[/align][/align]Black: Floating when dome light is on, Ground when off: White on lighting harness[/align]Purple: Ground at ALL TIMES: Dark Blue on lighting harness[/align]Red: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness[/align]Orange: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness [/align][/align][/align][/align]On the 95-96 SS:[/align][/align][/align]Color of wire in the console harness, followed byfunction, followed by color of wire on cross-car lighting harness that runs across the B-pillar roof braceare as follows:[/align][/align][/align]Black: Floating when dome light is on, Ground when off
ark Blueon lighting harness[/align]Purple: Ground at ALL TIMES:Black on lighting harness[/align]Red: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness[/align]Orange: +12v at all times: Orange on lighting harness [/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align][/align] [ul][*]Time to install the 6-wire console harness now. From console to radio, it will run as follows : from the console front, along the front of the headliner (tucked up in there) to the left A-pillar, down the a-pillar (behind the trim), down thru the SMALL hole between the a-pillar and dash, and then split with ONE wire (the longer purple one) going out thru the grommet near the convenience center to underhood, while the other 5 wires are tie-wrapped to the underdash main harness to run towards the radio and eventually to the back of the radio. Reread this a few times, and it will make more sense.
[*]Start up at the top center of the headliner. Feed the black/red connector thru your newly-cut hole in the center-front of the headliner (with a few extra inches of wire to spare), and run the wires under the headliner towards the left A-pillar. Once they come out at the A-piller, reinstall the left sunvisor (3 screws). Next, run the wires down the A-pillar, and then snake them thru the small "gap" between the base of the pillar and the dash (You might havea "foam block" here that simply pulls out to show the gap, cars may differ). Once the wires are thru this hole and are coming out under the dash, reinstall the A-pillar trim (it just "snaps" back into place).
[*]Now, take the ONE longer wire (purple) and run it out into the engine bay. Do this thru the rubber grommet that is located on the firewall near the big plastic unit (convenience center) that holds the flashers and a bunch of relays. If you have not run a wire thru this grommet before, take a SHARP punch or blade and put a small hole in the grommet to feed the wire thru. Once the wire is fed thru, it comes out on the firewall below the brake booster in the engine compartment. Pull the wire thru completely, and tie-wrap it underdash to other wiring if you can. Once in the engine compartment, run it along the left fenderwell (either in existing looms or factory looks) until it is alongside the PCM, and then run it approx 1 foot further out and cut it.
[*]Take the OTHER FIVE WIRES from the console, and run them along the other underdash wiring bundle that crosses the bottom of the dash. Zip-tie it to this bundle in 2-3 places so it would be secure. Once you get it over to the radio, run it up to the back of the radio and thru the hole in the back of the dash where the stock radio harness runs. pull the wires thru snugly, and cut them approx 6" past the front of the dash (this should leave plenty to work with).
[/ul]
[/align]Now, time to hook up the harness that you just routed. First, start with the purple wire in the engine bay. If you look on the side of the PCM, there is a connector on the side (C100 in the 96 Impala FSM) with 6 wires into it. Two of the wires from the FRONT of the car into this connector are LtGreen/Black and Yellow (Pins J & K). These wires run to the temp sensor connector located at the front of the car near the hood latch brace. You'll notice that there are NO wires coming out of the back of this connector (towards the rear of the car) on pins J & K.
[/align]
[ul][*]Unplug this connector, and on the firewall-side connector pry off the tab (either grey or tan, depending on the year of the car) on the connector (prys from each side). Remove the "plugs" (little rubber things) that are in pins J and K.
[*]Take the blue connector (with approx 6 inch leads) that you cut off of the console wiring harness above. Press in on the white tabs thru the side, and remove the white plastic piece that helps hold the wires in the connector. Using a paperclip, push in and "release" the tabs (from the side of the connector with the pins) holding the purple and green wire pins in the connector.
[*]Now take these two wire/pins and put the purple one into Pin J of the connector C100. Yes, it snaps right in!. Do likewise with the green wire into Pin K. Once both pins are snapped in, seal them into the connector with the silicone caulk, and reassemble the connector. This is a bit of extra work, but give a nice "factory quality" connection underhood for these signals.
[*]Solder the PURPLE wire you ran from the console to the purple wire put into Pin J on the connector C100 above. Then, solder a small extension wire on the green wire on Pin K, and crimp a lug onto the other end. Attatch this lug to a GOOD ground somewhere (I ran it to the lug nearby above the headlamp unit). This completes the underhood wiring. Also, plug in your Ambient Temp Sensor at this time to the blue connector at the hood latch brace, and mount the sensor on the brace so that it does notinterfere with the hood, latch, or grille (there is plenty of room to do this, it is nothard to do).
