cluster dimmer triggers bluetooth

slowrider87 · Dec 25, 2011

So i bought the Kenwood KDC-348U Head Unit a few months back because i wanted an auxiliary input jack. Whatever right? Like most units these days it has bluetooth built in and every time i turn on the car the unit turns on to the last used source for 5 seconds, then the Bluetooth flashes on and the display says "CALL". Never paid any mind to it, i just figured it was supposed does that. i don't use the bluetooth so i always ignore it and hit source once to go back to the AUX or whatever i was listening to. It's just become a habit that i don't think about.

ANYWAYS, the other day as i was driving down the deserted highway i got bored and wondered if my cluster lights were all the way up or not because I've never touched it before. i never cared before. I turned the dimmer up, it was already maxed, so i turned it down just for ****s and grins. when i did my head unit cut the music and went straight to the bluetooth "CALL" screen. With the dimmer down i couldn't exit bluetooth. so i turned it back up, hit source and it went right back. so after jacking around with it for a few minutes i discovered it only does it if the cluster is lit (headlights or corner lights on).

Obviously something related to the headlight switch is sending out a signal on a frequency that my head unit picks up and goes all weird, but only when dimming the cluster... I'm reading through the manual for the head unit to see how to deactivate the bluetooth function completely. It also made me think that maybe the Head unit goes to the "CALL" display when started because that signal was sent just long enough during start up for the receiver to pick it up. i'm just curious, what could be sending that signal? It just seems weird.

xmsleepr · Dec 25, 2011

maybe they wired the dimmer wire to the radios mute wire?

Bax · Dec 25, 2011

Who hooked up the radio? You or someone else?

cirsurvive711 · Dec 25, 2011

perhaps a mismatched wire? :thinking:

I know alot of stereos have a dimmer wire that syncs to your dash dimmer control

twofast4u · Dec 25, 2011

i'm thinking the dimemr light wire on the harness may have been joined with a power wire/bluetooth on the radio, which could cause this i think..

slowrider87 · Dec 26, 2011

xmsleepr said:
maybe they wired the dimmer wire to the radios mute wire?

it doesn't mute the stereo it switches it to a completely different source, from AUX to "CALL"/ bluetooth

TheBax said:
Who hooked up the radio? You or someone else?

I hooked it up myself using one of the harness adapters.

cirsurvive711 said:
perhaps a mismatched wire? I know alot of stereos have a dimmer wire that syncs to your dash dimmer control

this seems most likely i'll have to pull out the unit and see if i accidentally switched wires around, since my old head unit was a kenwood too but didn't have bluetooth. i just reused the harness for the new one...so maybe something was different and i didn't notice.

twofast4u said:
i'm thinking the dimemr light wire on the harness may have been joined with a power wire/bluetooth on the radio, which could cause this i think..

not completely sure what you're trying to spell out for me...