Overhead Console Installed and More!

[scott750]

Finally got a chance to take pictures and post them up here on the forum. I installed an overhead console from a 2001 Bravada and lighted vanity visors from a 2000 Jimmy. I installed a short console made for the sunroof models that includes map lights, temp/multi mode display including mpg, temp/direction, miles until tank is empty, and more. Also it has the homelink function that can control garages, house lights, etc. The visors are the lighted versions with small mirrors that I wired up. Mine originally came with regular visors with no mirrors. Here's the pics:











Since I have map lights in my rearview mirror, I tied the power for the visors into that. For the console I tied 7 out of the 9 wires into the radio. The other 2 wires, VSS and Class 2 serial data bus, I tied into the blue plug at the BCM.

I have a 12 page Word Document file that details every wiring diagram from the BCM to the radio to the little temperature sensor. It also has the variance maps, homelink programming procedures, everything I used to install the thing. If someone can host the file or zip it for me, I can't upload it because I've reached my max for the site. Its a 360k file and I can't attach anymore files.

I've read a lot of threads on here and on ssf. Talked to many people about this. Special thanks to Hucko and rlilth for getting me started on where and what to look for. There are hundreds of threads about installing these consoles but the problem I kept running into was which wires do what. I have the diagrams that are from the GM techline software, the actual program the service techs use at the dealerships. I just need someones help with the file.

Let me know what you guys think. Hopefully this will help someone install these a lot smoother.

[The General]

Quote: Originally Posted by scott750

[b]...I have a 12 page Word Document file that details every wiring diagram from the BCM to the radio to the little temperature sensor. It also has the variance maps, homelink programming procedures, everything I used to install the thing. If someone can host the file or zip it for me, I can't upload it because I've reached my max for the site. Its a 360k file and I can't attach anymore files...

Done!

Click here for scott750's BCM wiring diagram

[Hucko]

hey Scott does yours say CAL on it anywhere? did you try and calibrate it?

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hucko

hey Scott does yours say CAL on it anywhere? did you try and calibrate it?

It only says CAL if I hold the 2 buttons down. But its already calibrated.

[Hucko]

Quote: Originally Posted by scott750

It only says CAL if I hold the 2 buttons down. But its already calibrated.

mine won't not say CAL. I've replaced the LCD like 4 times.

[NCHEVYHEVN]

Looks nice. I like the mirrors and everything.

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hucko

mine won't not say CAL. I've replaced the LCD like 4 times.

Does it ever say "C" when you hold the buttons past the variance number? C is the cal mode for the short consoles.

Quote: Originally Posted by NCHEVYHEVN3

Looks nice. I like the mirrors and everything.

Thanks!

[Blacknoma]

looks good. man i bought one from hucko like 6 months ago, maybe longer, and i still haven't put it in yet. i need to do that...

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by jbegno

looks good. man i bought one from hucko like 6 months ago, maybe longer, and i still haven't put it in yet. i need to do that...

Thanks man. I find it really helpful to have. With the extra map lights that help light up the interior with the doors open, to just having the all the functions available like mpg, miles to tank runs dry, outside temp, etc. I was almost thinkg of running a couple more of the temp sensors and have them on a switch to also monitor engine bay temps, intake air temps, and interior temps. But I had the conslle sitting in my room for too long and wanted it mounted. You should get yours done too.

[XtremelyLowRide]

Thats awesome.....lets get a how-to up sooh eh?

[lil' noma]

Quote: Originally Posted by jbegno

looks good. man i bought one from hucko like 6 months ago, maybe longer, and i still haven't put it in yet. i need to do that...

Ditto!!

[zY]

Looks great.

[Hucko]

yeah it doesn't stop saying cal

[Silent Warrior]

wow. i really like that!! where can i get a console like that?

[Blacknoma]

Quote: Originally Posted by Silent Warrior

wow. i really like that!! where can i get a console like that?

pm hucko im sure he can get you one. i bought one from him without the homelink stuff for like 45.

