*update* removed navigation and rewired automatic climate control

A forum for the legendary Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4.
nisspath
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An anyone tell me how to wire the auto climate control to a pathfinder that has NAV? My buttons kept falling off, like everyone else, so I followed the advice from this forum and bought a used auto climate control unit from ebay. I removed the nav, and the the plugs are not the same. I found the small black box behind/under the nav, and removed it, and the plugs still aren't the same. So how do you plug these into the control unit? The attached manual gives you pin outs, and the diagrams sort of match the back of the nav and the back of the auto climate control, but it doesn't match what I found inside my 01 path. They way I read it, I should unplug m104 and m105 from the back of the nav, and plug in m102 and m103 to the back of the auto climate control unit. I can't find m102 and m103 with the correct plug.

By the way, here is the manual link again http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/QX4/2001%20 ... tioner.pdf. Page HA-40 shows both sets of plugs.


nisspath
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nissan 01 wrote: As far as wiring, you have the above wiring diagrams. Look at those but also AFTER you take out the stock navigation. Look behind it and you will see a small black box with connectors to it. That box is actually the climate control unit for the cars with navigation. If you look at the wires coming out of it, it matches up to the wires coming out of the auto climate unit. I think it was only like 3 wires that did not match up. but it was for illumination or something like that. It was fairly simple. i'll take a pic of the box i was talking about. I didn't see it the first time as I was trying to figure out the wiring diagram. Then i saw it sitting back there and realized what it was for haha. made things TWICE as easy.
The plugs that come out of that black box do not match the jacks in the auto climate unit. They physically do not fit. Did you have to purchase new plugs to make it fit? The wiring diagram for the pathfinder shows m102/m103 and m104/m105 being present, but I can't find m102/m103 which should be the ones that go in the non-navi auto climate unit. If I read it correctly, m104/m105 are the two plugs that go in the back of the black box. So I'm still not clear how to make this work.

Ninjakills1
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******UPDATE******

It's been a long time since I been on this post... wow. After switching my climate control unit I notice the buttons on (not display) unit doesn't light up, is this normal or should they be lit too?

Rizzolo
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Car: 2001 Nissan Pathfinder Le

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Hey,

Where did most of you find your m102/m103 connectors? Nissan is telling me i have to buy a brand new unit in order to get the wires for $350....which is BS because i already got a used one and just need wires..

any help is appreciated,

thanks

rizzol19
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Joined: Thu May 03, 2012 1:32 pm

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I too am having trouble getting the wiring right. I have the auto climate control but none of the wires fit in the back of that are coming form the back of the dash. Do I need to get wires from an 01' path that has the auto climate? This project seems awesome I just need some damn wires! can't wait to do it.

Ninjakills1
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Car: 2001 QX4

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Image

Okay this picture might help some you guys on here trying to figure out which wires are needed to be connected to the AC control unit.

NOTE:
the pink-stripe wires (green and black stripes) are not used even though they are supposed to be for illumination?

NOTE: also know these wires will come/run out from the left side of the car radio head unit. I will try to post a picture of what that looks like.

Image

Here's another closer look at my wiring for the AC control unit. ***ENJOY***

Image
Last edited by Ninjakills1 on Tue May 08, 2012 7:07 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Ninjakills1
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****ATTENTION*****DO NOT ATTEMPT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB. THIS WILL REQUIRE LOTS OF PATIENCE AND STUBBORNNESS TO SUCCEED*****

About me:

Like many other people on here I was having trouble with the Nav buttons falling off and soon learn it would be an expensive fix, like $800 - $5,000 dollars! NO THANK YOU and so I begin looking for ways to replace my outdated Navigation unit which didn't play dvds, mp3, or have bluetooth and of course old a** navigation cd from 2005??!? Well I got my Clarion head unit which was a good fit and didn't need to be modified to fit in the dash pocket, but unfortunately got stolen when my truck was broken into. Since then, I had replaced it with a factory like radio which I absolutely love because it blends/fits in so well with the interior. Only problem was it didn't fill the gaps btw the radio bezel & head unit or fit into the dashboard pocket. So all of this meant time to put in some work. So here are some pictures of my work in progress and the finish product. Please let me know what you guys think...! :dblthumb:

FYI:
Radio -http://ottonavi.com/product/universal/u ... ion-system- $279
Scoshe Wiring Harness (Nissan) - Wal-Mart - $9

Paint - Dupli Color (GM Storm Gray) - $7 NOTE: Don't forget the clear coat spray paint & primer filler spray paint
Instant Molding Putty - Wal-Mart - $4 (x3) Total $12
Sand Paper - Wal-Mart - $4
Sand Block / General Purpose- Wal-Mart - $3

TIP: I Highly recommend buying dremel if you don't have one along with the different accessories need to get the job done well and quickly!


