Have an 09 Ram 1500 Crew Cab ST, non-amplified, no steering wheel controller...I want to change the stock headunit and put in a sound system. Is this possible with splicing the stock stereo wires to the wire harness, or a PAC data bus interface need? Crutchfield gave me two different answers. One said that a data interface is needed or else it'll throw service engine light to turn on, the other reply was that as long I tapped into a 12v source for the remote turn on then I wouldnt need the data bus.

 

Give it a little time. Somebody here knows. I am bumping this up for you.

 

I think the easiest way is to pick up a PAC C2R-CHY4... plugs into stock plugs and gives you power etc without splicing... maybe not cheapest but easiest.

 

Plug and play is always the way to go

 

The Radio IS on the BUS, but it's not on the Powertrain BUS or "C BUS" It will throw a bunch of "Lost Communication With Radio" codes in multiple modules, but nothing that will fail you on an inspection or turn the check engine light on.

 

Yes... it's possible to install by splicing, but that alters the factory wire harness and you have to find a 12v switched source.

It may cost a little, but it is so much better getting an interface. You splice the head unit wires to the interface wires and then just plug the interface into the OEM radio plug. It's cleaner, easier, and gives you the option to go back to the OEM radio for sale or trade-in.

As mentioned, the 2008 radio is on the bus, but not tied into the operation of other vehicle systems. Other than radio communication codes, nothing substantial will happen/show up to affect the running of the vehicle, no check eng lights, and nothing to fail any inspections.

You can check directly with the PacAudio and/or Metra- Axxess websites to see what interfaces will work with your vehicle.

I put an aftermarket head unit in my 2009 and needed to get the steering wheel control module too. Even then, pretty simple and easy to do.....

Good luck....

 

Thank you all so far for the feedback. I ended up ordering the PAC C2R-CHY4 and just the wire harness, since its only 10 bucks. It wont be coming in til the end of this week so I will post the outcome then. I will also put in my OBD2 reader just to see if it will throw any random codes. Thanks again!

 

Finally hooked up my aftermarket stereo and my amp/subs in my truck. All I needed was the regular wire harness, the antenna adapter, the dash kit. Had to tap the ACC wire from stereo into the key-on 12v wire of the cigarette lighter socket. There arent any codes that came up when I hooked it up on my OBD2 scanner. Thanks again folks for the inputs. Everything still functions properly in the truck so I guess I did it right lol. Btw before tapping into the cigarette lighter socket for the ACC ignition wire, make sure the fuse for it isnt blown.
PS...The PAC is only needed if your truck comes with a steering wheel controler and/or factory amp that you're going to have to bypass. Mine didnt have these, thus the use of the regular wire harness.

 

This might be a dumb question, but i have to ask. Why would you need to tap into the ACC from the cigarette lighter? Shouldn't there be an ACC wire going to the factory stereo already? This seems like a design flaw in my opinion. I ask this because I am at this point in my new stereo install. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

One wire that does the job vs 40 out of 1 on the harness that without the correct tester or diagram doesnt work. just my 2 cents