dreyfus

No, it has nothing to do with cruise control. When the car is moving certain functions are disabled, like entering addresses, phone numbers, or viewing MP3 song details. This switch allows you to temporarily disconnect the speed sensor input which unlocks these functions while moving.

gappell

Dreyfus.........

I second Redman's comments.

yksork

dreyfus, I installed a nav hack switch in my es 350 Lexus. The phone and mp3 work perfectly every time.As I drive I switch back and forth and all works great. The nav however does not, I'll be driving along and the DEST icons will grey out, I will flip the switch back and forth and after a bit they will grey out again. It can't be the wiring or switch because the phone and mp3 work fine. I look forward to your response Thanks yksork

dreyfus

Hmmm... So does everything work as a non-modified car would when your switch is in normal mode (speed circuit uninterrupted)? If this isn't the case then there must be a wiring error because a switch in normal mode will allow the speed signal through normally. All the speed lockouts and nav functions will be stock.

What (exactly) happens with the switch in each of it's positions?

Do you install an illuminated switch or a non-powered switch?

yksork

dreyfus, Thank you for the response. When I have the switch in the NON modified mode all systems, phone,mp3,and nav work like they did when I drove the car off the lot. When I have the switch in the modified mode the phone and mp3 functions are accessible all the time moving or not (they never grey out).The nav however when in MODIFIED mode is sporadic, sometimes the icons are available and sometimes not but even when the icons are available at the start they eventually grey out. It is strange to me because in modified mode the light blue wire is essentially cut there is no speed signal going to the unit

My switch is a very small non powered rocker switch from Pep Boys similar to the one you used ,two wires (I have parking assist so I put my switch in the cigarette tray I removed the insert, stored it in the glove box so when I trade the car in I remove the switch and replace the insert non smoker)

Having said all this I'm going to remove the switch and drive the car without the switch ( no speed signal to the unit ) maybe a bad switch?

The reason this modification would be nice for me is my wife is a realtor and although she would never insert an address on the fly,she would like to access the memory icon and punch in a prerecorded address on the fly.

dreyfus

I have found that my switch-enabled icons sometimes spontaneously disable again when I'm moving. This rarely takes place, usually after the speed lockouts have been off for a while. I chalk it up to the nav unit software figuring out from the gps signal that it must be moving and then reenabling the speed lockouts despite no signal from the speed sensor wire.

The workaround for this is to turn your switch back to normal mode for a second or two and then back to modified mode. Whatever you were working on (choosing a phone number, typing in an address) will still work and will pick up right where you left off. Your wife's memory icon work wouldn't be cancelled.

It's not a perfect solution, but then that's why it's called a hack.

I don't recommend dropping the speed signal permanently as the nav screen updates are "jerkier" and the nav may become confused about your actual position in conjested driving. Use the manual override when you need it and keep the normal functions active the rest of the time.

Sonartech

FYI - I've been working on the Over Ride issue for ES-350 (and any other Lexus that uses the newer v6.1 Nav DVD) in a different thread. This is definitely a firmware issue. You may find it interesting if you're reading this thread.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...21#post2141921

SonarTech

toneman

Off-topic, but I take it that, based on your comment (above), the 6.1 Nav DVD is actually available for purchase (vs. pre-order)?

Sonartech

Sorry, I don't know. It came with my wife's ES-350. I do know that they are brand-spankin' new, as the dealer had both 5.1 and 6.1 on the showroom floor.

• v5.1 DVD = 7.26GB (7,796,827,765 bytes)
• v6.1 DVD = 7.36GB (7,905,890,639 bytes)

If you remove the firmware from these totals and compare the new data with the old data, you're gaining 83,741,402 bytes (79.86 megs) of new map data in the form of roads and POI's. They're almost out of DVD room...

SonarTech

Carbsumer

In a five-hour marathon I installed a VaisTech iPod unit, the Lexus ES330 Sirius unit, and a manual nav hack switch.

