Step 1: Obtain a Navtool and understand how it works

I am providing a general synopsis of what you will receive in the order. I will explain the narratives in more detail later. The supplied instruction manual isn’t written in the best English, so it is a bit confusing to figure out.

But, the instructions are very good when describing how to “hack” your factory navigation – so make sure to read the page pertaining specifically to Honda Navigation units.

Click Here to Download the instructions that Navtool will send you




************************************************

Step 2: Remove the factory Navigation Screen

Use masking tape to protect your dashboard from damage.

The important thing at the end of this step is that you have removed the navigation unit where the system is in the “open” position. I started the step with the radio in the “normal” position and only switched it to “open” after I had dislodged the radio from the dashboard.

The official “Honda Instructions” to remove the Navigation. Honda suggests you disconnect the negative battery terminal before you begin; but I found that I had had to verify power connections, so left my battery hooked up the whole time.

Use a screw driver (protected by a piece of cloth) to gently pry the plastic trim that is on the underside of the radio. Disconnect the power source for the little blue light. This will expose a 8mm bolt that needs to be removed.

The “Honda Instructions” are not very clear on how to dislodge the navigation unit. Basically there is a 8mm black hex/screw that you can lever-against to pop the navigation out. The screw is rather small – so it’s rather difficult to maintain enough force on it. But your radio will pop out if you get your lever in there at the right angle. I actually ended up using my wire stripper instead of a screw driver.

Once the radio is dislodged, insert your key and turn it to the [acc] position so you can open the navigation panel. Then turn the key back to the [off] position.

This is the most “weird” connector you’ll find when removing the radio. You need a small slot screw driver or other flat item to push the release lever.

************************************************

Step 3: Disassemble the Honda Navigation Unit

It’s pretty obvious that this is where the DIY gets difficult.

The navigation unit is held into the dash-trim with eight 8mm screws. They are Phillips screws, but I suggest using an 8mm socket since it’s easy to strip these screws.

I am writing this DIY in conjunction with the Navtool instructions. They do a wonderful job of explaining which screws need to be removed for this process.

Click Here to Download the instructions that Navtool will send you

But… the instructions seem to over-simply the difficulty involved to remove the four total screws on the side of the navigation screen. I am not kidding, these screws seem like they’re cemented in. I went pretty crazy with the Liquid Wrench (long soak time as well), but I stripped these screws and had to resort to drilling one screw out (used epoxy to re-assemble).

Let me re-iterate, this step is very difficult. Prepare for some frustration!

************************************************

Step 4: Replace the Navigation Screen Ribbon with the Navtool Ribbon
The provided instructions do a great job explaining what to do with replacing the data ribbon that carries the video signal. I won’t repeat that info, but make sure to read the page of the instructions dedicated to the Honda Nav unit

Here is a photo showing how things should look when you’re in the middle of the assembly.

When you’re finished you can re-assemble your navigation unit.




************************************************

Step 5: Wiring up things in the CR-Z
You can do this step without the navigation radio in the car.


-------
Ground Wires
As I identified in the picture-synopsis of the Navtool, many of the wires are ground wires. I simply funneled the white and green wires into a bullet connector. I also added my own length of black 20-gauge wire to this bundle. From here, I grounded the black wire that I added. The Navtool instructions suggest you ground the green wire to a ground that is triggered only when the emergency-brake lever is pulled up. I’m not sure how to do this effectively, so I opted to do an alternate technique than what is provided in their instructions.

-------
Backup Camera Trigger
Since the CR-Z comes with a backup camera in the “high margin” markets in Europe/Japan, we have easy access to a wire that triggers the backup camera image (Input 2 on the Navtool).

I simply spliced in the Navtool BLUE wire into the cable identified in the image (I also asked you to make note of this connector in a previous step). There isn’t much slack to do a splice, so I added a few inches of my own green wire to give me enough space to work.

You should use your own multimeter to verify this line (you can always do this before you cut the wire if you want to make sure you are hitting the correct wire). The image on the left is when the vehicle is in Park/Drive and ignition on. It reads 35 millivolts. On the right you see it jumps to 12 to 14 volts when the gear selector is in reverse with the ignition on.

