It won't work connecting up a widescreen bordmonitor to a navicomp which is setup & running a mono-screen display.

There are divived opinions on recoding a Mk4 that came from a mono system to work with a 16:9 - seems it can be done.

Your best bet is to get hold of a Mk4 DVD navicomp and substitute that and the mono unit - and you will need the gubbins to move the air con panel to give room for the larger display....

Someone who has done a similar retrofit may come along to give you some more in-depth advice.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I already have a 16:9 display from bimmernav.com and the bits to move the air con down.

If you look at the sticker on the nav computer, you will see that it says HW 21 SW 40, but the display reads 2-2/40 or 2-2/90 since I did an upgrade.

Dose this tell anything to anyone?

So if I get a MK4 dvd computer it will be plug and play?

This will be a serious job to do, b'cos your cable harness is missing allmost all the wires and connecters that are needed for your boardmonitor installation.
You also need a new radio module in the thrunk and again all the wires there are missing b'cos of your radio and speakers are now wired to be in the front.
So you basicly need a new cable harness that runs inbetween your dash, all the speakers and the frame in the thrunk, a new radio module, a MK3 or MK4 navigation comupter and lots, lots of time.
To be honest, allmost the only thing that is inplace is the GPS antenna for the rest everything needs to be changed or rebuild.

BTW; There are two versions of navigation computers, one for the monochrome display and one for the colour displays.
The monochrome display gets the information throu a data link (IBUS) and the colour ones throu RGB video directly from the navigation computer.

Cheers,

__________________
E46 320i touring
E46 328i sedan
E53 3.0i

Hi, I think you mis-read my post. I have a radio module in the trunk so all the speaker wiring and aerial connection is already there. They are not wired to the front.

I'd probably be better off if I did have all this wiring up front as BMW make a retrofit harness to cover this, however, they do not make a harness that covers the instance of having an old style navigation system.

Its either you have, or you haven't !

Hi,

You do need some wiring. Your current radio/nav receives all its data over the ibus - a single wire.


With a colour screen, you need to feed it the RGB video signal, which is done on 3 x coax cables.

These cables fron from the blue connector on the nav unit to the blue connector on the on-board monitor (screen)

Essentially, to make your system work you need to:
1. Re-code your existing nav unit from mono-screen to colour screen (enables the video outputs); OR buy a newer version nav already coded for a colour screen. A Mk3 or Mk4 has the GPS receiver built in, so the GPS antena unplugs from your separate GPS receiver and connects to the Mk3 or Mk4 nav computer.

2. Run 3 x 75-ohm coax cables from the nav computer to the bordmonitor. Fit the cable into the existing connectors. you'll need to buy some pins to do so, or get an old plug from a wreckers, and reuse the pins.

3. Run a bordmonitor ground wire from the nav computer to the bordmonitor. This ensures the screen and nav share a common ground

4. You may also need to cable the other white plug for the bordmonitor - refer to the retrofit instructions to determine all the wires, their colours and their functions.

All in all achievable, but you'll have to run your own cables. BMW did not, I believe, make a retrofit kit to do what you want to do.

Jochen

Hi,

I am going to replace my nav computer to a MK4 DVD so coding won't be an issue.

I don't quite understand what you are saying about running 3 coaxial cables !

This is an awful lot of cable to be running and I would never be able to fit 75ohm coax into one of the ELO connectors would I ?! Surely I would be better off trying to find a harness that I could take apart rather than running 3 individual cables like you say !

I could buy a retrofit harness and pull the cables I need from it possibly!?

Surely BMW make a replacement harness for the system I am attempting to install? By that I mean, what happens if an existing widescreen navigation system has a problem with the harness and it needs to be replaced?

If I can get one of these harnesses, I can just pull out the old and replace it with this, right?

Thanks for your help and well done on the NAVCODER. Making life a lot easier for a lot of people from what I've read !

Good. You'll enjoy the Mk4.

What don't you understand?
you need 1 x coax cable for Reb, one for Green and one for Blue (RGB).
This is how BMW designed the system.

Yes, if you use the right diamater coax. The oriignal cables are around 3mm diameter. And they all fit in the plug.

Yes, either option is a simpler option then running your own cables.

Yes they do, and if you want to buy a whole harness to dismantle it and use just the wires you want, that's fine. A wreckers will be a lot cheaper than new though!!

Yes you can. Make sure you get the E46 retro-fit instructions so you know exactly what is required. PM me your email address and I can send the retrofit instructions to you. This details the harness requirements and will be invaluable in your project.