1. Image
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Last edited by Ninjakills1 on Sat May 12, 2012 9:48 am, edited 7 times in total.

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Chris.m
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Ninja, what vehicle is that Nav out of? It looks like an OEM unit out of something.

Ninjakills1
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Chris.m wrote:Ninja, what vehicle is that Nav out of? It looks like an OEM unit out of something.
Believe it or not it's an after market radio, so it didn't come out of any vehicle but that was the "factory" look I was going for! :)

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Chris.m
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What is the make and model and how much did you pay?

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patqx4
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Yeah that head unit looks great in there. You did an amazing job fabbing the console from those pics! Question though, how long has it been and any problem with the paint chipping? what kind of paint did you use? I want to paint my dash console like you did but I'm worried the paint will chip.

rizzol19
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These all look awesome, I think I figured out my problem. I just want to clarify, when doing this, there are no plugs that will plug directly in to the back of the auto ac unit, I have to purchase the reverse harness and rewire everything to those? is this correct? If this is correct, I can't believe it took me this long to figure out!

rizzol19
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Still can't figure this thing out. I have purchased an automatic climate control unit, but I do not have the plugs for it. Where can I get the connectors that plug in to the back of the climate unit which can then be spliced in to the wires coming off the black box of the climate control unit.


Thanks,
Dan

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patqx4
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rizzol19 wrote:Still can't figure this thing out. I have purchased an automatic climate control unit, but I do not have the plugs for it. Where can I get the connectors that plug in to the back of the climate unit which can then be spliced in to the wires coming off the black box of the climate control unit.


Thanks,
Dan
Id try a junkyard first.

rizzol19
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Tried all the junkyards within 10 miles of me, either they didnt have the car or they pulled the wires out and scrapped em. I'm going to check radioshack possibly as a last chance thing, though doubtful they have that.

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sroberts
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I started with this project today - replacing my 2001 Pathfinder NAV / climate control / Bose with an aftermarket NAV and climate control unit where the Bose radio presently is. Here's what I had to get:

1) An auto climate control that includes the connectors - found this on eBay, someone was thoughtful enough to clip the wires leaving about 3"
2) NAV / stereo, etc. unit - there are no ideal choices, 7" comes closest to the factory setup, I chose the Clarion nx702. I like that it has a rear video feed so I can hook it up to my factory entertainment LCD.
3) Scosche SLC4 Speaker Level Converter for compatibility with the Bose amp/speakers
4) Scosche NN03B Car Stereo Connector for 1995-Up Nissan - it just allows you to retain the factory stereo connectors. Too bad they don't make connectors for climate controls for Dan.
5) Scosche Ndab Nissan Diversity Antenna Adapter
6) Metra Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface - adapts the Nissan (or about any) steering wheel controls to the new NAV /stereo
7) Koolertron Rear View License Plate Backup CMOS Camera
8) A thingy from eBay to defeat the new NAV unit's showing of video on the main display only while stopped.
9) A bunch of solder heat shrink connectors

I've tested the NAV for fit and have the NAV/stereo, steering wheel control and climate control wired and tested in the Pathfinder but not yet permanently installed.

Tips on the climate control:
- Get one with connectors!
- Find and remove your factory climate control unit, behind/below the factory radio, held on by 2 10mm screws. It is the wires/connectors that go into this box that you'll be splicing into, not the connectors that go into the factory NAV unit.
- Refer to the HA service manual for wiring connections, link is posted in a prior message in this thread. I found the pinouts for the climate control connectors did not follow the connection numbers on the connectors themselves, and also found that the HA manual lists the pinouts two different ways. There are enough unused pins that you can determine how to jive your wiring with the manual.
- Once I mapped between NAV & Non-NAV climate control per the HA manual, I found the wire coloring matched exactly between the climate control unit I purchased and my existing wiring. So if you like to live dangerously and you have wires with your purchased climate control unit, you may choose to simply go by wire color. Note that there are multiple wires with the same color pattern, they probably are common but I stuck with the pinout order.
- As Ninjakills noted, there is no connection on the factory NAV climate control for illumination, makes sense as the illumination is a function of the factory NAV unit and not the climate control. No doubt there's a source for illumination in the radio/nav connections, I've not hunted it down yet though.
- Aside from the 2 wires for illumination I had 3 left over wires, all noted as multiplex communications for the factory NAV.

