Anyone have problems with PAC SWI-PS?

[wildcat08]

What I've got:
2009 2.5S convenience package
Pioneer AVH P3200BT
PAC SWI-PS (not sure which revision)
Relay for bypass

Installed everything in March, it all worked fine for 2 months. For the past few weeks, intermittent problems with steering wheel controls. Volume buttons almost always work, but sometimes with reversed function. Tune down button almost always works, tune up button rarely works. Source button rarely works. Sometimes, though, all of the buttons work fine.

Anyone else ever had problems like that? I haven't disconnected the battery or anything like that since installation. I think the first thing I'll try is resetting/reprogramming the PAC module. After that, I'm out of ideas besides a new module.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Sounds like bad connections to me. Im not 100% familiar with wiring up the PAC unit, but if there are straight wire to wire connections did you solder them or just twist and tape?

[wildcat08]

I soldered the resistors in but the wire that receives the signal from the factory wiring harness is spliced in with a tap. I would think that if it were the wiring, then none of the buttons would work since there is just the one wire, but it's possible. I'm moving this week, so no time to mess with it until at least next week.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Id put my money on the tap being finicky. Could be making connection sometimes and not others. I never was a fan of the tap route. Is it the kind you just squeeze onto the wire and it kind of has a blade on it that cuts into the existing signal?

[fyrcomm]

Tune down button almost always works, tune up button rarely works. Source button rarely works. Sometimes, though, all of the buttons work fine.

I used to have the same problem. I figured the source of it was poor wiring, so I took a look behind my head unit and alas, the resistors were in such a position that they would short periodically (they were soldered together, but not wrapped in any insulation). To fix the problem I just took some electrical tape and wrapped it around the contacts to prevent them from shorting. Never had the problem again!

I'm not sure if you have any insulation around the resistor contacts, but consider it a possibility if you don't

[Mattv609]

yeeee im havin the exact sam problems.... buggin me out... cuz also in the cold most of the buttons worked and in the hot it didnt work at all.. did the same volume up wen down and volume down went down.. my source barley wrks..... i wanna bring it bak to best buy who did my installation to fix it....

[DJ_B_Easy]

yeeee im havin the exact sam problems.... buggin me out... cuz also in the cold most of the buttons worked and in the hot it didnt work at all.. did the same volume up wen down and volume down went down.. my source barley wrks..... i wanna bring it bak to best buy who did my installation to fix it....

Bring it to my Best Buy Install Bay..they ranked #1 in the district last 3 or 4 quarters.

[Mattv609]

arent u in NJ?? lol im on long island not tryin 2 drive that far for that..lol

[AppleBonker]

Mine started having issues about a month after installing it (the previous button started to only work occasionally). A couple of months back I upgraded my head unit and the PAC adapter really stopped working and started to mess with the entire functionality of the unit. It is now completely disconnected.

Point is, I'm starting to think that the module isn't one of their better products. Either that, or the Nissan wiring is a little bit funky. I need to try reprogramming, but tbqh I've been too lazy to care about it lately.

[DJ_B_Easy]

arent u in NJ?? lol im on long island not tryin 2 drive that far for that..lol

Yeah Im in NJ, just saying,they are in the same district as your local most likely and killing it!

[QR25DE]

Mine started having issues about a month after installing it (the previous button started to only work occasionally). A couple of months back I upgraded my head unit and the PAC adapter really stopped working and started to mess with the entire functionality of the unit. It is now completely disconnected.

Point is, I'm starting to think that the module isn't one of their better products. Either that, or the Nissan wiring is a little bit funky. I need to try reprogramming, but tbqh I've been too lazy to care about it lately.

Wired mine up over a year ago with my friend. Works 100% all the time with my F700BT Pioneer unit.

It may be head unit dependant / a combination of wiring. AppleBonker, I know you know your wiring so I would discard that as your cause. Maybe just a bad unit in general that you have.

I think honestly they should just sell them for each deck/vehicle. IE: Nissan Altima 2007-2011 with Pioneer, Nissan Altima 2007-2011 With Kenwood, and so on. No soldering stupid resistors etc. Or even make a harness that you can plug into your deck with a connector for the oem car harness.

Obviously there are better way they could do it, but I haven't had any issues with mine. Sometimes there is a lag time and thats to be expected but other then that it works fine.

[AppleBonker]

AppleBonker, I know you know your wiring so I would discard that as your cause. Maybe just a bad unit in general that you have.

I'm not immune to screwing up. I just wonder how well the device was designed. It could be a flaw in the PAC item, or that the Nissan wiring or buttons are a bit screwy (I've found other electrical oddities in the car, so it wouldn't be too surprising). Or, I might have just messed up the programming (though that wouldn't explain why it worked well for a couple of months and then started acting up). Next time I get a chance, I'll try to reprogram it and get in there with a multimeter to check that everything is functioning correctly.

[wildcat08]

I ended up re-doing mine because something in the head unit was rattling and I had it replaced under warranty. Maybe it was the wiring or the programming, but it has been working 100% for a few months now. One thing I noticed was that in the original instruction I got from PAC's website, I swear it had you cut the brown loop wire in half. In the instructions that are there now, it says not to cut either one. Either way, I just spliced it back together and it has worked fine since then.