Home ·· News Room ·· Prints ·· Licensing ·· Gallery ·· About Us ·· Contact Us ·· Articles ·· Services iPod2Car Converter installation in a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 SR-5 automatic double cab February 26, 2006
	With the advent of the Apple iPod, people have been finding all sorts of interesting ways to use them. However, the problem with them is you cannot listen to it over your car stereo without using an FM converter. To address this problem, Peripheral Electronics has come out with the iPod2Car converter which directly wires you iPod to your car stereo auxiliary input. I bought my iPod2Car converter at Fry's but it is also sold at Best Buy and at various online retailers. With one hour to spare, it's possible to install the iPod2Car converter into a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 SR5 V6 double cab truck. This installation is only for the radio head unit with the single CD player, not the 6-disk changer. Refer to a qualified installer if you have any doubts about what you are doing. Please see the bottom of this article for my disclaimer before you read on. Equipment you will need: 2 cheap putty knives, the thin type, not the forged good ones 10mm socket 6 to 10 inch ratchet extension Ratchet wrench Flashlight The instruction book really does not tell you too much about an installation other than suggesting strongly that you should have the unit professionally installed. Since it was $70 to have Best Buy installed it and the unit itself costs $199 ($214 after taxes), the cost is nearly that of a 30GB iPod! Because of this, I chose the self-install approach. It was not that difficult - I'm not a professional installer (though I have a degree in Electrical Engineering) and it worked so that has to say something. First, you'll need to stuff the two putty knives into the gap just below the environmental control unit and the dash. This is probably the most difficult part to figure out because you are flying blind and you do not want to break anything. In figure 1, you can see where to stuff the two putty knives into the gap. You need to wiggle the knives up and down a bit because a lip on the dash makes it difficult to get the knife into the gap. Your objective is to get the tab (Figure 2, arrow 3) out of the hole it's stuffed into (Figure 2, arrow 2) by pulling the unit directly out. Figure 1. Where to stuff the putty knives in and how to pry Once you get the knives into the gap, do not jam them in too far because you will snag on the dash body damage it (refer to Figure 2, arrow 1). You only need to put the putty knives in about ¼" to ½" inside. Then push up just a bit, hold your thumbs against the unit and begin prying the unit out. It will pop out without too much force at all. You cannot actually pry on the tabs, only the unit body. The tabs have curved stops as if each were designed to be removed. Figure 2. The tab, the hole and the chew marks Now that the environmental control unit is hanging there, the four bolts holding in the radio head unit need to be removed, figure 3, arrow 4. These 10mm bolts are recessed inside the plastic, requiring a 6 inch or longer ratchet extension. Make sure when removing the bolts that they do not drop them down the hole where the environmental control wiring harness goes. Figure 3. The 4 10mm bolts you'll need to remove to get the head unit out Figure 4. Removing the 4 bolts from the dash with the ratchet Once the 4 bolts are removed, place your hands below the head unit and put your thumbs on the dash, figure 5. Slowly lift a tiny bit and then pull the unit directly out toward you. The tabs on top of the head unit will break if you lift up too much, figure 6, arrow 5. Replacing a broken a tab will make $70 for a professional installation seem cheap. Figure 5. How to hold the head unit for removal - pull straight out. Figure 6. The tabs on top of the head unit that you don't want to break off Once the head unit is removed, have someone hold it while running the wiring harness. Open the glove box, empty the junk out and unhook the pneumatic latch and hooks. Be careful as once you remove the glove box from that latch, it's heavy and will fall straight down. (Yes, I did it). Lower it and let it hang there. Hopefully you've set the DIP switches on the iPod2Car Peripheral unit (http://www.peripheralelectronics.com/web/ipod2car.asp) per the instruction manual. My DIP switch settings are in figure 7. Make sure to check as the instructions may have changed since my installation. Figure 7. DIP switch settings for Tacoma 2005 TRD SR-5 double cab, single CD I chose to put the converter unit just inside the little pocket between the glove and the radio unit. It seems to fit in there quite well. The PXHTY3 wiring harness is the prescribed connector unit for the 2005 Tacoma. In order to get the wiring through, I had to fish the small connector (Figure 8, #6) through the passage between the glove and radio areas. I passed the connector for the auxiliary radio input from the glove box, over the existing wiring harness and into the radio area (Figure 8, #7), leaving the other two unused connectors next to the iPod2Car unit. Connect the DIN side of the 12 foot iPod wire into the unit and pack it in. Figure 8. Connecting the PXHTY3 harness and routing it At this point, you'll want to check to see if the whole thing works before bolting things together. When you plugging in the iPod in, make it is set to play. Once the head unit is controlling the iPod, you shouldn't have to touch the iPod again. When you first turn on the radio, you have to wait for the iPod to turn on and communicate with the iPod2Car adapter. This can take some time. Also, the track time counter doesn't seem to work right. Figure 9. Make sure everything works before you button it up Figure 10. Inside the glove box view of where the iPod2Car converter was stuffed After making sure that the iPod2Car converter works, the head unit can be reinserted and bolted down, making sure to be careful with the delicate wires behind the unit. Click in the environmental control and then re-hang the glove box. Coil up the 12 feet of iPod wire into your glove box and the iPod is ready to rock. Use the track up/down switch to change songs. The fast forward/reverse works, too The only modification I plan to make is to route the 12 foot wire from the iPod2Car converter to the center console box. This will be done by drilling a hole in the box and running the wire the inside of the shifter box and up to the iPod2Car unit. Doing this makes it easier to access the iPod unit. However, once this is done, any warranty of the console area may be voided. Please proceed at your own risk if you do this. Apparently the iPod2Car converter works in the 6-disc CD changer as well.  Here is the email I received: That exact kit (PXDP & same harness) WILL hook up to a factory Toyota 6 disc CD changer. I have the 6 disc changer in my 2007 Tacoma and I hooked everything up similar to your write-up. If you want to include my e-mail address as a *contact person* for those with questions about the 6 disc changer - feel free. Email is: jandy@lieblweb.com Disclaimer - If you go cutting into your truck and damage something, either following my methods or not, it's your fault. I make no guaranties, implied or otherwise, for what I did on my Tacoma. This article only relates my experience in the installation and has nothing to with what you may or may not experience. You have been warned.
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