How does the stock radio sense the steering wheel controls on the Dock n Lock connector? I gutted my stock radio so I can put all the necessary electronics inside for my Nexus 7 and gonna put the dock n lock connector on my GM07 harness (with the box to keep chimes and security stuff) where the stock connector on the original radio was. I bought a JoyCon EXR so that I can retain the steering wheel controls, but I don't want to have to run the 3 extra wires from the steering wheel controls into my gutted radio. I kinda want the unit to be able to slide in and out like the original radio did. My amp is bluetooth, so currently I haven't needed to run extra cables anyways and I would like to keep it that way if possible.

I was able to find a piece of a wiring diagram for the unit in a 2002 Grand Prix, but I don't know if it makes the same connections:


It shows the resistor network that I would need to tap into, but I can't tell if it runs to the Dock n Lock connector at all. Any more insight into this would be much appreciated.

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

The steering wheel controls do not connect to the radio, they connect to the Dash Integration Module. The DIM interprets the voltage drop on an input created by pressing one of the buttons and then sends a message over the class 2 serial data bus to the radio telling it that a button, and which one was pressed. The Grand Prix uses a different method. There is no other option than to wire your steering wheels as directed by the instructions with the module you bought.

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Bose Luxury Sound System w/Touch Screen Navigation, Addition of Factory XM, 2005 MY Antenna, OnStar Upgrade (3G),
RainSense Wipers, Backup Camera, '00 Style Door Panel Courtesy Lights, Heated Washer Solvent, 2X Remote Trunk Release,
Turn Signal Mirrors, Center Console Courtesy Lamp, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, PVD Chrome 18" Factory Rims, Upgraded
Carbon Fibre Appearance Interior Trim, Highly Modified Main Body Harness, Instrument Panel, Door, Door Panel & Headliner
Wiring Harnesses, Custom Fuse Box & Tire and Loading Information Decals, Additional Acoustic Insulation

Dang, I thought so. Well, I guess I'll just run the wires from the steering wheel. Thanks!

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

Sorry for the double post, but where is the steering wheel harness located? I'm assuming the steering wheel control wires run through this harness and then to the DIM.

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

The steering column harness is isolated to the steering column. It plugs into the instrument panel wiring harness at the base of the steering column. The instrument panel wiring harness in turn plugs into the DIM (and other components and harnesses. There are two large 40 pin connectors there, you want the black one (the other is white). It will have four rows of terminals (A, B, C and D). The two outside rows (A & D) will each have 8 terminal cavities (not all will have wires). Some will be large terminals, some will be smaller. The two inside rows (B & C) will each have 12 wire cavities (again, not all will have wires). Cavities in each row are numbered either from 1-8 (outside rows) and 1-12 (inside rows). In very tiny characters embossed on the outside of the large connector body, you will see A1, A8 and on the other side D1 and D8. This will help you to identify which row is which, along with the start versus end of the row.

The steering wheel controls pass through this connector. They are:

Cavity C11 - Purple Wire - Steering Wheel Controls Feed
Cavity D8 - Dark Blue Wire - Steering Wheel Controls Signal

You should be able to access the wires here instead of running wires all the way across to the DIM.

_________________


Bose Luxury Sound System w/Touch Screen Navigation, Addition of Factory XM, 2005 MY Antenna, OnStar Upgrade (3G),
RainSense Wipers, Backup Camera, '00 Style Door Panel Courtesy Lights, Heated Washer Solvent, 2X Remote Trunk Release,
Turn Signal Mirrors, Center Console Courtesy Lamp, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, PVD Chrome 18" Factory Rims, Upgraded
Carbon Fibre Appearance Interior Trim, Highly Modified Main Body Harness, Instrument Panel, Door, Door Panel & Headliner
Wiring Harnesses, Custom Fuse Box & Tire and Loading Information Decals, Additional Acoustic Insulation

Thanks for the info! There are 2 leads per channel on my JoyCon EXR: input and ground. So I'll just connect the signal wire to the input lead and just connect the ground lead to the chassis ground and maybe the magic smoke won't escape. I'm assuming the feed line supplies the voltage to the controls, right?

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

The feed line is a voltage feed from the DIM to the steering wheel controls. Basically, you need to disconnect the steering wheel controls from the vehicle entirely (both wires) and connect them to your module. The steering wheel controls are simply a network of resistors. Depending on which button is pressed dictates how many of the resistors are connected to the network changing the resistance across the two wires.

_________________


Bose Luxury Sound System w/Touch Screen Navigation, Addition of Factory XM, 2005 MY Antenna, OnStar Upgrade (3G),
RainSense Wipers, Backup Camera, '00 Style Door Panel Courtesy Lights, Heated Washer Solvent, 2X Remote Trunk Release,
Turn Signal Mirrors, Center Console Courtesy Lamp, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, PVD Chrome 18" Factory Rims, Upgraded
Carbon Fibre Appearance Interior Trim, Highly Modified Main Body Harness, Instrument Panel, Door, Door Panel & Headliner
Wiring Harnesses, Custom Fuse Box & Tire and Loading Information Decals, Additional Acoustic Insulation

It doesn't seem to be working. I've tried connecting the wires in both orientations, but it module reads maximum resistance. Are these the right wires at the steering column connector?

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

Are the wire on the plug side or on the connector side?

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles

Picture(s) would help a lot.

The large 40 cavity connector is referred to as an 'inline' connector, meaning it doesn't connect to a component but instead connects one wiring harness to another. I really doesn't matter which side of the connector you disconnect the wires from, as long as both halves of the connector remain plugged together and you have the correct wires. YOU MUST CONNECT TO THE TWO WIRES THAT STILL PASS THROUGH TO THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS, NOT THE TWO THAT CONNECT TO THE DIM.

Personally, I have my own thoughts on installing aftermarket devices and how it should be done. I've never actually found anyone else that follows my principles though. If you are installing a component in the dash, I recommend splicing into the dash side of the harness. If the component is installed elsewhere, I recommend either integrating into the body portion of the harness. Ultimately, my reason is future serviceability. For example... Let's say you need to remove the dash assembly from your car to replace the heater core or AC evaporator. Now you have a whole bunch of wiring that you've added that runs all over the vehicle. It's no longer possible to simply unplug the appropriate harnesses and remove the dash from the vehicle. You've got wires all over the place limiting access and short of cutting a bunch of them and splicing them back later it's basically a disaster to work on. In my opinion, these sorts of things need to be properly planned and executed. This generally means deciding where your various components will be located, running the wiring and adding inline connectors where necessary to accommodate future service.

_________________


Bose Luxury Sound System w/Touch Screen Navigation, Addition of Factory XM, 2005 MY Antenna, OnStar Upgrade (3G),
RainSense Wipers, Backup Camera, '00 Style Door Panel Courtesy Lights, Heated Washer Solvent, 2X Remote Trunk Release,
Turn Signal Mirrors, Center Console Courtesy Lamp, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, PVD Chrome 18" Factory Rims, Upgraded
Carbon Fibre Appearance Interior Trim, Highly Modified Main Body Harness, Instrument Panel, Door, Door Panel & Headliner
Wiring Harnesses, Custom Fuse Box & Tire and Loading Information Decals, Additional Acoustic Insulation

I got it too work, so those were indeed the correct wires to splice into. The signal passes to the male end from the female end. Turns out, I connected my module to what ran to the DIM. Luckily, I left some slack at the male connector and just connected the leads to that and then just plugged it in so the signal could pass through. Now my steering wheel controls work perfectly on my Nexus 7.

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2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
198K miles