[rlith]

Personnaly I like the long consoles myself...(I use the glass case a lot). Looks good though

[scott750]

Thanks guys for the compliments. I can try and write something up on a how to, but its kinda complicated since I didn't take any install pics. There is one floating around on here about how to install the long console. Once I get my GM tecline software working again I can post the exploded view sketches on how everything is routed and mounts up. Helped me a little on where to place everything.

Quote: Originally Posted by Silent Warrior

wow. i really like that!! where can i get a console like that?

I have a short console out of a 2000 Blazer without homelink that I'm about to sell on ebay, unless someone else is interested in it. If someone is let me know and we can work out a deal. Or I keep my eyes on ebay. Thats where I got mine. It took me a month to finally find the short console I liked with everything, but someone eventually will have them.

[Blacknoma]

the wiring diagram isnt working for me. is it just me?

[DJDAudio]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blacknoma

looks good. man i bought one from hucko like 6 months ago, maybe longer, and i still haven't put it in yet. i need to do that...

lol same here

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blacknoma

the wiring diagram isnt working for me. is it just me?

Are you having trouble downloading it? Because I just checked it still works for me. If you want I can email it to you.

[djreiswig]

How accurate is your mpg? Mine is a little high. The range on mine is like 320 when I fill, and I get about 230 before I have to fill. I thought it would learn, but it doesn't seem to adjust very quickly. I think it is because the Blazers have a 18 gal tank, and the trucks only have 15. Anybody else notice this?

[scott750]

Mine is pretty close. It always says my mpg is like 1 or 2 higher than it should be. But the range is really close. It says I can get 350 miles per tank and my low fuel light comes on around 300 miles. Have you tried resetting yous? Push the mode button until you get to some other screen than temp/compass. Hold both mode and us/met buttons until you see the display reset. That rests the mpg, fuel used, everything. Maybe you have some old information still stored in it. The 2nd trucks have an 18.5 gallon tank, same as the blazers.

[djreiswig]

I have reset it. I will have to look in my book, but I am sure it said the tank was 15 gal. Maybe my gas gauge is off, and I am too scared to run it really low to see if the miles are right. Mine is an 02 so it should be 18.5 gal?

[scott750]

According to gm.com, the blazers have a 19 gallon fuel tank. My 99s10 was 19 gallons, then on my 01 s10, it also said 19 gallons in the manual, but there was a piece of paper saying it was changed to 18.5 gallons. Only thing I can think of is maybe you have a bad connection somewhere. But yours is an 02 so everything is still pretty new. I'll have to think about this some more.

[djreiswig]

My console doesn't seem to be very accurate. When I fill my tank, the gallons used is always less than what I put in. It is farther off the lower my tank is. I am sure the connections are good. How many miles does your console say when you reset it after you fill up. Mine says 320. By the amount of fuel I put in when I fill it up from when the gauge says 1/4, I don't think I could get 320 on a full tank. I think it still says I can get like 80 miles. That would take like 6 gallons of gas. I get about 15-16 mpg. The console says 17-18.

I guess if the tank holds 18.5 gallons, then maybe I just don't run it low enough. I have had the light come on before, and when I filled it it only took 15 gallons. I have heard that when the light comes on you run out of gas really quickly. I will see what my book says. I am sure it only said 15 gallons.

[djreiswig]

I guess I was wrong. I looked in the book at lunch, and it says it is a 19 gal tank. The crew cabs have 17.5 gal. Reg & Ext cabs have 19 gal. I guess I don't have to fill up as often as I thought. I don't think the console is reading the mileage quite right though. When I put gas in, it is off by 2 or 3 mpg from what I figure off the gas pump and my odometer. Could that be because when you slow down it goes to a really high number. Like 99 and when you speed up quickly it says 4 or 5.
Maybe that throws off the average.
Does anybody know how the mileage stuff is calculated? Does the console read the tank level, and track miles? Or does it go off of injector pulses or engine load or something? I wonder if a service manual would say how it works? I know it says that the ICE warning comes in at like 37 degrees. And that you have to be going 18mph before the temperature updates. I wonder if the manual says anything about the mileage stuff?

