Reverse Gear Wire - Is under the seat the easiest solution?

[JeremyW]

I would like to access the reverse gear wire on my 2001 996 with memory seats. I have read the threads that suggest accessing this wire under the driver's seat. Given that my passenger side mirror adjusts when I put the car into reverse, is there no way to tap into the reverse gear wire closer to the door/mirror than having to remove the driver's seat ? Many thanks for comments -

J

[Loren]

Are you connecting up a NAV system?

Under the drivers seat is the closest that I can think of and what Porsche uses with their NAV systems.

[JeremyW]

Thanks for your reply as always Loren. Yes - I am preparing to install a kenwood dnx-9140. The reverse gear is required to use a back-up camera - Thanks -

Jeremy

Are you connecting up a NAV system?

Under the drivers seat is the closest that I can think of and what Porsche uses with their NAV systems.

[cmgleason]

Jermey I recently installed the same kenwood DNX 9140 into my 04' Targa. I used an Audiovox rear view wired camera. It was not necessary to wire the Kenwood to the reverse wire under the seat. You can wire the Reverse camera into the the backup light in the taillight. The only restriction is that you can not toggle to reverse to see behind you when going forward like you might want to do if you were towing a trailer. In my case that is not an issue. Cris

[cmgleason]

Forgot to mention this thread which will help on the install. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...l=backup+camera Also, if you wire it as I suggested the Kenwood 9140 picture within a picture will be blank since the camera won't work going forward. There are a number of comments on this site about wireless cameras not wokring as well as the wired versions which is why I went to a wired camera. It works great even at night.

[JeremyW]

Cris -

Thanks for your comments - they are very helpful!!! I also am not concerned about viewing the behind me as I am going forward. Is it correct to assume that you do not manually need to switch the video input in order to use the camera when going in reverse - in other words, does the Kenwood automatically toggle to the backup camera when you put the car in reverse? Thanks again -

Jeremy

Jermey I recently installed the same kenwood DNX 9140 into my 04' Targa. I used an Audiovox rear view wired camera. It was not necessary to wire the Kenwood to the reverse wire under the seat. You can wire the Reverse camera into the the backup light in the taillight. The only restriction is that you can not toggle to reverse to see behind you when going forward like you might want to do if you were towing a trailer. In my case that is not an issue. Cris

[cmgleason]

Yes, you are correct. Upon putting the car into reverse, the camera comes on automatically. You can then see behind you as you back up. Once you go into neutral or forward you will automatically have the source screen that you have selected available. I am assumming that you will wire the Kenwood to the rear camera input as opposed to one of the video/audio inputs. The audiovox that I used also had a rear mic so I was thinking of using the video/audio input but could not get it to work quickly. In the end I went with the rear camera input which does not have a separate audio input so I lost that feature available with the audiovox camera.

[JeremyW]

Cris -

Perfect!!!!! You have saved me at least an extra hour of work. Do you have any recommendations as to placement of the mic, voice command button or ipod cable. I am undecided on the mic, but was considering the bat wing below the climate control and the ipod cable to the locked console. Many thanks!! -

Jeremy

Yes, you are correct. Upon putting the car into reverse, the camera comes on automatically. You can then see behind you as you back up. Once you go into neutral or forward you will automatically have the source screen that you have selected available. I am assumming that you will wire the Kenwood to the rear camera input as opposed to one of the video/audio inputs. The audiovox that I used also had a rear mic so I was thinking of using the video/audio input but could not get it to work quickly. In the end I went with the rear camera input which does not have a separate audio input so I lost that feature available with the audiovox camera.

[cmgleason]

I tried the mic in the factory position left of the gauge cluster-no good no matter how I tried. The side openings of the mic can not be blocked or it won't work properly. Then I put it on the steering wheel adjustment control. That was ok but a bit troublesome. Now it is on the dash in front of the steering wheel which works great although it is visible. I may try it on the A" pillar as some have done as I am installing a self dimming mirror/rain sensor & will need to remove the pillar anyway to route the mirror wiring. The other possibility is behind the mirror & to the left but out of eyesite. At issue is the fact that if you have a cab or sunroof it will pick up a lot of wind noise mounted high but I think would work best. I also tried the mic button in various spots & ended up putting it on the left forward side of the ashtray which is really handy to use & is out of site when not needed. I installed the Ipod cable in the glovebox which was really easy but you might be able to route it into the ashtray or the rear center console. One option would be to get the ashtray delete option available thru e-bay or some parts sites which would give a bit more room if you wanted the Ipod cable there.