-------
12V power for the Navtool (Barrel Plug)
Adding 12V power to the Navtool is pretty easy. The first step is to simply open up your interior fuse box (near the driver’s left knee) and locate the blank spot for fuse slot #19. You should also remove the black kick-panel under the steering wheel (twist a little knob and give it a few gentle tugs).

Fuse spot #19 is active only when the key is inserted and in the [On] position. This means that when you remove the key the Navtool will turn off and will not drain power from your battery.

The power wire for the Navtool can be routed from the hole in your dash and dangled outward towards the interior fuse box.

There are two wires available that go to the round (barrel) power plug for the Navtool. For me, the solid (without dashes) wire was the +12v wire and the line with dashes is the ground. The +12v wire was crimped onto the mini-fuse tap. I grounded the Navtool wire to a 10mm metal screw that was near the fuse box.

It is extremely important that you TEST your connection before you plug it into the red Navtool box. With the key turned [On], make sure you get +12v when your testing probe is connected to the inside of the plug barrel.

When you turn the key off - you should get nothing from from the plug.





************************************************

Step 6: Install the PIE HON03 AUX Stereo Audio Adapter

This step is optional. I wanted to add an extra stereo audio auxiliary input to my vehicle since I wanted to keep the standard [Aux] stereo input available to passengers even after I installed my stupid stuff (to be discussed in future posts).

The HON03 is very easy to install. It comes with a 14-pin harness that only one of the factory radio harness wires can plug into. Then the HON03 plugs into one end of this fancy harness and the other end plugs into the stock radio where you would normally plug in the standard 14-pin connector.

If you install the HON03, then you will see a “CDC” (CD Changer) option on your factory nav screen when you view available [Audio] sources. The [USB] tab gets displaced. But, [USB] is accessible if you cycle through inputs using the [Mode] button on the steering wheel, or if you use the [CD/AUX] button on the radio.

 

Step 7: Wire the Input 1 toggle switch to your dashboard

You’ll need that round rocker switch and some female quick-connects. I found that 16-14 AWG fit perfectly for the rocker switch I purchased. Your individual rocker may be slightly different. Make note of which prong is the ground and which one is the +12v input.

If you reach up through the hole where your fuse panel is, you can pop out the little rectangle piece in the dash (I think this piece of trim could house the switch for auto-folding mirrors ... but that option isn't available in the USA).

I didn’t take a photo here, but the idea is you’re going to drill a 13/16” round hole into that rectangle piece. This is where Unibits come in handy. Their purpose in life is to turn a small hole into a big hole of varying step-increment sizes. My stupid self didn’t really get the hole perfectly centered on the button (my punishment for not taking any photos).

If you have never used a unibit before, I suggest you find some pieces of random scrap and just practice drilling out a 13/16 hole. Some Unibits are self-starting (don’t need a pilot hole) but others require a regular drill bit to create the initial hole.

Once you have a 13/16” hole in the rectangular plastic piece, the round rocker switch drops right in.

This is the switch that Navtool gives you. It is the ugliest toggle switch possible. Honestly I can’t imagine anybody keeping this switch and mounting it on their dashboard. Go ahead and route it through the radio-hole in your dash and catch the switch under the steering wheel.

After trimming off the switch, I had to add a few extra lengths of wire (I used a green wire to extend the NavTool red wire) to be able to run the leads to the funny hole under your [Econ] button. I then crimped on a pair of those female terminal ends to my lead wires.

You’ll notice that my rocker switch has a little blue LED on it. Unfortunately the leads that go to this switch cannot seem to illuminate the rocker switch light. You may want to get a simple on/off switch that doesn’t have anything fancy on it.

Plug your female lead ends into the corresponding 12v/ground prongs on your switch. Push the rectangle back into place

************************************************

Step 8: Plug whatever input devices you want into the Input 1 and Input 2 on the Navtool

I’m not going to go into much detail for this step since this writeup was intended to just explain how to add an auxiliary video input. I’ll discuss possible fun things to add in a separate writeup…

Example for INPUT 2: http://www.crzforum.com/forum/do-yo...icles/6509-diy-add-backup-camera-reverse-camera-display-factory-nav-screen.html



************************************************

Step 9: Reassemble Everything

Put your navigation unit back on the metal rails that hold it to the dashboard trim piece.