I bought an SPST rocker switch from radio shack and installed it where the ashtray is. This is a good location because 1) either the driver or the passenger can hit the switch, 2) the ashtray is lit up nicely, making the button easily visible, 3) the button is hidden away with the lid closed and I can cover up the hole with the original ashtray, and 4) that space is too deep to be used for change or anything else.

It was a straightforward install, and you really don't need any electrical skills to do it. I just drilled a 1-inch hole in the back of the ashtray, spliced some wires into the light-blue speed sensor wire, pulled them through the hole, and attached them to the switch. Remarkably, it worked.

Carbsumer

Here's a picture of the process of drilling the back of the ashtray

Carbsumer

This thread covers the ViasTech iPod unit, too. I installed the unit under the driver's seat (currently it's just resting under there; I'll probably send it back in so I can have them enable the warning-screen-bypass feature). I installed the iPod connector in the center console, which I don't think anyone here has done.

This was pretty time-consuming for me because I didn't have instructions for removing the center console. So, I had to poke around to find the location of the bolts. Unfortunately I didn't document the process, but here are high-level instructions for removing the center console:

1. As described in "Nav/audio head unit removal steps", remove the ashtray unit, remove the gear shift handle, and place the transmission in neutral (with the parking brake engaged).
2. Behind the ashtray unit, you'll see two black screws. Remove those screws.
3. Open the cupholder to allow yourself to get a grip on the seat warmer piece. Pull the piece straight up. Disconnect the wiring harness that connects it.
4. Open up the center console. Remove the false bottom from the console to reveal two 10mm bolts. Remove those bolts.
5. From the back seat, remove the plastic piece with the vents by pulling it straight back. It just unsnaps.
6. Behind the vents in the backseat, disconnect the two white plastic wiring harnesses.
7. Still in the backseat, remove the two 10mm bolts.
8. Now, lift up the console, starting at the back. The entire console, all the way from the backseat to the ashtray unit, will move as a single piece. The whole piece will just unsnap (unless I forgot to document a screw somewhere, in which case, please post the location of the screw here).

With the center console removed from the car, I drilled several holes side-by-side on the bottom front of the console storage, as shown in the picture. The space where I drilled is almost perfectly sized and shaped for the iPod dock connecter. After drilling the holes, I misused the drill as a router to create a single hole large enough to fit the docking connector through. After replacing the center console, I ran the cable to the VaisTech unit under the front seat. Finally, after re-installing the center console, I replaced the false bottom to hide the hole that i created.

The wife is thrilled to have the iPod in the center console rather than in the glove compartment, because it's much easier to reach. After all, there's a reason Lexus put the Aux-in connector there. She synchs it up almost every day (we record talk radio with the computer daily), so being able to grab it easily is important.

MANY THANKS TO DREYFUS FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS AND PICTURES!!

dreyfus

Carbsumer, good job on your switch placement. It looks good.

I didn't think to put the VaisTech unit under the driver's seat. That's an easy-to-access location. Congrats on your custom work.

ESsearch

Dreyfus, very nice write up and great information. I, like others, am reluctant to take the interior apart to the degree shown. I am curious if you or anyone else knows where the wiring goes from the back of the head unit? Do you think the blue wire might be found at an easier access point? Lower in the dash? Under the hood? Fusebox? I also wonder what feeds the speed signal. The transmission? One of the wheels? Just thinking out loud about alternate ways to accomplish the same thing.

Pete

dreyfus

The speed wire must go to the main body ECU - the main computer, which will have feeds from the wheels as well as the transmission (and everything else). But the feeds are wrapped in vinyl and are part of a larger wiring bundle that would no doubt be hard to trace. This ECU is near where I mounted my VaisTech unit, more or less behind the steering wheel.

The position behind the nav unit is actually very easy to get at, despite the daunting photos. As this kind of thing goes, removing the head unit is a piece of cake.

A wiring diagram is what you'll need to be sure. You can get it from http://techinfo.toyota.com for a nominal fee.

Good luck with that and if you can find an easier access point do let us all know.