[Enjoithis]

my truck came with it, i just wish i had home link

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by djreiswig

I guess I was wrong. I looked in the book at lunch, and it says it is a 19 gal tank. The crew cabs have 17.5 gal. Reg & Ext cabs have 19 gal. I guess I don't have to fill up as often as I thought. I don't think the console is reading the mileage quite right though. When I put gas in, it is off by 2 or 3 mpg from what I figure off the gas pump and my odometer. Could that be because when you slow down it goes to a really high number. Like 99 and when you speed up quickly it says 4 or 5.
Maybe that throws off the average.
Does anybody know how the mileage stuff is calculated? Does the console read the tank level, and track miles? Or does it go off of injector pulses or engine load or something? I wonder if a service manual would say how it works? I know it says that the ICE warning comes in at like 37 degrees. And that you have to be going 18mph before the temperature updates. I wonder if the manual says anything about the mileage stuff?

My low fuel light comes on when there is about 2.5 -3 gallons left in the tank. My mpg is also higher than it should be. It says I'm getting 21.5 mpg when I really calculate at fillups about 19.8. I agree with you that it probably gets screwed up when it climbs to 99 mpg. Basically it reads off the VSS speed signal. So if you have shorter or taller than stock tires and haven't corrected the speedo for the change, it can throw it off. I've read threads about the temp updates more often when the vehicle moves. When its standing still, the updates take longer. Also the the temp is based off the VSS signal, since if the truck is moving faster, it would appear colder outside so it knows how to compensate. Let me know if you find anything out in your manual about mileage. Also try a search about the overhead console. I know someone did say the specs of it. Also my word document above has some specs about it. Have you downloaded it?

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by Enjoithis

my truck came with it, i just wish i had home link

Do you have the short or long console? If the short one, you can find one that has the built in homelink and swap your temp/compass computer into that one. Only 3 wires to hook up homelink. + 12 volts, ground and dimming signal. The 2 computers bolt in the same and you won't have to run additional wires. All of the 3 wires are in the same wire loom that you already have running to the console from factory. Just splice into those and it'll run.

[djreiswig]

I wonder if it is my tire size messing it up? I have a ZR2 with 31" tires. I would think GM would make the VSS match the stock tires so that the pulses to the ECM would be the same as a regular s-10.
You get 19.5mpg. My Z gets about 15-16. That is about 1/2 city and 1/2 hwy. The 4WD option and bigger tires must make a big difference... It is worth it though.
I looked at your document. It would have been very helpful when I put my console in. I had to bug the dealer to help me locate the wires. The radio plug on an 02+ is different than the one in your document. There is only one plug, and it has the serial data but not the VSS. PM me and I can give you the info for the 02+ plug if you want to add it to your document.
I searched a while ago when I was installing my console, but I couldn't find much on the forum as to how it works. If anybody knows of anything, it would be interesting to know.

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by djreiswig

I wonder if it is my tire size messing it up? I have a ZR2 with 31" tires. I would think GM would make the VSS match the stock tires so that the pulses to the ECM would be the same as a regular s-10.
You get 19.5mpg. My Z gets about 15-16. That is about 1/2 city and 1/2 hwy. The 4WD option and bigger tires must make a big difference... It is worth it though.
I looked at your document. It would have been very helpful when I put my console in. I had to bug the dealer to help me locate the wires. The radio plug on an 02+ is different than the one in your document. There is only one plug, and it has the serial data but not the VSS. PM me and I can give you the info for the 02+ plug if you want to add it to your document.
I searched a while ago when I was installing my console, but I couldn't find much on the forum as to how it works. If anybody knows of anything, it would be interesting to know.