[JeremyW]

Cris -

Thanks again for your assistance - I am almost done with the installation and will be moving on to skinning. I did not hook up the reverse wire from the head unit. An unexpected consequence has been that my passenger mirror no longer adjusts when going in reverse. I am not sure if this is based on the aftermarket head unit, the disconnecting of the battery or something else. I have been searching several forums for an answer without success - so does your mirror still adjust? Thanks -

Jeremy

I tried the mic in the factory position left of the gauge cluster-no good no matter how I tried. The side openings of the mic can not be blocked or it won't work properly. Then I put it on the steering wheel adjustment control. That was ok but a bit troublesome. Now it is on the dash in front of the steering wheel which works great although it is visible. I may try it on the A" pillar as some have done as I am installing a self dimming mirror/rain sensor & will need to remove the pillar anyway to route the mirror wiring. The other possibility is behind the mirror & to the left but out of eyesite. At issue is the fact that if you have a cab or sunroof it will pick up a lot of wind noise mounted high but I think would work best. I also tried the mic button in various spots & ended up putting it on the left forward side of the ashtray which is really handy to use & is out of site when not needed. I installed the Ipod cable in the glovebox which was really easy but you might be able to route it into the ashtray or the rear center console. One option would be to get the ashtray delete option available thru e-bay or some parts sites which would give a bit more room if you wanted the Ipod cable there.

Edited September 9, 2009 by JeremyW

[JeremyW]

OK - mirror is back to functioning fine. I think I moved the mirror position switch during the install and that is what caused the mirror not to adjust. I moved the switch in the other direction and it is working fine now - just thought I would leave this as a post in case anyone else experiences the same problem -

Jeremy

[JeremyW]

Cris -

I am very pleased with the DNX-9140 and attempted to install my back-up camera today. I can confirm the camera is working fine, b/c I get video in A/V 1 and A/V 2 when the camera is hooked-up to these inputs. When the video rca is hooked into the back-up camera, however, I am not getting any video. My assumption is that this may relate to not having the reverse wire hooked up. Did you ground the reverse wire (purple) or connect it to another lead?

I would really like to be able to put the car in reverse, have the 9140 automatically switch to back-up camera and then go back to radio/ipod once I put the car into another forward gear. FYI - I have the back-up camera grabbing power and ground from the reverse lights. Thanks for your assistance! -

Jeremy

[cmgleason]

Jeremy- I ran the power wire from the reverse camera to the right side back up light. I accesed that by removing the tail light & running the camera + lead thru a drain hole to the + wire of the reverse lamp. thus anytime reverse is selected you have power to the camera. I grounded the negative lead to a bolt on the engine lid latch. I need to check but I don't believe I did anything with the HU purple wire since that is also power & would be redundent.

Cris -

I am very pleased with the DNX-9140 and attempted to install my back-up camera today. I can confirm the camera is working fine, b/c I get video in A/V 1 and A/V 2 when the camera is hooked-up to these inputs. When the video rca is hooked into the back-up camera, however, I am not getting any video. My assumption is that this may relate to not having the reverse wire hooked up. Did you ground the reverse wire (purple) or connect it to another lead?

I would really like to be able to put the car in reverse, have the 9140 automatically switch to back-up camera and then go back to radio/ipod once I put the car into another forward gear. FYI - I have the back-up camera grabbing power and ground from the reverse lights. Thanks for your assistance! -

Jeremy

[JeremyW]

Cris -

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would greatly appreciate you looking into what you did with the HU purple wire. I have essentially done the same as you with the camera (power, ground drain hole) and I know the camera is working fine b/c when I put the camera rca into A/V1 or A/V2 , select A/V on the HU, and put the car into reverse the camera video works fine.

