Maybe someone can help me out.

Yesterday, I installed the software update as provided by Hyperite and it worked great. I did the reset (pressing little indented button) and after it rebooted I no longer got the brake warning and was able to use all the Z2's function while the car's moving.

Today, after I was driving for about 20 minutes, I suddenly got the brake warning... and the bypass no longer works.

I reset again, and it worked fine. Turned car off and parked. Later, started car back up and drove again... about 40 minutes later the brake warning came on and the bypass no longer worked.

Also, my GPS location is completely inaccurate now. This was not happening earlier, only the last few miles home. I mean REALLY inaccurate. Parked in my driveway it's showing I'm smack in the middle of a main road that's more than a 1/4 mile away.

I'm going to go back to the guy that did the install (obviously) -- and let me say I'm not sure he did the wire part of the bypass prior to me doing the software update, so it could be a matter of me needing to go back to him anyway to do that -- but was just wondering if anyone can shed some light on the matter...

Thanks!

Sounds like only the parking brake wire is grounded in your car. you have to make sure both wires are grounded for this to work properly. as seen in this picture

Sounds like only the parking brake wire is grounded in your car. you have to make sure both wires are grounded for this to work properly. as seen in this picture

http://www.sminntech.com/images/avicz1newbypass.jpg

Thanks... I did contact my installer and he was pretty sure he had wired it properly for bypass already, but he's going to check here (and online) later and get back to me...

I've now read in the "official" thread that someone else had the issue too... I hope it's just a wiring issue...

Yah, I would focus on the "ground this pin" wire. That is what people who have a problem usually have a problem with. I don't know why. But usually it's in the connector there, not on the other end where they ground it. Those terminals are small and have to be inserted in the correct orientation. And some people don't or don't put them in all the way and they make loose connections.

And some people don't or don't put them in all the way and they make loose connections.

Inserted correctly, you can hear it snap into place too.

Where can I get the software from my unit was made in February.

Where can I get the software from my unit was made in February.

1. stop hijacking threads

2. look at the top of the hacks/mods section it's a sticky and right at the top

http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 83&start=0

Gotta be a wiring issue. "Pretty sure he wired it properly" doesn't fill me with confidence.

Gotta be a wiring issue. "Pretty sure he wired it properly" doesn't fill me with confidence.

Well, I THINK what he said was that it's wired the same way as the Z1 bypass. He's gonna get back to me though...

Would that also explain why the GPS location is all flakey?

Would that also explain why the GPS location is all flakey?

I guess that would depend on what you meant by that. Do you mean that when you start the car it's not always dead on? Or when you are moving sometimes it shows you stopped or when you are stopped it shows you moving?

If you have weird issues like that I would make sure your GPS antenna is on the top of the car and is stuck to something metallic, not just thrown on the dashboard. Having the antenna magnetically stuck to a large piece of metal helps reception. And then I would check the VSS wire to make sure that's right, it's not loose or not compatible. If that is not the correct wire or not compatible with the unit, it could be feeding motion into the avic when there is none or vice versa.

Would that also explain why the GPS location is all flakey?

 

I guess that would depend on what you meant by that. Do you mean that when you start the car it's not always dead on? Or when you are moving sometimes it shows you stopped or when you are stopped it shows you moving?

 

If you have weird issues like that I would make sure your GPS antenna is on the top of the car and is stuck to something metallic, not just thrown on the dashboard. Having the antenna magnetically stuck to a large piece of metal helps reception. And then I would check the VSS wire to make sure that's right, it's not loose or not compatible. If that is not the correct wire or not compatible with the unit, it could be feeding motion into the avic when there is none or vice versa.

I kinda explained it in the original post -- yesterday, after resetting, the GPS was way off. This wasn't a problem prior to the update... and I know this because it was off when I was parked in my driveway! LOL!

This morning, starting the car up and driving about 2 miles, all is fine. The bypass is working (I reset yesterday). Everything was working great prior to the update, and these problems -- the brake warning reappearing and the GPS being off -- are brand new...

Oh, it's not flaky, it just has your position at a different location? Just park at a known intersection and go in at edit your location to exactly where you are, that should fix that. After a software update, it probably "lost" or recalibrated your position on the planet. You can set that and you should be dead nuts on.

