Your stereo system can be grounded with the parking brake wire. It will enable you to watch videos, enjoy a seamless Bluetooth connection, and many other features. Working in the auto industry before I have connected many parking brake wires and have dealt with many car brands so I feel like I can give you a detailed guide on the subject.
Generally, connecting the parking brake wire to the stereo system is not hard.
- Examine the harness of the stereo system and locate the green wire (ground).
- Cut the wire and strip its terminal (the insulation coating) with a stripper.
- Obtain a good length of connection wire and strip the insulation to about ½ inch – both ends. Go ahead and wind the two naked terminals together.
- Now thread the wire through the dashboard‘s middle section to the parking brake wire. Strip the insulation coating of the brake wire and wind the two wires together.
- Secure the twisted terminal into a wire cap.
- Finally, test your stereo system.
Before we kick off, keep in mind that bypass wiring is different from what we are going to learn. Bypass is basically for the touchscreen stereo systems where you can watch films. Our objective will be to wire the parking brake wire to the stereo system.
In-dash Video Tapping into the Parking Brake Wire
You are required to connect a wire to the parking brake wire if your stereo system is equipped with a video monitor or a touchscreen. The wire will serve as a switch that toggles the video monitor after the engagement of the parking brake.
The switch wire (connected to the parking brake) is found in varying locations in vehicles. The brand and model of the car determine the location of the switch wire. However, in general, the wire is often located near the parking brake.
Some vehicles have hand brakes between the front seats. In that case, you will have to move the center console to reach the wire. If your vehicle has a foot-pedal parking brake, run the stereo wire to the pedal under the dash.
Stereo Touch Screen or Video Monitor
The stereo touch screen (video monitor) is located on the car’s dashboard. The touch screen interface showcases all the information you require at a glance. You can easily and swiftly operate your stereo via the touchscreen receiver.
How to Connect
You will need the following tools to wire your parking brake to the stereo system:
- Connecting wires
- Pliers
- A harness for the stereo system (comes with the stereo system)
- Stripper
- Wire caps
- Adhesive tape
Procedure:
- Cut a few feet of the stock wire depending on how far your parking brakes are from the stereo system. You can use pliers to do that.
- Locate the green cable on the wire harness of the stereo and cut it. Using a wire stripper, remove the insulation coating of the wire cables to about ½ inch – the green cable from the harness, and the wire you just cut. (1)
- Wind the two wires together and encapsulate the terminal in a wire cap. Twist the naked terminals of the two wires together and push the twisted end into the wire cap.
- Thread the wire down the dashboard and into the parking brakes section. You can use a strap to immobilize the wire. Identify the parking brake wires. Join the terminals of the parking brake wire, and twist the cable that is connected to the green wire on the stereo system to the brake wire. You may use adhesive tape to secure the connection.
- Testing the connection. You can now go back to the stereo system on the deck and test the Bluetooth, video, etc. (2)
Take a look at some of our related articles below.
- How to check wiring harness with multimeter
- How to cut wire without wire cutters
- How to connect ground wires together
References
(1) insulation coating – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/
insulation-coating
(2) Bluetooth – https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm
Video Reference