Just to confirm, your system works as follows: while moving forward you are listening to radio, you put the car in reverse, the video on the HU changes to the rearview camera, when you put the car into another gear the video changes back to the radio screen.

If this is the case, I could really use your assistance with the purple wire as I have otherwise recreated your set-up. Thanks!!!! -

Jeremy

Edited October 5, 2009 by JeremyW

[cmgleason]

Just to confirm, your system works as follows: while moving forward you are listening to radio, you put the car in reverse, the video on the HU changes to the rearview camera, when you put the car into another gear the video changes back to the radio screen Yes That is how it works. I'll check & let you know.

Cris -

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would greatly appreciate you looking into what you did with the HU purple wire. I have essentially done the same as you with the camera (power, ground drain hole) and I know the camera is working fine b/c when I put the camera rca into A/V1 or A/V2 , select A/V on the HU, and put the car into reverse the camera video works fine.

Just to confirm, your system works as follows: while moving forward you are listening to radio, you put the car in reverse, the video on the HU changes to the rearview camera, when you put the car into another gear the video changes back to the radio screen.

If this is the case, I could really use your assistance with the purple wire as I have otherwise recreated your set-up. Thanks!!!! -

Jeremy

[JeremyW]

All -

My DNX-9140 is now showing my rearview camera. It appears that at some point after 2001 Porsche added a reverse wire to the stereo harness. Unfortunately, my 2001 996 Carrera required that I access a black with blue stripes wire (reverse) under the driver's seat. Further information about the reverse wire can be found in the TSB for anti-dazzle mirrors. I ended up hooking up my retrofitted anti-dim mirror to this wire and the mirror now works as designed (two birds with one stone). I did not need to remove the driver's seat from the car in order to access this wire, but you will need to remove the 4 bolts. I found that an E12 socket is the only way to remove these bolts. The two rear bolts are visible if you move the seat all the way forward. The two front bolts are hidden by plastic shields in the front of both rails - the plastic covers snap in and out easily if you are careful. FYI - there is a blue with black stripes wire, so make sure you are tapping into the reverse wire which is black with blue stripes wire.

For those trying to hook-up a rear camera to a Kenwood DNX-9140 - I ran the purple wire with white strips through the center console, along the side of the shift mechanism and arm rest. I then used a hanger and tape to bring the wire behind the carpet to the carpet cutout for the seat and then tapped into the black/blue wire. For the record, in order for the rear camera to work properly on the 9140 - the purple/white wire must be hooked up to the reverse wire which in my case was located under the driver's seat.

Good luck -

Jeremy

Edited October 14, 2009 by JeremyW

[GranburyChuck]

Glad you found that wire. I need the reverse wire for a Pioneer receiver.

[AngelOfGrief]

Did you guys actually know the reverse wire is routed to NAV computer cdrom? If you take a look at the schematic, it says A4 reverse gear. The wire should be black/blue. I don't know the level (12v or 5v) and polarity on that connection, does anyone know? So no need to look for it under driver's seat. ;)

[mikes_box]

i've got an 02 coupe and can't seem to get one corner toward the front seatbelt. Everything else has released and it's not moving from that corner. I also couldn't find a screw that was mentioned. Is it something you can visualize from the outside or is it underneath the panel. HELP!

[logray]

Can you post a picture or two of what you're talking about?

[mikes_box]

Got it... All done now... Thanks!

[lendy]

Please help, I've looked and looked but can't find this elusive Reverse Wire under the seat or anywhere else near. I have a 2000 996 cab, no Bose, no memory seats. I just can't see why it would even be coming to the alarm unit.

Thanks!

[Loren]

Depending on the model year of your car it should be likely be a Black wire with blue stripe.

[lendy]

Unwrapped and checked both harnesses, no black with blue. Any other ideas?

Is model year something other than it being a 2000? Is that what the M96.04 means?

Edited March 9, 2012 by lendy

[Loren]

Check all the harnesses - it is there. Black/Blue on a MY2000.

It comes from the backup light switch on the transmission.

Item 21 is the connection point (click to enlarge).