And the brake warning being new? Was your parking brake grounded during this update and bypass? If so, that's the second wire in connector 2. That's not grounded.

Oh, it's not flaky, it just has your position at a different location? Just park at a known intersection and go in at edit your location to exactly where you are, that should fix that. After a software update, it probably "lost" or recalibrated your position on the planet. You can set that and you should be dead nuts on.

 

And the brake warning being new? Was your parking brake grounded during this update and bypass? If so, that's the second wire in connector 2. That's not grounded.

Okay, here's what I mean.

Prior to the update I was always getting the brake warning when the system first booted up... and obviously, the Z2 wasn't bypassed.

After the update I reset the unit (by pressing the pin-hole button) ... when it booted up there was no more brake warning. I took a test drive around the block (a mile) and the bypass worked fine.

The next day, driving to pick my daughter up from camp, about two miles into the trip while I was driving on the highway, the brake warning suddenly came on and the bypass no longer worked. Once at her camp, I parked and reset the unit again. No more brake warning, bypass worked fine.

Drove all the way home (about 20 miles) and just before getting home the brake warning came on again and bypass ceased to work. This is also when the GPS location went a little nutty.

Reset the unit AGAIN and while the bypass seemed fine, the GPS location was still off. I turned off the car and let it sit for the night.

This morning I drove to an appointment (about a mile away) and the bypass worked fine and GPS location were fine. Drove home -- all remained good.

Then this afternoon, on the way to get my daughter for camp about 4 miles into the trip I got the brake warning again and bypass stopped working. GPS location is now fine.

I haven't reset again. I have talked to my installer and he's concerned the bypass software might be "buggy" -- but he's going to look at the wiring again also... hopefully tomorrow.

Was the wiring for the bypass done prior to me doing the software update? Yes, as far as what I understand the installer told me. If I remember correctly he talked about two wires, and he is completely familiar with bypassing the Z1, which I understand to be the same.

Hope that clears up any confusion about what I'm experiencing.

Believe it or not, the bypass working and then not like you describe is exactly how any Z1 or Z2 can act when you just have the parking brake sense wire grounded. I wish pioneer was a little more absolute about it but this type of functionality has been giving me (and others here) headaches for the last few years. The level of software and checks that the AvicZ line has and when it does them is not absolute and it's very confusing, it makes your installer think the bypass software is buggy.....

It's not, at least that's not my/our experience.

What you describe, at least in terms of the parking brake warning and not showing up for a while, the bypass working for a while and then not again....

That is stereotypical: parking brake sense wire is grounded and one of two things:

1. the second wire in connector 2 is not grounded

or

2. you did ground that wire but you didn't load the software, or you have an Avic Z unit which is not bypassable with the 2 wire ground.

This is what makes this thing so hard to debug... but in my experience, this is a problem with grounding of the second wire in connector 2.

Get that nailed down so the bypass works. I usually tell people to give it 100 miles. If it works after 100 miles it works. If it works for 2 or 20, you can't guarantee that the wires are grounded. I have had people who screwed up the wiring, and it seemed to work for up to 100 miles. Ground the wires correctly, drive 100 miles, if it still works, you got it. Thank Pioneer for this situation, if they would lock you out immediately it would be SO much easier to diagnose.

Without me looking at your unit, it could be anything. I don't know what is wrong without physically being there. But what you describe is stereotypical for not grounding the second wire. No disrespect to your installer, I'm sure he knows what he is doing. But that is really what that sounds like.

After that is working, you can take the GPS system and reset your current location after it locks you in and I'll bet you have no problems.

Thanks for all the help ducatiboy... I haven't had a chance to bring the car back to the installer yet, but I am definitely going to do so this week... probably Wednesday.

I'll keep ya posted...

Yea but doesnt the brake wire have to have a resistor and led in it to since it senses that? I know i read about that because I have a switch on my brake wire and itll work for a few mins but eventually i get the brake warning (straight ground) Gonna get in there this weekend and do this for sure.

Yea but doesnt the brake wire have to have a resistor and led in it to since it senses that? I know i read about that because I have a switch on my brake wire and itll work for a few mins but eventually i get the brake warning (straight ground) Gonna get in there this weekend and do this for sure.

Huh? I think you might be confused.

No resistor or LED needed.

