Remote Volume Car Stereo Installation

Car stereos can be controlled from the steering wheel.

Some vehicles come with remote control functionality on the steering wheel for a car's factory-installed radio or sound system. When a new aftermarket stereo is installed in your vehicle, the remote controls on the steering wheel will no longer work. However, you can control the volume on the car stereo by installing a steering wheel audio control adapter, such as the PAC SWI-X, onto the steering wheel controls.

Things You'll Need

• Steering wheel audio control adapter
• Fuse tap
• Stereo head unit with infrared sensor
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Locate any empty fuse holder in the fuse panel and insert a fuse tap. Connect the red 12-volt power wire to the fuse tap.

2. Connect the black ground wire to a metal screw on the car's metal frame. A metal screw can be found under the carpet near the firewall.

3. Remove the factory-installed stereo from the dash and locate the steering wheel audio control wire. Refer to the identification and connection chart included in the steering wheel audio control adapter to determine which of the interface wires to use with the control wire.

4. Cut the control wire from the back of the wiring harness with wire cutters. Cut 1/2 inch from the end of the wire with the wire cutters. Splice the control wire to the white, yellow, orange or green interface wire on the steering wheel audio control adapter you identified in Step 3.

5. Place the infrared emitter for the steering wheel audio control adapter so that it has a line of sight to the infrared sensor on the stereo head unit.

6. Hold down the programming mode button on the steering wheel audio control adapter and then start the car. Verify that both of the LED lights on the device come on. This indicates that the unit is wired correctly.

7. Program the remote for your vehicle and the car stereo to complete the installation.

Tips & Warnings

• If you connect the wrong wire for the audio control wire, the remote controls on the steering wheel will not work correctly.

References

• Pacific Accessory Corporation: Installation Instructions
• Crutchfield: Peripherals Installation Guide

Resources

• Crutchfield: Steering Wheel Audio Control Adapters