7” to 8.4” additional info

[RocketScientist]

For those of you contemplating upgrading from 7” to 8.4”. Here is some important additional information. The basic swap is easy and covered in other threads.

Wifi/LTE functionality:

If your Jeep did not come from factory with 8.4” you will be missing the LTE antenna. You will have only one (smaller antenna) on your soundbar. The larger antenna is part number

68293962AA

available from online Mopar parts dealers. Here is a picture:

You will also need a 12’ RG174 cable with male and female FAKRA D connectors. FAKRA cables are keyed and colored differently depending on application, but all share same technical specs. The dark violet connector type “D” is for GSM applications. Again connectors are identical except for keying and color.


You will need to drop dome light an surrounding trim. You will need to raise hard top slightly to be able to pop antenna into location on sound bar.


Once antenna is in place, it is tightened by an adjustment screw via the access you created by dropping the dome light. Use the sat antenna as an example, its base will be visible. Be sure not to pinch antenna cable


Route the cable pigtail along dome light/ speaker cables and zip tie. Connect your 12’ FAKRA cable to the pigtail and along the sound bar down behind the b pillar trim on pass side, along pass side beneath floor trim, behind glove box, up to radio, plug into dark violet connector. Zip tie as necessary.


You will now be able to activate service via the app on the radio. You will send an email to yourself from this app.


I was able to get registered with SiriusXM Guardian. But could not perform any functions or get vehicle health reports.


Here’s the clincher... the app registers with another VIN. I assume with VIN radio came out of which is possibly stored in Mopar/Xm Guardian Database. Oddly this VIN shows up as a Sahara on a lot in Georgia - I plugged it into Google. Even more strange the vehicle it matches is a 2.0 Turbo which started showing up on dealer lots well after I bought my radio off of ebay (1.5 months ago)


Registering for XM Guardian/Uconnect also added this other vehicle to my Mopar profile.


More than likely something not kosher with how this radio was procured. I naively thought it came out of a wreck. It was factory reset when I got it, I did not need theft code.


Not sure I want to go much further. All I was really interested in was health reports. I may call Uconnect not sure.

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[HoosierUte]

Following.

 

[ABar112]

I just did this swap myself, however i do not have the antenna for the wifi either (basic 7 in a rubicon). Thank you for providing the part number for that. My question is, the 12' cable, where did you get that from and you got it with the correct male/female ends? I may be typing in too many words when trying to search for one.

 

[RocketScientist]

So, all cables have same specs. Connectors are just “keyed” - meaning slots and nibs (tech term?) are different

The LTE connection is violet/magenta (not pink) and is therefore a FAKRA “D” type.

You can build one here at: https://www.pasternack.com

It will need to be about 13-14’ long. You need a “plug” end and a “jack” end. This will cost you about $40 plus shipping (expensive, because bulk is normally what they sell).

Alternatively you can order this:

https://www.amazon.com/Eightwood-Sa...+h&qid=1537914144&sr=8-3-spell&ref=mp_s_a_1_3

$13.00 and you will get it in a couple days.

This is type H and the nibs will be different. You can carefully (and easily) shave off the nibs on radio connector and plug on cable with a hobby knife. This cable will have pink connectors - FAKRA “H” which is for gps - doesn’t matter as cable specs are all the same. Just don’t plug into pink conndctor on radio, it’s not used! And won’t do anything! Sirius and GPS share same antenna and connector.

There are FAKRA D cables on Amazon as well, but they ship from China and take over a month to ship.

I went with the Amazon option.

I got this all working and radio sent an activation request to my email. I was successfully able to set up a Sirius Guardian account, however it pulled another VIN and registered that vehicle to my account (along with my vehicle). I’m not sure where this VIN came from. It matches a vehicle still on a dealer lot in Georgia. I gave up at that point. Sends lock unlock signal but always fails

*************
Sorry I just re-read my first post and repeated much if that! Sorry!

 

[JPGirl]

Do you still need this if you got the Sirius one year service with vehicle?

 

[ABar112]

Thanks for the update. I finally found a china/eBay one and, well, it should be here soon. Do you think we will at least get the radio updates? Maybe you can pull the VIN of the one it came out of to get your updates through UConnnect. Ill post back once I get my WiFi going in the Jeep. I bought my 8.4 via eBay (and from GA) as a take out, but I had the security code to unlock it. I don't know what mine will report as once guardian has been set up (my VIN vs take out VIN).

 

[ABar112]

well, i had the same, wifi works but guardian has the VIN from the take out radio.

 

[RocketScientist]

Rats! Hoping you got a different result. I'd call them, but I don't think they will do anything.

