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Kenwood DNX9990HD Install

25683 Views 26 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  semco
Installed my Kenwood DNX9990HD GPS Navigation System today, list price was $1299.

I bought the AXXESS steering wheel control interface from Crutchfield and they sent me a Ridgeline Master sheet that I thought would show step-by-step instructions. It showed how to remove the doors panels for speaker replacement, and how to remove the dash for Stereo replacement but not enough info about wiring or programming etc. Thankfully everything I needed is right here on the ROC and this install was a lot of fun. All the wiring adapters and harnesses that Crutchfield supplies are actually made by a different company (news to me). So I bought mine on ebay. I purchased the Scosche HA11B car stereo connector (wiring harness) , the HAAB Antenna Adapter and the HA1579B Double Din Installation Trim Kit on ebay, all for $20.

The Scosche wiring harness had a wire of every color as the wires in the harness that came with the Kenwood, plus a few extra that I will explain below.

I did my wire connections on the kitchen table and put the Installation Trim kit on the new headunit the night before. This allowed me to have everything ready and gave me the confidence to know where each wire was going before I ever got in the RL. I used spade connectors and insulation tape where possible. I was able to set a step stool on top of the center storage (with it pulled forward) when making the final connections between the HU and the RL harness.

Here is a list of what I did:-
Connect all the same colored wires between the Scosche and Kenwood wiring harnesses.

The Scosche has an extra orange wire that is not used. (This orange wire gets connected to the orange/white wire for dimming in different HU’s).

Purple wire marked Reverse was hooked up as follows. (There are two green wires in the harness, use the skinny one).
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=258847&postcount=5

Brown mute wire was not used.

Blue 'Ant Cont' wire from HU was not used for my setup. I connected the blue wire from the Antennae Adapter to a red 12V switched wire. If you do it any other way radio reception will be very weak and scratchy. (Antennae adapter came from Crutchfield).


Green Park Switch wire is to prevent watching movies in motion. Simply ground this wire and you override this limitation. I ran mine through a rocker switch I put in the space next to the VSA push button before grounding, to override the override.

Blue/yellow Remote Cont wire to Brown wire of 3.5 jack from AXXESS SWC. Brown/white from AXXESS SWC 3.5 jack not used.
Grey/Red from AXXESS SWC to Pin 16 (dark green wire with red stripe and silver dots) of the Ridgeline harness. I used a quick splice and put it behind the RL connector as I didn’t know how to add a pin to the Scosche connector. See Pic below.

I also added the Kenwood CMOS-310 rear view camera with the 2009 tailgate handle with the camera hole. I used silicone packed around the camera to hold it in place and help make it waterproof. The 2009 tailgate handle will fit all model years.

(The switch I installed to the right of the VSA switch was my over-ride for been able to watch the DVD on the HU while the car was in motion. I later bought a 'park brake bypass' on ebay that does that without the switch).

I have yet to play with the DNX9990HD to see how it works. Updates will be forthcoming.