If your truck came stock with the 31" tires, then everything should be working correctly. I didn't realize that in 02 the radio plugs changed. Must be because of the RDS radios. I checked my GM Techline software and it does show the plug I have and it does show the double plug like I posted and the single one you are talking about. I can update the document file, but someone else is hosting it for me. I'll have to hit him up when I chenge the file. Let me know if there if anything else you need to find, because the techline software has every wiring diagram, schematic, tech related help, etc for all 1998 - 2004 GM vehicle. Including cars and trucks.

[djreiswig]

I checked the last couple of tanks, and I guess it is only off by about 1mpg, and about 1 gallon of gas. I guess you couldn't ask for more. I suppose the gas gauge is less accurate than the console. They probably don't want people running out.
The only other mod I was thinking of was to put the fog lights on, but I hear the BCM has to be reprogrammed to make them work without a lot of rigging. I don't suppose a generic scan tool can make this sort of change. It isnt worth paying GM to do for me. I don't know that the fogs really do that much anyway.

[scott750]

Thats not that bad if its only off by 1 mpg and 1 gallon of gas.

The BCM needs to have the "fog light" option turned on. The only way I've heard to do this is using the TECH 2 scan tool that only GM techs use. There they can turn the switch on in the BCM. Otherwise if you run aftermarket fog lights that have their own wiring you don't need to worry about the BCM. Besides, the only bad part about using the factory fog lights is they turn off when the high beams are on. Thats due to the programming in the BCM. Nothing around that. You can pay GM a $60 "hook up" fee to turn the feature on in the BCM. I was thinking about doing the same, but still not sure if $60 is worth it. Just depends if you want to run factory fog lights or run all new wiring.

[djreiswig]

I don't think it is worth $60 plus all of the parts to make it work. You need the switch, front harness, and the lenses. Probably would be a couple hundred time you got done. It doesn't get that foggy here anyway.
I wonder why the normal scan tools can't reprogram stuff like that?

[Dr. Nate]

Hey Scott, what holds the over head console to the head liner? Small screws?

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dr. Nate

Hey Scott, what holds the over head console to the head liner? Small screws?

There is a mounting bracket the console clips into and that bracket is bolted to the roof. The console sandwiches on both side of the headliner. Heres a pic:



Theres a pictures of the bracket with the compass ciruict attached and under everything is a section of the headliner from a Jimmy that has the hole already cut out. I used that as a template to cut my headliner. On the bracket that is a hole for a bolt that bolts to the roof towards where the windshield is. The bakc of thebracket normally snaps into some clips on the roof, but s10s don't have provisions for this. With the pressure of the console clamped to the bracet, the headliner is able to hold the weight of it without it sagging.

[blueblazer22]

I've been wanting to do this conversion in my 01 Blazer X for the distance to empty and mpg function. My X is a manual though, will it still work?

[scott750]

Quote: Originally Posted by blueblazer22

I've been wanting to do this conversion in my 01 Blazer X for the distance to empty and mpg function. My X is a manual though, will it still work?

Yep it will work. The console uses a signal from the VSS which both auto and manuals trucks/blazers use.

[djreiswig]

Hey scott. Does the techline have any info on the wiring for the stock fogs? Like how the switch is wired, and the relay, and how it is all hooked up to the BCM. I thought about trying to work around the BCM, but I don't know exactly how/what it does witht he fogs. Isn't there a light somewhere in the cab that turns on with the fogs? Does the fog switch stay on even after you turn the ignition off and on again? Is it a maintained switch, or is that something the BCM manages?

If you find anything, please post it, or PM me. Thanks

[rlith]

Quote: Originally Posted by djreiswig

Hey scott. Does the techline have any info on the wiring for the stock fogs? Like how the switch is wired, and the relay, and how it is all hooked up to the BCM. I thought about trying to work around the BCM, but I don't know exactly how/what it does witht he fogs. Isn't there a light somewhere in the cab that turns on with the fogs? Does the fog switch stay on even after you turn the ignition off and on again? Is it a maintained switch, or is that something the BCM manages?

