Adding OEM switchgear to the Audiovox CSS-100
By hihoslva
For those that would like
the factory look, the OEM cruise stalk can easily be added to the Audiovox cruise unit.
I’d like to thank Miata.net member “Gibson99” for his guidance on
getting this to work.
First of all, a warning:
This modification will render the cruise control
“always on”. If you
are concerned about not being able to completely shut down your cruise system,
I’d advise that you not perform this modification. You take on this installation – like many
others – at your own risk.
Both the Audiovox
unit and the OEM cruise control have on/off switches to arm or disarm the
cruise control. Unfortunately, the OEM
on/off Cruise Main switch is a complicated piece, and I was unable to decipher
it and get it to work with the Audiovox unit.
For those who do not want an “always on” system – it
would be very easy to perform this modification, get it working properly, and
then install a simple toggle switch on the power wire to the Audiovox switch box.
This would give the user the ability to switch the entire system on or
off at their discretion.
Another option would be to
actually figure out the stock main switch.
I couldn’t. Maybe one of you can!
On to the install:
You will have to source a
wiper stalk with the cruise control combination switch. I got mine from Miata.net sponsor The Parts
Group, and they were a pleasure to work with.
First, install the cruise
control exactly as described in this garage article: http://www.miata.net/garage/MiataCCS100.htm
Take your car for a test
drive, and ensure that everything functions correctly.
Then we can get down to
business.
The first thing to do is to
render the cruise control “always on”. This
is best done right at the Audiovox control box circuit
board.
This pic
shows the board in its “unmolested” state:
The arrows point to the two
contacts we will need to permanently connect.
Break out your soldering iron (what, you don’t have one? Off to Radio Shack you go. Get the one for $8 that comes with a little
coil of solder; you’ll need it) and heat it up.
It won’t take long until you can use just a little solder to connect
those two points. Here’s a pic of my sloppy solder job:
Yes, the center LED (LED2) is
indeed lit in this picture. If you made
the proper contacts, that LED will light whenever the car is on (but make sure
the car is off or the switch is disconnected while you solder!).
Put the switchbox back
together, and put it aside for now.
Next is installing your new
wiper stalk with combination switch.
Contrary to other postings,
the steering wheel and clockspring do NOT need to be
removed to get this job done. One member
mentioned loosening the steering column – no need for that either. What you need is one of these:
It’s a wrench-like ratchet
with various screwdriver bits. If you
don’t have one, BUY ONE. They are
incredibly handy, and not just for this installation.
This picture shows the rear
of a clockspring, and the arrows indicate the screws
you will need to loosen (yes, just loosen – they do NOT need to be removed):
Remove the steering column
trim, and use the ratcheting tool to loosen those two screws as shown (yes –
the clockspring is still on the car!):
Loosen them until they
almost come out, but there is no need to take them out completely.
Next, push back on the black
plate that they were securing, and start to gently pry forward on the wiper
stalk, as in this pic:
The rear of the stalk should
pop out first. If it’s being really
stubborn, you may have to loosen the screws a few threads more.
Once the stalk starts to
come out, you should be able to completely remove it fairly easily:
Now you’re all set to
install the cruise control-equipped stalk.
It will go in exactly how the other came out; simply reverse the
steps. Once it’s in, re-tighten those
two screws and check the function of the stalk – make sure it moves freely and
functions properly (works the wipers, etc).
The wiring for the cruise
switches is run in a very specific manner when factory-installed. I’d recommend following the existing wire
guides and using that same routing to avoid any
possible pinching or binding when the steering wheel is operated. You will need to cut the white harness off
the end of the wires to thread it through the clockspring
– but that’s okay, as you won’t need the harness anyway.
The next series of pics follows the routing of the wire (all the clips and
stays will be there). These pictures are of a clockspring
removed from another Miata. I took these
pics before removing the cruise stalk, so I could
refer to them for routing the wires on my car.
I’ll reiterate – there is NO
need to remove the clockspring from your car to route
the wiring. Simply use the next pics as a guide for routing the wires on your car. Follow the red shaded line……..
All that’s left to do is
wire it all up.
As was suggested by
“Gibson99”, I believe it is best to leave all the Audiovox
wiring in place, and simply tap into it instead of cutting it off. I cannot say what would happen if the wires
were simply cut and spliced to the OEM switchgear (especially since one of them
needs to supply power both to the Audiovox switch
panel and your new wiper stalk), so take the safe route and tap the Audiovox wires – don’t cut them.
The wiring is as follows
(very simple):
Tap the black Mazda wire to
the red Audiovox wire
Tap the yellow Mazda wire
(*might* be red/white) to the Audiovox yellow wire.
Tap the
blue Mazda wire (might be red/blue) to the green Audiovox
wire.
If you would like to install
your own on/off switch, now would be a good time. Simply install it inline with the red power
wire from the Audiovox switch box. If the green LED on the Audiovox
box turns on and off when you use your switch, you know you’ve got it set up
correctly.
And that’s all there is to
it. Clean up your wiring and secure it
under the dash (including the Audiovox switch box), button
up the column trim and any other parts you removed (probably the knee panel
under the column as well), and you’re good to go. As long as your Audiovox
cruise was working properly before adding the OEM stalk, it should now function
just like a factory cruise – except there’s no need to switch it “on” every
time you get in the car.
Once again, a big thanks to
“Gibson99” for the help with this great and simple mod.
Any questions can be directed
to me at hihoslva@cox.net
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25 June, 2006 |