[*]Now, time for the other five wires at the back of the radio. The pins on the back of the radio are labelled 1-20, with the top row of pins being 1-10, 11-15 being unused on the Impala (used to hook up those neat steering-wheel controls and rear seat radios in other GM vehicles), 16 being the VSS, and 17-20 being speaker wires. For reference, this is pages 8A - 150 - 0 thru 8A - 150 - 7 in the 1996 FSM. Hook the wires from the compass to the radio wires as follows:[/ul]
Connector at Compass Display > Wire color at Compass display > Pin number at the connector on back of radio>Wire color at the connector on back of radio.[/align][/align]5 > Black > 9 > Yellow[/align]6 > White > 5 > Black w/ white stripe[/align]7 > Green > 16 > Dark green w/ white stripe[/align]9 > Orange > 7 > Gray[/align]10 > Red > 6 > Yellow (Brown in 9c1's)[/align][/align]You can "lineman splice" the wires into the radio wires, or just get lazy and use the 3M "quick splice" connectors for these wires.
Note that on the 94 SS, the Vss signal (Dark green with white stripe, pin 16) is NOT in the radio harness. Instead, you need to connect it to the Dark Green with White Stripe wire (also Vss) that is in connector C200 under the dash (approximately above the drivers right knee) at pin D8.
[/align][/align]
[/align]Pic shows wiring slices on the harness that plugs into the rear of the radio.[/align][/align][/align][/align]Now, the point of "electrical truth":[/align][ul][*]Remove the compass display from the currently disassembled console, and hook it up to the black/red connector for it in the car. Reconnect the vehicle battery. Turn the key on the either the "ACC" or "ON" position, and your console display should now light up! Note that the compass will probably NOT be correct. You will have to calibrate it later according to the procedure listed below. Also, when you turn on the parking/head lights, the compass display should dim just like the radio display, and be adjustable in brightness. The temp displayed should be correct, or at least pretty close (may be higher if you are like me and the temp sensor was sitting in the sun before you took this reading). Note that if you have an OPEN CIRCUIT problem with your wiring, or the sensor is not connected, it will read "OC" for the temperature. If you have a SHORT CIRCUIT problem, it will read "SC".
Assuming that the console display works, turn off the key and unplug the display (put it back in the console). Also, RE-DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AT THIS POINT!!![/ul]
[/align]
[/align]Moment of electrical truth ^^^[/align][/align][/align][/align][ul][*]Reinstall the radio (remember to plug in the harness and antenna!), and then reinstall the lower dash.
[*]Put the console back together it's lip will help hold the new material down. Then test-fit it, trim as necessary, and mount. When you mount it, BE SURE to plug in the compass/temp display as well as the map and dome lights! I thought I needed one more mounting location, so I epoxied a piece of oak to the inner roof panel, pre-drilled it to accept a sheet metal screw, and then drilled a small hole in the inner panel of the cd holder portion of the console. Note that you may NOT need this extra mount point. [*]Hook the battery back up, and test to make sure the dome and map lights are all working.[/ul]
[/align][/align]Note that you can cover the "gaps" in the side of the console by CAREFULLY peeling back the carpet at the gaps, putting some "wood splints" there (made from wooden kitchen spoons!), CAREFULLY re-gluing everything, and then install it. [/align][/align][/align][/align]Assuming everything works, now you need to go find a parking lot and perform the following Compass Calibration Procedure: [/align]
[ul][*]Find a parking lot where you can do some WIDE 360 degree circles.It mighteven work to drive around the edge of a parking lot. Important thing here is you MUST be able to make at least 2-3 circles, and EACH "circle" must take at least 15 seconds or so. In other words, tire-smokin parking lot "donuts" will NOT work here....
[*]Once you are ready to circle, press down the "on/off" button and hold it. WHILE HOLDING THAT BUTTON, ALSO press the "US/Met" button (so you are holding down BOTH buttons) for approx 5 seconds. The display will say "var", which is your que to set the "variance" for the compass. You set the "variance" by releasing the buttons, then hitting the "US/Met" button to scroll thru the different variances. Once you get to the correct one, hit "On/Off" to set it into the compass. A map showing the variance to be used for various geographic locations is listed below.[/ul]
[/align][/align][/align][ul][*]Next, repeat step 2 again with the buttons, but this time hold the two buttons PAST when the word "var" shows up, and eventually the word "cal" will light instead. Once the word "cal" comes up, start your driving in circles. After anywhere from 1 to 3 circles, the compass will calibrate itself and the word "cal" will go out. Once this happens, your compass is calibrated! [/ul]
[/align]
Enjoy your newly-installed and fully working Astro/Blazer Overhead Console Mod!![/align]
July 15th, 2011, 2:44 AM
#2
CF Beginner
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: New York
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
WOW I used to own a Blazer and I loved that over head console my Impala also have the blue interior if I can get my hands on an over head console I would so do this too ( road trip to Harry you pull it )
)
January 22nd, 2022, 9:25 PM
#4
CF Active Member
The dash has to be partially disassembled to hook the main part of the wiring into the radio harness. You have to use the temp sensor from the vehicle you get the console from as they are not compatible with Road Master sensor.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