I still have a lot to do:
- Install and wire the backup camera
- Figure out if I can use my factory windshield GPS antenna for the new NAV, or if I need to use the one that came with it
- Run the video out feed to the factory entertainment system
- Wire up the safety device defeat thing
- Drill holes in the factory NAV bracket in order to use it with the new NAV. I was surprised to find that it will work well, though only one screw hole on each side is aligned with the NAV.
- Figure out how to mount the climate control unit where the radio once was and trim the bezel to fit. The width is perfect but the CC is about 1/4" taller than the radio.
- Find a source for illumination for the climate control unit
- Trim the trim ring that came with my new NAV so it will fit properly in my bezel. Plan B is to go to a stereo shop and see if they have one that's a nice looking fit.
- Figure out what to do with the AUX button, if anything.

Steve

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Chris.m
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sroberts wrote: - Figure out what to do with the AUX button, if anything.

You can give me the aux button :bigthumb:

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sroberts
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Quick update on my install - I drove around for about 10 days with the Clarion NX702 temporarily installed - it has a great Nav but the rest of the system is pretty buggy so I ended up sending it back, and I'm shopping around for a new double-din Nav+Stereo.

The trickiest part has been the climate controls - wiring wasn't too bad but I had to put my bezel under the knife to get the climate control to fit where the radio once was. I took about 3/8" of the bezel off at the bottom of the radio opening, I found working slowly with a sharp utility knife worked best. It turned out looking great, it's installed in the car and I can again adjust the controls without having to use a wire as a p0ker.
Image

fannan73
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I am also attempting to change out the navigation system in my 01 Pathfinder with the auto climate control. I have the wiring diagrams, but the wiring diagram does not match the wiring on my nav unit.

Does anyone know if the black box is necessary with the auto climate control? If not, can I just use those wires for the auto climate control? I have tried to contact Nissan and Clarion for wiring diagrams for the nav unit and have not gotten a reply.

Any help/pictures on the wiring conversion would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
:confused:

Nissan5
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Having the same issues. These posts have been a great help so far because my local Nissan "Apple Nissan" of York has been no help at all. They are trying to sell me the entire module for six grand WTF?

Any other suggestions and advice would be great. I contacted a company "Nissan Parts" out on the left coast (Washington State) that have been very helpful. Getting the unit for $370.00, to me is worth it because the Pathy is a great vehicle but have no need for the GPS.

The part number for the climate control unit is PN #27500-4W90A

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sroberts
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fannan73 wrote: Does anyone know if the black box is necessary with the auto climate control? If not, can I just use those wires for the auto climate control? I have tried to contact Nissan and Clarion for wiring diagrams for the nav unit and have not gotten a reply.
:confused:
The black box auto climate control included with the factory NAV is not necessary if you purchase a climate control with a control panel. HOWEVER the big issue is that the connectors on the "black box" climate control are different than the connectors on the unit with the control panel. So I suggest if possible, purchase a climate control that includes the connectors and enough length of wire for splicing. Although the connectors are different, the wire color coding is the same so it is not difficult to tap the wires for your new climate control into the wires that plugged into the NAV.

Somewhere on this forum, maybe in the stickies, is a link to documents that includes the wiring diagrams.

Steve

Nissan5
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Update:
I ended up buying from another company and got a reman unit for $160.00 but the F***in connectors did not come with it. Anyone know if those connections o the black box will work. If not where can I get those connectors/plug ins from?

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atraudes
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I just finished removing the navigation unit from my 01 QX4 not too long ago. I rewired it to use the climate control system that the non-nav vehicles come with. So, a couple of notes that I came away with:

1. I didn't use another year climate control unit because I noticed some of the voltages used to communicate engine temperature and such were different, to a degree that the readings would have been WAY off. I’m not sure exactly what the unplanned side effects would have been so I decided to simply sidestep the whole question. There were also a couple of missing pins in previous years’ units (I think ECM Comp and Comp On)
2. I wasn't able to buy a climate control unit that had the harness connector or wires, but I had a bit of luck in that I found the perfect connectors and wires on eBay listed as "00-02 Nissan Maxima AC Heat Climate Control Wire Harness". It ended up being short a terminal/wire, but I was able to Mickey Mouse it together with no problems. I’m willing to bet money that the connectors were used on other vehicles, so doing some larger sweeps of eBay may yield better results.

