Need headlight feed suggestions...

I have a 2007 Sport Trac Limited with a Pioneer AVIC-D3 nav/radio system. I am getting ready to disassemble my radio console to connect the AVIC-D3 orange harness wire to enable the nav dimming feature. I ran out time when installing it years ago as I did not have the time to identify the best 'headlight on/off' feed wire so now the nav screen is always bright and does not dim or brighten when the headlights come on or off.



Does anyone have a suggestion for the nearest/easiest source. I suppose I can fish the wire to the headlight

switch unless there is an easier way.

You cant just use the dimmer wire behind the dash that went to the factory wire ??



Todd Z

Todd, Thanks for the reply. I have not squeezed myself under the dash yet.... I assume the headlight dash switch has a multiwire plug into the back of the headlight switch. Is the dimmer wire part of the headlight switch plug wire? I don't understand the difference between the dimmer wire and the factory wire?



Thanks for the help.

Behind the radio, Factory harness has a Dimmer headlight wire in it... Just take the radio out and use that.



Todd Z

Thanks and that is good news....do you happen to know what color(s) the harness dimmer wire is?

No but the wiring diagrams are on line and very searchable...



Todd Z

When I did mine in the '07 I discovered that the dimmer wire in the factory harness behind the radio didn't actually function as the dimmer for aftermarket head units. I think it's controlled by the CAN-BUS and the afdtermarket units can't read the signal provided. I've been through an AVIC-Z1 to a Appradio and now a AVH-4200NEX. I actually have tapped into the illumination control at the shifter. Was the easiest to get to while it was all torn apart. This won't function as an actual dimmer but sends the signal to the head unit to switch between night and day mode.



The wires for it are running along the drivers side of the center console. I just used a tap on it and it's been working like this since 2007. I'd actually forgotten about it until about 2 weeks ago when I was putting in the 4200NEX. I was soldering all the wires between the install kit wiring and the Pioneer plug and connected up the dimmer line. When I was putting it all in the ST I noticed I had run the illumination from elsewhere and then I remembered why.