Take the radio back to your vehicle (very carefully since the nav is still in its open position and now has this wonky VGA cable hanging out from under it.

Make sure your key is in the [off] position or removed completely from the ignition.

Plug the 12v Barrel plug from step 5 into the power plug hole in the red Navtool box.

Plug all the factory radio harness plugs back into the Nav unit.

Make sure to connect the VGA connector into the red Navtool box.

Before you drop the radio completely back into the dashboard, use your key to turn [on] your car.

Verify that you see the red LED power-indicator light illuminated on the red Navtool box.

Verify that the Nav screen closes and the standard navigation display image appears on your Nav screen.

You may need to flip your round toggle switch to turn off Input 1 on the Navtool. This will allow the regular radio image to be displayed on the screen.

Verify that the Nav screen can be overridden with the Input 1 video signal when the rocker switch is flipped the other way.

Enter in your Honda Radio security code to verify your radio functions as expected.

Test the PIE HON03 input (CDC) if you added that device to your radio.

Start your vehicle and confirm that placing the car in [R]everse causes Input 2 to be displayed on the radio.

If it all looks good, you can push the radio back into place so the trim is flush with the rest of the dashboard.

Replace any interior trim you removed and remove any masking tape you applied.

 

Very nice writeup - you DIY covers areas that are not covered very well in the Nav Tool instructions. I have the kit but have yet to install it as I have not had the time - I'm glad I waited!! Cheers!

 

Dang...someone should be paying you for the time you took in creating this. I don't even have the nav unit and therefore can't use this info. From what I can tell though, you have covered it all very well with very clean visuals. I will be watching for your next DIY.

 

Fantastic write-up! Thanks for taking the time to present such clear illustrations and details. Job well done.

 

Appreciate !!
Nice writeup.

 

Backup Camera writeup is now up:

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/do-yo...icles/6509-diy-add-backup-camera-reverse-camera-display-factory-nav-screen.html

 

Example video added at top of thread.

 

Awesome DIY. How many hours do you think the install took?

 

I think it took about 8 hours to just complete this modification (that is you ignore the time it takes to run a backup camera and TV antenna, cables).

The largest time commitment was spent trying to actually get those little screws off of the Nav screen so you could insert the Navtool ribbon. I also spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out which wire fed +12v when the vehicle is in Reverse.

Everything else is pretty quick - but I didn't do a "professional" job with solder and running the wires. So perfectionists will likely spend more time there.

 

...... but your navigation system will be rendered useless if the piggyback hardware (Navtool) fails.

Can't you just plug back in the stock harness the way it was if the Navtool doesn't work?


I was thinking about doing this to my Fit Navi, and after checking the seller link they sell one for the Fit.
Great DIY btw. Thanks.

 

Yeah you can restore your factory nav if the NavTool breaks; you just need to save the video ribbon that you extract from your stereo so you can swap it back.

But still, since I had to drill out a couple of screws, there is no way I can use my head unit to play CDs (not that I own any)... so technically I can never revert to completely stock.

Just for fun, here is the "next gen" Navtool interface. It actually gets controlled using the Honda factory user interface buttons. They're building in the mobile ATSC M/H hardware (the kit that I demo to display TV on my head unit) along with integration for iPods. It appears (I can't really tell based on this video) that you will be able to watch items while driving.

By the way, I do not work for them... I used to work in the auto business and have a background working with interior electronics and other interior doo-dads. I think this stuff is awesome! It's pretty funny that no major vendor in the USA will offer ATSC M/H equipped components out of fear that they'll get sued when someone misuses (aka watches tv while driving using) their equipment.

 

Thanks so much for your information, it is greatly appreciated.

I only wished I knew about the Navtool when I got my Fit almost 3 yrs ago I was eventually going to update the stock Navi, but if I get this installed I can put that off a little bit (especially since I'm keeping the car as long as possible).