 

[ZEN357]

Remember the days of just buying a new head unit and a wiring harness and connecting everything up, plugging it in and it working????

 

[ABar112]

Rats! Hoping you got a different result. I'd call them, but I don't think they will do anything.

If I remember, Motor City Mechinc on YouTube will be doing a video soon with this swap and how to reset the radio to read the VIN, it's in. Or infotainment.com may be able to do it before install? I'm not sure how they will go about it.

 

[RocketScientist]

If I remember, Motor City Mechinc on YouTube will be doing a video soon with this swap and how to reset the radio to read the VIN, it's in. Or infotainment.com may be able to do it before install? I'm not sure how they will go about it.

A post from the ramforum last year... Note the "assist button" I actually have and installed the mirror, but the wiring harness is not available. Should be able to do the same thing by hitting the assist button app....

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/up...av-ra4-jailbreaking-media-player.98979/page-3


VIN tied to Radio FIXED!!!!!!

UPDATE!!!!!! VIN and Radio tied together FIXED!!!!!

Took me a week and 4 calls but I was able to get Uconnect / Mopar to tie my new radio with my trucks VIN number. Now my Uconnect and Mopar accounts show My truck and VIN with the correct Radio.
Here is how to do it.

This is the correct Uconnect Technical Support number to call 1-855-600-1669
Be in the truck with it running when you call.

Explain to them that you purchased the upgraded radio for that Ram Truck. Tell them you want to be able to use Uconnect services and be able to purchase a wifi hot spot when traveling. Tell them they need to associate your truck VIN with the new radio.

They will start taking information from you. Name, Phone , email , etc...
Then they will ask you to read them the VIN number from the door jam.
Next they will have you go into dealer mode of the radio (while holding the left side hot and cold buttons also depress the defroster button, 6 seconds and the dealer mode will come up) Then press the defroster again to shut it off and raise or lower the temperature back to normal.
They will take you through the menus and ask for a few numbers.
They will give you a repair ticket number and tell you someone will call you back.

Not to long after that you should get a confirmation email stating the repair ticket number and letting you know it could take up to 3 business days to get back to you.
If you get a call back within 3 days ...Lucky You... I waited 4 and called them back .

When I got them on the phone and told them no one ever called back they told me they would escalate it. Within an hour I got a phone call saying all the correct information has been put into the system and your truck is now linked with the new radio.
They told me to wait an hour and it should show up on the Uconnect / Mopar web site.
By the time they hung up I already had confirmation emails from the Uconnect Mopar site. The first email stated that my Uconnect account had been deleted.
The second email stated My new radio was ready for Uconnect Registration.
It instructed me to get in the truck , start it and press the assist button on the mirror.
They answered and I said I would like to register my Uconnect Radio. I then went through the normal registration procedure. It took about 15 minutes.

By the time I went back in the house, I already had another confirmation email that I was now Registered with Uconnect. I clicked on the link and it had me log in with the info I had provided. Low and behold there was the correct truck activated on the new radio.. Problem solved.

Bring a paper and pen in the truck with you, they will ask you to make pins, passwords etc... write them down.

Hope this helps others.

Seems like the hardest thing was finding the correct number to call where people knew what they were doing..

 

[Turbo_punkn]

So it’s working now?

 

[rigormortis]

Are you able to remote start using the uconnect app on your phone?

 

[RocketScientist]

Are you able to remote start using the uconnect app on your phone?

I have a 6spd. None of the remote features will work unless you follow the steps to call FCA above and have them sort out your radio ID/VIN.

The post above is from Ram forum - where someone did the same upgrade and ran into same problem, and how he fixed it. I have not tried this

 

[ABar112]

The #1-855-600-1669 did not work, I was transferred to SiriusXM Guardian, they got my name, VIN #, and reached out to Brand Assist for help. Asked if I had the SOS button on the rear view mirror, which I explained I didn't upgrade the mirror, just the radio and added the WiFi antenna. I was then transferred over, reexplained everything to Jennifer at Brand Assist. She said the radio VIN cannot be changed, that it is associated with the radio serial number at the factory. Yet infotainment is mating their radios to VINs....so it can be done.... The main reason I'm annoyed now is i dont have the same options as before with my JL Tazer. I have reached out Z Automotive to seek guidance. I think if i hook my old 7" radio up, read the BCM codes and see what the differences are, i might could fix the Tazer issue, but maybe not the VIN issue..... I dunno...I'll post back if i go that route or if Z Auto shines a helping light on it. For those wondering, I can still do the light show, change tmps, clear cel's, change tire size with the Tazer. I just don't see all the other options/menus i did before.

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