If you find anything, please post it, or PM me. Thanks

For 98+ you just get the harness to the lights from the dealer. Get the light control with the switch (the harness inside the cab is already there) Plug the light side harness into the pigtail in the engine compartment, then go to the dealership and have them use their Tech 2 to turn on the fog light option on the BCM

[djreiswig]

I don't feel like paying them $60 to spend 5 minutes programming an option into a computer. I have the time so I would rather try to do it myself without going to the dealer. I think all the BCM does is ground a wire to the relay when the fogs are supposed to light. If I put that wire on a relay, then I can ground that wire when I want to. That is why I wanted the wiring info.
Going to the dealer would definately be the easier way, but I'm too cheap.

[rlith]

With the oem system the relay is part of the BCM, it's not a seperate automotive relay like a bosch. It's a digital relay on a microchip (imagine the power on in your pc, it's soft, not a mechanical relay. It's part of the bios in which when power is applied to the mainboard and the bios, the bios reads the momentary interruption from your switch and changes the pin connection inside of itself from 0 to 1 to tell the power supply to power up. (This can also be achieved on a non connected power supply by crossing a couple of wires, but this is just giving you the example that the BCM works in a similar fasion because of that momentary switch)

If you want to hard wire it it's doable, but you need the light controls that include the fog lamp switch. The fog lamp switch for your year (or any 98 and up) is a momentary pulse switch, not a latching switch. So what you will need to do is find a momentary spdt relay that the switch can use to energize a normal 5 wire relay. And hard wire the fogs to the battery and the five wire relay (a standard bosch would do it)...

The light switch assembly 157089578110A headlight/driving light switch (GM parts) is what you will need for the dash.

[djreiswig]

Is there not a relay under the hood that actually powers the fogs? They wouldn't run that many amps through the BCM, would they? I know about the switch, what wires go to the BCM that actually control the fogs. Is there just one from the switch, and one to the fog light relay? Couldn't I come up with a relay to take the place of the one in the BCM?
The fog light switch is just a momentary? How does the BCM remember whether the fogs were on the last time you drove, or do you have to turn them on every time you start the truck? Would my relay have to be powered all the time to simulate this?

I looked at the wiring in my Haynes book, but it said the fogs get power from the DRL module (is this the BCM?) It also showed a maintained switch. Does anybody have a better wiring diagram?

[rlith]

No relay under the hood...The electronic relay (perse) in the bcm is more than stout enough to handle the fogs.

Yes, the oem fog light switch is momenary.


As to how the bcm remembers fog light position is memory within the bcm. If you disconnected the battery for any length of time you would have to turn the fogs back on.

For the relay like I said before you would need a momentary latching relay and a regular 5 wire relay if you want to bypass the ECM.

For better wiring, get a shop manual. With pre 98 trucks it's a rocker switch, so it's much easier to run a simple replay to the switch.

[scott750]

I just got PM'd with this link as a way of getting around the BCM while still using factory fog lights. The computer here at work won't let me view the page because of the firewall. Someone check this out and see if its worth it.

http://forum.zr2.com/ubb/noncgi/ult...ic;f=2;t=001304

[scott750]

I think that link is broken.

[Rhotpursuit]

I sent Scott an incomplete link. Here is the correct one. It looks a little daunting but a lot of people want to be able to use their fogs and hi-beams at the same time. This will allow you to do that.


http://forum.zr2.com/ubb/noncgi/ulti...c;f=2;t=001304

[johnster0228]

Yeah, i need to do this!! I origianally ordered the longer console but sold it and would like to install this smaller one. Hopefully a good how to and part numbers for sensors will be up soon. Thanks

[SoLowXtreme]

whats a rough est. for a short console wit homelink ?

[johnster0228]

ebay has them for 40 including shipping. not too expensive. but most dont include temp sensors