Also: I'm selling my old navigation unit for $300, shipping included. I'll include the navigation disc (of course), and the climate control box.

@fannan73: the wires coming directly out of the navigation unit don't do anything to directly control the climate. The wires run to a black climate control box which is mounted near the floor below the stereo. It's about the size of 2 cigarette packs. The wires coming out of it are the ones you're looking for. The black box will be replaced with whatever climate control unit you choose.

Here’s the wiring chart I used during my research and implementation. The colors of the wires can be found in the FSM if needed.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3ZOuhE ... E1VWExDX3c

I used the bezel from a non-navi QX4 of the same year, so there wasn’t any fabrication needed. The only bit of custom work I had to do was make a cutout to fit around the stereo. The location of the stereo in the cutout wasn’t totally my choice; I used the bracket that was already there and that’s where it ended up. The huge perk to the placement was that I have the option of drilling holes where those Pac-Man-looking circles are and mounting gauges. The triangle portion of the Pac-Man points to where the middle of the circle is. This will be useful if you end up drilling those holes.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3ZOuh ... WxPOHZrVnM

You’ll notice the template is inverted; this is so you can print it out (it’s scaled exactly to size, so don’t let the printer scale it), glue it to the wood and get to business with a jigsaw. The printed and glued paper will end up being on the inside of your console, so the opposite side can be laminated or painted like I did. Hot glue worked fine for mounting the cutout in the bezel.

Image

Voltage and oil pressure gauges will appear there at some point in the future. I ended up swapping out the light wood for something darker.

This project ended up taking a number of weeks of studying the FSMs on the bus and scouring eBay, so take your time and make sure you understand what you’re doing before pulling things apart.

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Arkady021
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I am tackling this project as well. These post have been very helpful. I was wondering what the AUX switch next to the heated seats switches is used for? I have seen it in several posts but I just have a blank filler there.

acelesson
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I also am about to tackle this project. I bought a ACC Module and new center console to fit it in. The last piece to the puzzle is the wiring harness to convert the old Nav wiring set up to a non-nav.

Can anyone point me in the direction I need to go in? Would I be able to order a wiring harness through Nissan?

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atraudes
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There is no assembled harness you can buy to simply convert it (man that'd be sweet), but check out my previous post. I created a wiring chart that you can use. This was done on a 2001 QX4; it may be different for later years, but I doubt it. Anything earlier and the chart is guaranteed to not be applicable. You can always pull up the FSMs for your year and the donor year to create your own chart.

Good luck and feel free to post questions as you progress :)

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sroberts
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Arkady021 wrote:I am tackling this project as well. These post have been very helpful. I was wondering what the AUX switch next to the heated seats switches is used for? I have seen it in several posts but I just have a blank filler there.
The AUX switch is for the rear entertainment system, it causes the audio part of the A/V to be run through the stereo. Many folks use(d) the AUX input with their phones or iPods, however if you're replacing the Bose radio you'd no longer have a use for the switch anyway.

Steve

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Arkady021
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Question on this link showing the pin out conversion.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3ZOuhE ... E1VWExDX3c
This link showing the pin out conversion is great but can you clarify if the image of the plugs is looking at the back of the plugs where the wires go in or from the front where the holes are? In the HA manual it appears to show it both ways depending on what page you are looking at. HA 39 is reversed from HA 40

Also some of you seem to be much luckier than me. I had to get my plugs for the new auto climate control unit from an Ebay listing for a 00 - 05 Altima. The plugs fit but the wire colors are not even close.

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Arkady021
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I got it. It is looking from the front where the holes are. That part is hooked up and working but I am 1 pin short of being able to make the button lights work. I think I will buy another Ebay plug set unless someone can tell me the name of the metal pins inside the plugs so I can just buy some blank new ones.
Still to do:
Find the reverse wire for the backup camera and run the cable for the backup camera.
Fix the illumination for the climate control buttons.
Wire up the rest of the stereo which should be easy by comparison.

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atraudes
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Argh! I had the same exact problem with coming up short a pin/wire :gapteeth:

I ended up using one of the wires from the old plugs. The metal receiving piece fits snugly over the pin on the new climate control unit, but doesn't lock into the new plug like the others do. I simply put it in the plug and zip-tied it to nearby wires to reinforce it a bit. It sounds janky but it actually worked out pretty well. I've only had to specifically push down on that wire after plugging into the CC unit once, so it was definitely less frustrating than trying to find another plug online.

If you can find another plug online for a reasonable price go that route. In the interest of doing it right :chuckle:


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