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just a quick question for you...thats a beautiful unit but a bit too rich for my blood! I'm prob gonna grab the pioneer X940BT which I've heard great things about. i agree crutch field is great for customer service & for inquiring about products & they'll spend all day on the phone w u answering questions *& showing u products (which is what i did)! mine retails w them for $799 but amazon, ebay, etc has it for about $625. the only thing is crutch field includes the iPhone adapter & face plate (or dash kit) i think its called. so my question is i guess i would have to also buy these 2 items? i like the way your radio looks factory w the face kit around it in the grey. thanks for ur help! oh yeah how much did u get the ken wood for....i believe its around $1,399 at crutchfield?
Excellent job, heli! And great explanation and photos, thanks!
just a quick question for you...thats a beautiful unit but a bit too rich for my blood! I'm prob gonna grab the pioneer X940BT which I've heard great things about. i agree crutch field is great for customer service & for inquiring about products & they'll spend all day on the phone w u answering questions *& showing u products (which is what i did)! mine retails w them for $799 but amazon, ebay, etc has it for about $625. the only thing is crutch field includes the iPhone adapter & face plate (or dash kit) i think its called. so my question is i guess i would have to also buy these 2 items? i like the way your radio looks factory w the face kit around it in the grey. thanks for ur help! oh yeah how much did u get the ken wood for....i believe its around $1,399 at crutchfield?
The DNX9990 HD was $1399 at Crutchfield, and $1140 on eBay (plus $20 for the Trim kit, Antenna Adapter and Wiring harness). Included in the HU price was a two year warranty.
Wait 6 months and it will probably be close in price to the X940BT.
I think there are three companies that produce trim kits. Scosche, American International and Metra. Each look different and fit differently depending on which HU you have. The Scosche I used is plastic and doesn't seem that strong but it went in easy. It wanted to sit high so I opened the mounting holes on the front with a round file to drop it down a couple mils. The stock unit is secured with 5 bolts. The Kenwood uses 4. I used the 5th for a last minute ground for the AXXESS SWC. Theres always one wire that gets away:act006:
I also added the Kenwood CMOS-310 rear view camera with the 2009 tailgate handle with the camera hole. I used silicone packed around the camera to hold it in place and help make it waterproof.
I'm getting ready to do something similar. How hard was it to run the wire for this? My shop is gonna charge about $150 install for a license-plate mount camera, but I might rather do this instead. All of the threads on here I've found are about adding to the stock Navi HU but I'm curious about getting it done EXACTLY how you did it. (Aftermarket cam to aftermarket HU in stock location with mod.)
This looks very slick. Nice job. Here's my dumb question of the day:

It looks like the bottom of the screen is tilted inward. Is that by design and, if so, does the fact the screen is not flush make using the touchscreen more difficult?

Thanks.
I'm getting ready to do something similar. How hard was it to run the wire for this? My shop is gonna charge about $150 install for a license-plate mount camera, but I might rather do this instead. All of the threads on here I've found are about adding to the stock Navi HU but I'm curious about getting it done EXACTLY how you did it. (Aftermarket cam to aftermarket HU in stock location with mod.)
This was a simple install if you take it one step at a time. Thats why I did as much as I could on the dining room table before I ever got in the truck. I nearly bailed a day or two before the install and drove to a local installer because I was thinking of this a a big job. If you can join two wires. use a screwdriver and follow instruction thats about it. The imense satisfaction of seeing my son jump with joy when I played 101 Dalmnations in the car ...well.
I didn't like the stock head unit with Nav in the RTL and that is why I bought an RTS. Now I have HD Radio, Dual AV, Bluetooth, Android/iPod capability, multi view camera etc. This HU has a hook up for a front camera also, I won't be doing that.
This looks very slick. Nice job. Here's my dumb question of the day:

It looks like the bottom of the screen is tilted inward. Is that by design and, if so, does the fact the screen is not flush make using the touchscreen more difficult?

Thanks.
The screen lays flat, its the trim that is out more at the bottom. thats the way Honda designed the Dash. No problem with using any features, in fact the lip at the bottom is kinda nice for resting the back of my hand when scrolling the screen. The first pick above has the screen partially ejected. Here's a pic of the stock unit on a level surface. The Kenwood screen has about 6 preset screen angles to choose from. (Vertical to out about an inch at the bottom).

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The screen lays flat, its the trim that is out more at the bottom. thats the way Honda designed the Dash. No problem with using any features, in fact the lip at the bottom is kinda nice for resting the back of my hand when scrolling the screen. The first pick above has the screen partially ejected. Here's a pic of the stock unit on a level surface.
Cool. Thanks for the reply.
This was a simple install if you take it one step at a time.
So what instructions did you follow to route the wire from the tailgate to the HU? That's the only part I'm asking for clarification on.
So what instructions did you follow to route the wire from the tailgate to the HU? That's the only part I'm asking for clarification on.
When its DIY there is no instructions for wire routing, however Honda recommends taking the bed apart to run wires and I didn't wish to go that route. Seach this site for ideas.

http://www.handa-accessories.com/ridgeline/backupcamera.pdf

http://www.hondaanswers4u.com/vid/ridgeline/camera.html
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When its DIY there is no instructions for wire routing, however Honda recommends taking the bed apart to run wires and I didn't wish to go that route.
So what route did you go?
So what route did you go?
From under the rear left door I just tie-wrapped my wires to non moving parts as directly as I could to the left corner of the tailgate. I suggest you crawl under your RL and see for yourself.
You could also consider a wireless system...