The parking brake sense wire and the second wire in connector 2 just have to be grounded (straight ground). If you are getting the break warning, you don't have the wire in connector 2 grounded.

Update

I didn't get a chance to take my car over to the installer until today... I'm not exactly sure what the problem was (don't know the details) but there was indeed something that was not wired exactly right. The picture posted here was extremely helpful, and he got it resolved.

I've now driven about 40 miles and so far so good... bypass seems to be working great.

I'm having the same exact problem as the OP.. And I have taken it back to the isntaller already and he said he grounded a second wire just like the picture shows.... SIGH guess I have to take it back again

ALSO. Ducati, what do you mean a "Avic that can't be bypassed" I thought they all could be bypassed now?

I'm having the same exact problem as the OP.. And I have taken it back to the isntaller already and he said he grounded a second wire just like the picture shows.... SIGH guess I have to take it back again

Is OP short for Other People? My guess is the installer is focusing on the end of the wire which is connected to a ground wire and not at the end that's shoved into connector 2. 99 times out of 100 even with installers who have DOZENS of years experience when they have problems, it's problems inserting the wire and terminal end into connector 2.

I don't know why, but it seems that's by FAR the biggest problem with people and it causes the unit to be unlocked while stationary and even sometimes works for 50 - 100 miles, then will start locking you out while moving. If that's what's happening, that second wire in connector 2 is not grounded.

The problem is that it's not the "wire" that needs to be grounded and that wire just "hangs out in thin air". The end in connector 2, HAS TO MAKE CONTACT with the pin inside the Z1/Z2. If it doesn't you can ground the other end till the cows come home (mooooo) but it won't do anything. You (or your installer) has to get both ends right and most can ground a wire. Fewer have the experience taking apart and reinserting a wire/terminal end into another location inside a connector. Why? I don't know. But answer this question a few hundred times (I might be approaching 1000 times for this same question) from installers who SWEAR they did it right, finally get it and thank me. Why is connector 2 such a problem? I don't know.

ALSO. Ducati, what do you mean a "Avic that can't be bypassed" I thought they all could be bypassed now?

Technically that was "you have an Avic Z unit which is not bypassable with the 2 wire ground" Older Z1's without a software update are not bypassable with the 2 wire ground. They all can be bypassed, but without the software update, they are bypassed a different way, flashing the headlights.

OP= Original Poster

Yeah first time I went there when I got it installed, I printed out the 2 pin method even the part that says there are problems with wire #2 and to double check it etc....

So install was done and parking break error popped up so I brought it back. And then he says he grounded the wire like in the picture, as if he didnt ground it to begin with.

So I don't know if hes even reading the damn thing... But from what I have read and from what you say its the only thing that can be going wrong with the unit...

I think I'm just going to tell him to show me how to take the dash apart so I can mess with it myself heh

The GPS being inaccurate isnt that big of an issue for me, because it fixes itself after about 2-3 mins after driving, but when I brought it the 2nd time he also said that he will hook up the VSS for me. But I'm still not getting a speed pulse. wtf?

You need a real installer

Ugh, yeah I wish I went somewhere else.. Cost me $300 to install the Z2 with rear view cam, bluetooth, Ipod adapter and XM

Ugh, yeah I wish I went somewhere else.. Cost me $300 to install the Z2 with rear view cam, bluetooth, Ipod adapter and XM

Pilot, what kind of car is this again (not sure if you already stated this)? If its possible, try and get the service manual for your vehicle. The one the dealerships use, in that manual it will have removal and install instructions for all your interior trim peices and dash and all that.

I had to do this with my 07 camry. I couldnt take it back to my original installer because he said they cant do any bypasses at all due to liability issues. So, thanks to www.toyotanation.com I was able to get ahold of every section of my service manual in .pdf format. Printed out the applicable pages and proceeded to take apart my dash myself. Turned out that it was EXTREMELY easy. Sure glad i got free install on my z2 or i'd be kickin myself in the dingaling for paying someone to take apart my "lego-like" interior.

If you need help finding your service manual give a shout. (also, if you dont mind, where abouts are you located?)

Honda Pilot 2007.. And I live in Jupiter, FL..

I'll check out the manual today and when I take it to the installer Ill see if he can show me how to take it apart.. Unfortunately you can see some pry marks where he has taken it apart not sure how good that is heh