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what adapter do i need?

naterb27

Full Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
26
Location
Lafayette, IN
i know i know it probably is the most asked question about the install section. but i cant find strait answers by searching and i have some more specific questions. truck is in description. non bose, has onstar, has steering wheel controls and DIC. i have heard the PAC adapters suck, and i dont trust best buy to sell me the right thing let alone trust anybody but me with work on my truck.
question 1
  what adapter would allow me to install an aftermarket stereo like it is stock?
2
i hate onstar, and barely use my steeringwheel controls for the radio(although i do use them for DIC) do i have to have an onstar compatible adapter if i dont want to keep onstar? if i dont use the steering wheel adapter will i lose DIC control?
3
bestbuy guy told me his adapter included everything including steeringwheel control for like 80. i thought the steeringwheel controls were a seperate adapter. if i go with bestbuys part( this one i think https://pac-audio.com/catalog/radio-replacement/rp3-gm11) do i still need a separate adapter for the steeringwheel?
4
i might try to do a "carputer" system at some point. how could that affect my choice of adapter? the PAC adapter mentions park, speed, and reverse output. can that actualy be used on the avalanche, or is that a feature of other vehicles suported by the adapter and wont do anything on the av?
5
not adapter related but has anybody ever installed a subwoofer into the back of the jumpseat? i really hate the idea of shoving a sub in the midgate, but theres not much room anywhere else short of swapping out the seat for a console.

like i said i know on any other forum it gets asked almost constantly, but i couldnt find what i needed to know. i aready have most of my sound system from previous vehicles and dont really want to spend more than my headunit on just the install.
 
You should contact www.crutchfield.com customer service and give them info on your AV and the planned sound equipment, they will fix you up with the right harness for your needs.
As far as subwoofer there are many many threads on this website dealing with speaker boxes being made to go under the rear seat so that the seat and the folding down aspect aren't compromised. The threads should have dimensions and specifics of the speakers used as well as photos of the boxes.
 
PAC adapters should be able to do it all but the more features you add the more expensive the unit.

I just took out an under seat box and replaced with a modified mid gate containing 3 12" subs.

Still in process and truck parked for the winter. I used a PAC line level convertor since I am using after market amplifiers with my stock radio at this point.

I have a PC I will be integrating into the system as well but have been working on other stuff up to now.

Onstar for '04 doesn't work anymore as it is an analog system which hasn't been available for years. You would need the upgraded Onstar module to be able to use it. So I wouldn't worry about Onstar but you should be able to do pretty much everything else. You will also loose XM Radio but you can buy head units with XM radio built in if you like.

When you get ready to go with a PC you might want to try checking out http://driveline.boards.net/

My computer is integrated into the center console and I have a 10" monitor integrated into the center console. Once I verify the HD radio works well and everything is working I will be switching the system to use a second screen where the radio is now. This screen will be running an Android emulator on it to allow me to use WAZE and some other stuff.
 
so would i be able to get the non onstar adapter? i dont really ever want onstar and i dont think my head unit has xm currently and its getting replaced anyhow.
if i just get the basic adapter and not the extra steering wheel controls adapter will it kill my DIC? i never use the radio controls but i really like the info center buttons and use them almost constantly.

i have checked crutchfield as well but it doesnt really answer these questions. if i would only need the expensive adapter to retain onstar and wheel controls feature, which i dont want, ill get the "cheaper" option. i have done a few sound system installs on various cars, but this is the first obd2 vehicle i have owned and the can bus poop is still kinda confusing.

basically if i "disable" onstar by using the cheap adapter will everything besides onstar work? same with the radio steering wheel controls?
 
By "i have checked crutchfield as well but it doesnt really answer these questions." does that mean you actually talked to a real person in customer service or did you just look on the website for them and you couldn't find a written answer?
As stated in my first post you should contact them and provide info on your exact vehicle and planned equipment to get the answers you seek. They will gladly help you especially if you say you are looking for a compatible head unit and don't know which one to get etc......
 
The satellite module is not in the head unit, it's behind the glovebox door, under the dash.

No idea where you heard the PAC adapters are a problem. The only other manufacturer of adapters I've ever heard of is Metra, http://www.metraonline.com. I've had more problems with them than the PACs.
 
Steering wheel controls are basically a resistance sent to the BCM which figures out what they mean. The BCM then sends out the appropriate codes to the data bus and the modules that receive that information respond accordingly. If the module is not there that it is responding to nothing happens. If it is there then it responds.

(Some vehicles may have a module that calculates the functions from the resistance prior to the BCM but this is how I understand it.)

So basically if your radio adapter is compatible with your vehicles steering wheel controls it will convert the data it gets to something the radio can use. The DIC should not be affected since the DIC is part of the dash cluster and is its own module.  Replacing the radio without the steering wheel control support and you SHOULD just loose the controls to the radio.

This is as I understand it, I don't have steering wheel controls myself. (Guy was supposed to sell me one but I never received it..)

Rodney
 
alright so i ordered a bunch of sound stuff from amazon. for the adapter i got a crux SOOGM17 and for head unit i got a blaupunkt sacremento. the adapter worked great last week but last night something went wrong and put the av in theft deterrent mode. i swapped the old head unit back in and it works fine, so i am guessing the adapter is junk. the head unit worked as advertised but the screen had a weird green tint to it and the picture was washed out. it reminded me of the terminals in the game fallout. im not sure if the problem is bad grounding through the adapter or if both the radio and adapter are junk. i am sending both back to amazon and maybe getting my money back or new units not sure which.
question anyone else use the crux unit or the blaupunkt and have similar problems or did i just get the bad one of the batch?

if the crux adapters are bad then what company should i go with? one of you says crutchfield all the way, but their website shows a metra product a crux and a PAC. another of you says metra is junk, but PAC is good. my dad has the PAC adapter and it wigs out if you start the truck with the door open. i think scosche sells an adapter too. there is also an autozone special one. any advise about products you have used?

 
update my security system problem seams to be unrelated to the sound system. i started a new thread here http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,152059.0.html
 
Nothing wrong with a PAC adapter. Just has to be installed properly. Never heard of a Cruz...

Go with either PAC or Metra, anything else is junk. Likely Chinese devices trying to do the same thing.

Blaupunk has always been a low end brand. There are brand names out there but be sure to check reviews on them. Some brand names have cheap models that are junk and other names that are higher end.

With car audio you (mostly) get what you pay for.
 
Way late to this thread, but for any onlookers I can say that I had the PAC RP5-GM11 in an '03 with bose and it had everything I needed.  Steering wheel controls worked fine, retained bose amplifier, door chimes worked fine (though not 100% as good as original, they were acceptable and had a few options selectable with a screwdriver switch control)    I did not care about onstar, so don't know if that retained.  Did have to buy a new Sirus sxv300 for xm retention (you can reuse the factory xm antenna that is already mounted).  I would go this route again in a heartbeat.  I upgraded to a '13 avy and might actually be able to reuse the PAC RP5-GM11, but I noticed there is now a PAC RP5-GM31...  might upgrade, but don't know what additional features it might provide now that I have backup sensors and other new features.


 
Also late, but to consolidate info I just did an install with the metra acessx adapters and it was a breeze.  The gmos-04 and Awsc-1.  I didn't have onstar but retained all bose functions, door chimes, steering controls etc.  To answer an earlier question, the gmos is able to determine park, reverse and speed from the data bus whether your old radio used it or not.  I installed a backup camera and needed no extra reverse signal to the radio from the reverse lights like many camera installs show.
 
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