Regarding those damn little screws, also read in the other thread by the other poster who did this as well, that they really are a pain to remove. Sounds like I definitely have to use Liquid wrench or WD-40, and would you think that an impact driver would be a good idea to help remove the screws? Would it be too powerful?


I can't find out any info about the new Navtool, beside the vid you posted. It's not on their site, and even the vid doesn't give that much detailed information. By the looks of the vid you have to select the source for back up camera? for it to display as opposed to how you have it hooked where it will come on automatically? Maybe I'm just not getting all the details correct. Should I wait for a newer version? any idea on the new pricing? omg... I have toooo many questions
Thanks again for all your information.

 

Glad I could help!

I would not suggest using an impact driver on the screws. They are really close to the LCD screen... and I think you would just crack the LCD in the process of removing the screws. I'm resigned to the fact that I just drilled out the screws and will never put a CD into the radio. If you try to (Open) the display the screen falls down ... haha.

There are two input ports for the Nav tool (the two yellow plugs in the picture on the previous page of this thread).

Input #1 is activated when a circuit is opened on a supplied set of wires. The Navtool comes with an ugly switch (the one I snipped off and replaced with a black rocker switch). So what you want to do is plug in your "cool" device here (like a DVD player, iPhone video cable, or TV output). This way you can flip back and forth between the factory Nav/Radio screen or your alternate input.

Input #2 is activated when +12v enters a blue wire. The CR-Z happens to have a wire behind the radio that provides +12v only when the car is in reverse. If you splice into the factory wire, then you can use that to trigger the activation of Input #2. I wired my backup camera to be powered by the white backup lights in the brake light assembly. So if you put two-and-two together: you have a Navtool that switches to Input #2 when the gear selector is in reverse, and you have a backup camera that turns on when the white bulbs in back are illuminated. The end result is a backup camera system that is activated only when the car is reversing.

Input #2 will ALWAYS override whatever is displayed on the Navigation screen. So if you were using the Navi/Map, then Input #2 comes on when the car is in reverse. If you were watching a DVD, then Input #2 comes on when the car is in reverse.

Hoisumguo tried to install his Navtool for a backup camera but had issues splicing into the +12v cable. I don't now what was the cause, but he could never activate input #2. I think (I could never confirm) the splice he made into the factory cable behind the radio was faulty and never put juice into the blue wire. So he plugged his backup camera into input #1 and turned on his backup camera with the flip of the switch.

Also, keep in mind the factory stereo CANNOT play DVDs by itself. You have to find your own cheap DVD player to plug into the input. I caught so much heat from the forum members about this that I refuse to post the "watch TV" or "watch DVD" hardware in a writeup. Please search on your own to find possible video devices.

 

Thanks for expanding on the explanation it's all clear on the functions.

I get heat from other Fit owners for wanting to add a rear view camera to the stock Navi instead of jusy buying an aftermarket head unit, so I understand.
I have an old portable DVD player, and might get a tv tuner, but those video options aren't as important to me as getting the rear view camera feature, so I'm not sure if I'll ever expand past the rear camera. I'll probably never hook them up or use them, but it's still nice to know it's possible.

So my 18v Dewalt screwdriver would be overkill? Those little screws are going to be a big issue.

What's the difference between the new Navtool and the old one features/price? Where can I find more info on it since it's not on their site?

Sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate your help. Thanks again for all your info.

 

Oh definitely - you want a phillips 00 and 0 screwdriver set (there is a link to an example kit in the post on the first page). The screws are very small, I doubt you'll do much of anything to them with a normal screwdriver (well besides stripping them).

Amazon.com: Moody Tools 58-0670 6-Piece Slot/Phil/Screw Extractor Combo Reversible Driver Set: Industrial & Scientific

That kit from Moody's is extremely useful... they even have "backwards" bits for when you strip the tiny screws.

The screws make this installation go from "moderate" difficulty to "total crap." I can only hope your liquid wrench gets down in there and the screws come out easily for you.

You should also confirm that the "backup" camera trigger wire (the green wire that I point to in multiple photos). hoisumguo seemed to have issues where he said that putting the car in reverse was not sending +12v to the wire. I tested (proved by the multimeter) so I think his wire splice was faulty. You can start the car with the radio removed and test your wires to make sure that the backup camera trigger signal is active only when the gear selector is in [R]everse.




