kenwood dnx5140 install issue

ElementalDragon · 07-01-2009, 02:51 PM

bit of a problem. secured all the wires that i felt i needed to. attached the parking brake lead to the chassis ground. seems like whenever the car is in reverse or drive, the car beeps constantly, about once every second or two. could it be because i didn't connect the reverse wire to anything, or do any of you know something else that could cause the car to beep?

John_H · 07-01-2009, 03:00 PM

Did you attach the parking lead wire from the radio to chassis ground or the parking brake lead from the parking brake to ground?

If you look down at the indicators on your instrument cluster while the car is beeping, you'll probably see the "BRAKE" on your dash show up (lower right).

This is consistent with installing the DVD-capable unit with the parking brake wire attached for proper video lockout (so the driver won't be distracted by a playing DVD) then disabling the lockout by attaching the lead to chassis ground as suggested in so many threads.

You forgot to cut the original connection to the parking brake?

ElementalDragon · 07-01-2009, 03:21 PM

i connected the parking brake lead and chassis ground lead on the HU harness to the chassis ground on the Smart wire harness. is that correct?

how, or what wire am i supposed to cut or attach elsewhere? pics might be helpful.

John_H · 07-01-2009, 03:26 PM

If the two wires from the DNX are connected to the smart chassis ground and there is no connection to the Smart brake wire, you should have things correct, but....

Did you have Best Buy install it for you and you added the change yourself? If so, double check those wires to make sure there isn't something else attached... like a Smart brake wire.

Is the BRAKE indicator on the instrument cluster lit while you hear that beeping in reverse and drive?

ElementalDragon · 07-01-2009, 03:42 PM

i installed it myself. there isn't anything connected to the parking brake lead from the radio other than both the radio's, and the car's chassis ground wires. don't think i saw the brake light on either. might have missed it. only beeps in reverse and drive. park and neutral are fine.

ElementalDragon · 07-01-2009, 04:14 PM

forgot to mention i also don't have the nav antenna hooked up yet, but don't see why that'd cause the car to beep.

John_H · 07-01-2009, 04:26 PM

Rather than simply not remembering, could you check to see if the BRAKE indicator is illuminated while the beeping occurs?

Could you state whether the beeping is a problem whether the DNX is turned on or not?

Troubleshooting with insufficiently detailed symptoms are a problem for audio guys, engineers, even doctors.

ElementalDragon · 07-01-2009, 05:05 PM

well... that was the entire problem to begin with. you see... for the past 5 hours and 20 minutes i've been at work, and am still at work... so rushing out to check something isn't very easy to do, not to mention that i'm filling in for the manager running a shift, so it's even harder. thankfully my co-worker now was kind enough to not care and let me pop the HU into the car.

anyway... went out to move the car, and also check for the brake light.... and the car wasn't beeping when i put it in drive. don't remember if i tried reverse, but even after putting the car into park then drive before, it still beeped. maybe it just needed that extra shut down and restart for some reason. will let u know later, after i get home.

ElementalDragon · 07-03-2009, 10:00 AM

forgot to update..... but yea.... hasn't made a peep since. Guess it really was just a matter of shutting the car off and starting it up again. Maybe something in the car had to adjust itself to the new radio or something...... *shrug*.

John_H · 07-03-2009, 10:13 AM

Honestly, I think your parking brake wasn't disengaged all the way. I've had that happen once or twice and was confused for long enough to search out the issue. In your case since you just installed your DNX, the assumption was there was something wrong there.

Lift your parking brake slightly while in drive or reverse (and moving) and see if the beeping is familiar.