Hey guys, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out this issue...

Bought a Z1 and had the install place do the 2 wire bypass about 2 years ago. Last Novemeber I decided to upgrade and get a new Z3 HDD w/ the 2009 maps. I swapped out the hard drives and the bypass kept on working. Last month I had to send my unit in to a repair shop on the east coast (not Pioneer) to have the LCD screen fixed. When I got the unit back and had it reinstalled, the bypass stopped working and now I'm getting the parking brake warning (install place swears the bypass is still intact, had it checked twice). I tried hitting the reset button but that only lasted for about 20 miles, then the parking brake warning came back again. Weird thing is that if I put the original Z1 drive back in the unit, the parking brake warning goes away.

Any ideas as to why all of a sudden after getting my unit reinstalled the 2 wire bypass wont work with the Z3 HDD?

Double check your mute wire

Check the menu settings and let us know the version of you software.

04.0000

CDDB ver is 09-01-0020

Did you need you to do the mute wire for the Z1s?

Like I said earlier, the old z1 drive worked with the bypass when I popped it back in so could it even be a wiring issue?

Did you ever have the original Z1 bypassed? If so it may be using the older bypass method and it was just never removed when you upgraded...

I am with Captain. Check the mute wire where it goes into the back of the unit.

Yes, the original Z1 was bypassed using what I believe to be the 2 wire method. Is the wire bypass different for the Z1 vs. the Z3?

The early Z1's used a mehtod that simulated the headlights flashing. The ducatiboy flasher was the most popular.

It wasnt the flasher method, they grounded the wires (I think the unit was made after July 06 so only option I had was grounding wires). Unfortunately I cant take my dash apart and double check what they did, but they swear everything is grounded properly and secured in the harness. So before I take my car back to them again I want to make sure it's not the hard drive possibly needing an update or something to that affect.

GT, no matter what updates I do/dont have on the Z3 HDD, if I follow the bypass instructions posted in this link, everything should work, correct?

http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html#newbypass

I'm still puzzled as to why the new Z3 HDD worked for 6+ months, but stopped when I had to send my unit in for repairs. Only plausible reason is improper grounding?

GT, no matter what updates I do/dont have on the Z3 HDD, if I follow the bypass instructions posted in this link, everything should work, correct?

 

http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html#newbypass

Correct. Unless someone is doing something really funky with the updated image. If the bypass is done correctly, you may need to press the reset button, but you stated that you tried that already... It is VERY easy for the pin to come loose in the connector when the radio is removed and reinstalled... It makes no sense that the Z1 drive works. Have you tried to drive around for a day or two with the Z1 drive to see if the parking brake warning will start popping up?

I just went around the block with the old drive earlier this week long enough to test the DVD and phone menu. I'll pop it back in tonite and see if the parking brake message comes up on my way to work.

Thanks so much for all the help so far. I'm feeling confident it truly is an issue with the bypass, and probably something very minor that can easily be overlooked (like you mentioned).

I have this problem sometimes as well. I have narrowed it down to the parking brake wire. I was not getting a good ground on the parking brake wire and it was confusing the AVIC. There are a CRAP TON of wires behind your unit, sometimes, the connections get loose and need to be tightened or just moved into a position where the harness has a little more room to "breathe". Once your parking brake wire activates the lockout, it cannot be cleared until the unit is reset, that is why it would work for a while for you after you reset it (it did for me as well), but then I would hit a bump in the road, disturb the wire behind the radio, and it would get locked again.

Bottom line here is to check the connections of all your wires, especially ones that you are grounding. And please, PLEASE do not just "tie in" your wires to the black ground wire. If you have to ground something, go get a ring terminal, crimp your wire to that, find a bolt and ground it properly to the chassis.