The new Navtool seems to only be for the newer, premium Honda/Acura models. I doubt it'll work on the CRZ. I just think it's cool they fully integrated things and even put a ATSC M/H tuner in there. This Mobile DTV protocol is about to die though, there is almost no adoption for it in the USA. The stations in the San Francisco / Oakland area will probably stop broadcasting the mobile signal within a year.

 

Appreciate !!
Nice writeup.

 

Nice writeup, I will definitely be looking to this in the future.

I do have one suggestion. Solder and heat shrink tubing. Bullets have no place in my car, and electrical tape can lose sticky over time and cause an ugly short.

Also, keep in mind the factory stereo CANNOT play DVDs by itself. You have to find your own cheap DVD player to plug into the input. I caught so much heat from the forum members about this that I refuse to post the "watch TV" or "watch DVD" hardware in a writeup. Please search on your own to find possible video devices.

Did they forget the car has another seat? Rock on man. I take long road trips with my girlfriend and she can't drive a MT so may as well let her watch movies.

 

Impressive. I thought I was being adventurous installing a wireless backup camera, but this is the bomb. I'm gonna play it safe and stick with my little setup, though. But thanks for the write up.

 

New Nav tool?

Any word if the newer version nav tool would work on our car? If it does you think for the most part the DIY would still be applicable? Love the write up very interested in doing it

 

I dunno, their page says the new Nav-Tool uses a simple 24-pin connector so it doesn't even require you to do the crazy "take the hardware apart" hack that I had to do.

The New NavRGB 2.0 interface

Give them a call and let us know if/when it'll work with our Honda HUs!



Man, they really trash of the old Navtool equipment... wonder how their existing dealers with inventoried old systems feel about this.

 

it seems they have changed there navtool from a metal red housing to an all inclosed black plastic and moved the power cord into the band of wires

so now its powered by the 24pin connector.... its not the best pic but here what it looks like i just finished the install this evening, so far my backup camera test feed works just have to route the wire from the back of the car not sure how to go about that.

 

Navtool

it seems they have changed there navtool from a metal red housing to an all inclosed black plastic and moved the power cord into the band of wires

so now its powered by the 24pin connector.... its not the best pic but here what it looks like i just finished the install this evening, so far my backup camera test feed works just have to route the wire from the back of the car not sure how to go about that.

Just had my Navtool installed along with a Sony XA camera. Crappy Iphone shots below:

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

http://www.photoshop.com/users/PhotoshopSF/assets/66688ca4e5104bd7aca8a9a32131de2d
http://www.photoshop.com/users/PhotoshopSF/assets/ac6a6649b1ee49058a0ec6cada8030ca
http://www.photoshop.com/users/PhotoshopSF/assets/1b530603c6cd40b1ae8ff794999abbd4

 

I have some pics of how I routed my wiring to the back on this thread:

http://www.crzforum.com/forum/interior-ice-discussion/11491-cr-v-navigation-jdm-reverse-camera-accessory-usdm-cr-z.html

 

Item9 great write up i wish i saw that before i chose the navtool option, i like the oem feel , the camera seems alot nicer than the one i got from amazon... I found a very easy way to route the video wire through the driver side by peeling up the rubber weather seal and snakeing it along the side to the trunk then ran power and video through the rubber gasket by the break light took 10min max

 

Yeah, I peeled back some of the weather stripping along the passenger door and fit the wire behind some of the plastic trim in the rear of the car.

I think the primary benefit of the NavTool is to have secondary video displayed up front. In a perfect world the new NavTool would have HDMI input... I wonder why they left that out.

 

Thats a good question, idk why they didnt incorporate an HDMI option, that would have been nice... But i do like the navtool i actually used my old ps2 loaded it up with "Free mcboot" and its small enough to throw in the car and is a great media system which has all my games installed right to the IDE hard drive and has a nice divx media player with mcboot so you can play avi right on the navi screen.. Having the best of both worlds with some classic games that my passenger can play along with the ability to throw in dvd movies or use it as a usb .avi video viewer all for free and puts my old junk to use .. Just cant beat that highly recommend