Thanks KiwiJochen,

Finally someone who understands exactly what I am trying to attempt !!

I have the instructions you mention but thanks for the offer.

I understand the RGB cabling you mention, I just had visions of heavy 75 ohm coax running through the vehicle and attempting to home it into a connector with great difficulty.

**Update- Having studied the circuit diagram on page 15 of the retrofit guide I figure the following:

The violet connector on the nav computer connects to the black/white cable of PIN 8 of plug X11175 on the instrument cluster. This connector also carrys the reversing signal? There is another cable on this violet plug described as X229- Terminal R connector, I don't know what this is for !!?

So I need not use the violet connector on the new retrofit harness, I can simply leave the original harness in place and use this in part alongside my new retrofit?



I can strip the speakers, aerial, cd connection from the retro fit harness (Item A1, A2, A3, A4, A7 and A9) to make thing a little neater or else find a harness with just Item A5 and A6 on one end !! I get the feeling I'll be getting a retro fit harness and stripping it back, wasteful as it may seem, I fear it will be my only option. A Breaker isn't really an option as specs are pretty low on BMWs round these parts!! Not much need for navigation round here !!

The rest should be almost plug and play from what I can figure !

The white plug (X18802) at the monitor end, will connect to the nav computer via the blue socket (X1313) (You mention in a previous post that the blue connection on the nav computer goes to the blue plug on the display, from what I figure, the white goes to blue !! Am I wrong??).

The blue plug (X18802) at the monitor end, will connect to the radio module via X13649 or Radio IV.

The black connector on the radio tuner (X18126) will stay as is.

Forgive me for asking this as I should have checked whilst I was digging around earlier, how does the cd changer (Also located in the rear) connect ? Is it on a seperate plug or do I need to add it to a connector? There are two wires running from the cd player connector (X13321) that cross into the radio module (X13649). There is also a cable (X13321) that connects from the cd changer to the radio module??

And finally, the aerial stays connected to the radio module whilst the GPS coax that is currently going to the GPS module will connect the the GPS socket on the new MK4 computer.

The earth connection (X3279) will join the earth strap along with the existing harness?

The only other thing confusing me (As if theres not enough already !) is X3279, X1543 and X18344 which appear to go nowhere !

Am I there??

Thanks again and again

X11175 pin 8 = TAA = speedo pulse (TAA = Tacho Anzeige). Your existing Mk2 will already have this cabled.

X1312 on the nav - violet connector - has the following 3 signals:
Pin 1 = RS = RuckfahrSignal = Reverse signal.
Pin 3 = R = TerminalR = +12V when ignition on
Pin 10 = TAA = TachoAnzeige = Speedo pulse signal
You existing Mk2 nav will have all of these signals in place on its violet connector, no need to touch anything.

Correct. You don't have to change what is existing and working!

You are right. I was working from memory. Observing a unit here on my workbench:
Bordmonitor White = Video signal to LCD
Bordmonitor Blue = Tape/CD audio, power, ibus, illumination etc

No. X18802 on the on-board monitor (A196) carries the RGB video signals and power and ground for the LCD display. It connects directly to the blue plug X1313 on the nav computer (A112). **It is exactly this cable that you don't have**

Correct, nothing changes for the radio module.

CD changer connects directly to radio module and to power & ibus. You do not need to touch it, it stays exactly the same and functionality will be identical.

This all stays as-is. You do not need to touch it. Nothing changes. what you have now is perfectly correct.

Correct. You do not need to touch the CD changer or radio module, they do not change.
the GPS antenna now plugs directly into the Mk3 or Mk4 nav. The old GPS receiver can be removed and discarded.


This is existing and does not need to be changed.

X3279, X1543 = solder join in the loom
X18344 = loom connector

I recommend you do the following:

1. Remove and discard GPS receiver, and associated wiring loom. Some unwrapping may be required.

2. Obtain and fit connector X18802 + associated cabling back to nav computer. Remove the cabling and pins from the loom you obtain, and insert into the X1313 connector housing. All other nav signals are present, and remain required. Do not change them! This is the only cable loom you need to run from front of vehicle to back.

3. Obtain connector X18801. Remove the corresponding wires from your existing radio-nav headunit, and insert into appropriate pins in X18801. Fit PL wire from new loom. PL (LCD brightness control) will be the only missing wire.

Done!

Remember: 90% of what you need is already existing in your Mk2 mono nav. You only need to add the video signals.

Jochen