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30277
It took me a while to work out my park brake bypass. I bought a 15amp rocker switch at Radio Shack. I hooked the green Park Sw wire to one terminal and ran a Gnd from the other and it would not work. When I removed the green wire and grounded it I got a picture. Today I simple reversed the wires to the opposite terminals and it worked as expected. Now my little guy can watch movies when we drive. The DNX9990HD has dual AV's. The plan is to add headrest monitors in the back from the DVD, allowing the front seats to listen to Radio or a usb connected device such as an ipod, or pandora through my android phone.
Also if you look closely at my camera pic in the first post, you might see I placed a piece of screen protector over the lens. This makes no difference to the picture but adds a layer of protection.
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Finally finished my system install with the addition of 2 headrest monitors. I picked up some Concept Chameleon CLS-700X's from Best Buy on closeout. These are the ones without the DVD built in. The DNX9990HD has dual AV's. It allows me to listen to the HD radio upfront with the GPS displayed, and back seat passengers can watch the DVD. Or.... one can play a video game while the other watches a DVD. The HU can also display the DVD if required. List price for these screens is $299.

Install was easy enough with an RCA cable, 12V power and ground ran from the HU to the bottom of center storage arm rest area, where all the connections were made.

I also picked up a couple of IR headphones which have A, B selectors and volume control. (A for monitor 1 and B for monitor 2).

My son loves it now that he dosen't have to listen to NPR all the time. :act006:

Here is a review of the screens....

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I added a Bazooka 6" Amplified Bass tube behind the seat to replace the stock sub-woofer. All I can say is 'WOW', more than enough BASS for me. I love the clean install without losing any storage space. Install is straight forward if you buy the recommended cables. The rear seat hangs from two top brackets and is secured by bolts across the bottom. One person can easily lift the seat from the top brackets and lay it down on the floor (with seats up), and work behind it without removing it from the cab. I found it useful to follow these instructions...
1. Pull the plastic panels under the seat bottom straight forward to remove them.
2. Remove the six bolts (14mm) holding the seat and center seatbelt in place.
3. Pop the two small plastic covers at the top and behind the seat using a trim removal tool or screwdriver tip covered in masking tape.
4. Lift the seat straight upward.
5. Remove.
The Service Manual states a 35 ft lb torque and must be re-installed in a certain sequence for the 6 seat anchor bolts (not the seat belt bolts). When putting the rear seat back in install the bolts in this order. (1) center left (2) center right (3) left lower (4) right lower (5) left upper (6) right upper.


http://www.bazooka.com/products/mob...-BT-Series-6-inch-100-watt-Amplified-Tube-P35

http://www.bazooka.com/products/mob...ses-S60/FAST-BTAH---FAST-Extension-Cable-P230

http://www.bazooka.com/products/mob...0/FAST-9999---FAST-interface---UNIVERSAL-P224

http://www.bazooka.com/products/mob...te-Bass-Control-Knob-for-BTAxx100-Series-P211
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Re: Kenwood DNX9990HD / Bazooka

Enjoying the Bazooka bass tube but would only give it about 7/10 for sound clarity. I will be installing the Remote Bass Control Knob the week which should help with on the go volume adjustments.

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46798
I put a Kenwood dnx 6160 in my jk recently. It plays DVDs has navigation, satellite radio etc. It also allows dual zones so the kids can be watching DVDs in the back on seperate monitors while the adults are listening to the radio in the front and using the navigation. Also comes with build in parrot Bluetooth. Bought from justcardvd
I put a Kenwood dnx 6160 in my jk recently. It plays DVDs has navigation, satellite radio etc. It also allows dual zones so the kids can be watching DVDs in the back on seperate monitors while the adults are listening to the radio in the front and using the navigation. Also comes with build in parrot Bluetooth. Bought from justcardvd
Nice HU, I looked at it but wanted the HD Radio built in.
Re: Kenwood DNX9990HD / Bazooka

Enjoying the Bazooka bass tube but would only give it about 7/10 for sound clarity. I will be installing the Remote Bass Control Knob the week which should help with on the go volume adjustments.
Just out of curiousity Heli ATP, did you get the 50 watt or 100 watt amp model Bazooka?
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