Installation of the Audiovox CCS-100 Electronic Cruise Control in a B13
My 1991 SE-R came with no cruise control. This really takes the fun out of long road trips so I’ve been thinking about the options for a couple years – back burner kind of thing. Well, I finally put it on the front burner and purchased an aftermarket unit from Audiovox. The other option is to use Nissan parts – new or used, and you can see more about how this is done in the excellent write up by George Roffe.
http://www.se-r.net/electrical/cruise_control.html
I decided to go with the aftermarket unit because it would give me all new parts and it’s available for less than $100. I chose the Audiovox CCS-100 because some of the Miata guys have used this unit with good results, and I was hopeful that it could work for an SE-R. I bought mine from BrandsPlace.com for $90.14 shipped.
After a couple of months of driving with the Audiovox installed, I’d have to say that I’m pleased with the result. It works just about as well as the factory unit except you sort of have to get the accustomed to the touch of the dash switches before you can reliably control the unit with one touch – no biggie. Installation was not difficult, but will take a few hours and require some tricky contortions under the dash. The most difficult part for me (besides figuring out the instructions) was to tap into the brake light wires under the dash.
The instructions provided by Audiovox are not the best for installing the unit in a B13. In fact they are wrong in a couple places. This write up is intended to help you navigate around those problems if you choose to install this unit.
Here is what you get for $90.00:
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Don't freak out, you won't need to use most of this stuff.
1. Programming the Servo Assembly
The servo assembly is the black barrel shaped piece. It must be mounted to the firewall and uses manifold vacuum to control the throttle cable. You use old fashioned dip switches to set up the servo to work properly with the specific car. The dip switches are located under the cover that is held on with 2 small Phillips head screws. As it turns out, what I found works best for the B13 is to set the switches this way:
Set pulses per mile (PPM) for 8000 (to do otherwise will limit the speed range of operation)
Switch 1 – On
Switch 2 – On
Set the unit for Tach signal only (ignore the vehicle speed sensor signal even though we have it – it only makes the installation more complicated)
Switch 3 – Off
Set Sensitivity for “Medium” (I tried “light” and found the response too slow – “medium” works just right for my NA SR20 with stock cams)
Switch 4 – Off
Switch 5 – Off
Set Control Switch Type to Open
Switch 6 – Off
Set Tach Source to ECM
Switch 7 – Off.
Don’t neglect to remove the black jumper connector located near the left side of switch #1 for installation in a manual transmission vehicle.
After setting the switches and removing this jumper, you can close the cover of the servo and proceed with the rest of the install.
2. Mounting the Servo to the Firewall
From the picture you can see roughly where I mounted the servo – it’s close to where the factory unit goes. I ended up removing the mounting bracket from the barrel and bending it so it would fit. I was able to use one existing threaded hole in the firewall and drilled two others and used self-tapping screws provided with the kit.
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3. Vacuum Source
The kit provides a T-fitting so you can tap in to a vacuum hose. You need a constant source of vacuum – not one that is controlled by a valve for some other purpose. Where ever you pull your vacuum from, it must provide constant vacuum when the engine is running. I tapped in to the line that goes to the fuel pressure regulator. It’s possible to get a line that does not give constant vacuum and this will mess up the operation of the unit. Ask me how I know.
4. Throttle Cable Connection
So, the next step is to position the new throttle cable in a big arc that ends with the throttle body (TB). My TB had 2 wheels – one for the accelerator pedal and one for the cruise. Two things have be done here: 1) you have to connect the cruise cable to the wheel on the TB, and 2) you have to anchor the cable so that when the Servo shortens the cable the throttle moves and not the whole cable. A bewildering array of connectors, cables, and mounting brackets comes with the kit. I used a quarter inch screw post (purchased separately – we used to use these in school to make notebooks out of punch-hole paper) to attach one of the looped cables to the TB. I also used the clamp in the picture to piggyback the cruise cable onto the accelerator cable as the mounting. I may fabricate a real mounting bracket at some point, but this has worked fine so far.
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Insert picture of cable
5. Placement of the Dash Switch
The unit comes with a nice little grey rectangular dash switch. I moved my dash dimmer switch over next to the side view mirror switch to make room for the cruise switch on the left side of the dash. I cut part of the cover plate in the adjacent mounting position to make just enough room for the Audiovox switch. Then I secured the partial cover plate in place with black silicon sealant. Eventually, the Cruise switch will just press into place and be held by the adhesive backing. But for now, just get the dash set up to install the switch and push the wires into the hole so you can access them from below.
The cover of the cruise switch pops off, so you can paint it black if you like. But if you do this, you will lose the words “Cruise Control,” “Accel,” and “Coast” from the switch cover. Operation is pretty intuitive, so it’s not a huge loss to paint over these words.
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Insert picture of dash
6. Electrical Connections
OK, so now you are done except for hooking up all the wires. You’ve got a bunch of wires from the Servo and a bunch of wires from the dash switch to deal with.
Servo Wires.
Most or all of these wires will need to come through the firewall. Use your favorite route or drill a new hole. A grommet is provided with the kit to protect your wires.
Blue Wire – This is for the engine speed signal that the unit will use as a surrogate for vehicle speed. I hooked mine up to the wire coming from ECU Pin #2. On the back of the ECU connector, this is on the driver’s side, top row, 5th wire from the center bolt. The wire is blue with a black stripe and flanked by a yellow/red wire on one side and a white wire on the other.
Black Wire – To a ground in the engine compartment. I used one of the grounds on the back of the intake manifold.
Grey and Black Pair – Tape these off and hide them. Do not connect them to anything.
Red Wire – Connect this to the brake light switch wire that gets 12V all the time. On my car, the wire was yellow/red.
Purple Wire – This is tapped in to the other brake light switch wire – the one that gets 12V when the brake pedal is depressed.
Brown, Green and Yellow Wires -- Load these into the switch connector according to color. Position the connector under the dash near the switch.
Orange Wire – Switched 12V, I took mime from the fuse box using a neat little tap that has a male quarter inch contact on one end and then the fuse pushes the other end into the fuse box. Make sure to use the center line of contacts as these are the ones that come after the fuse in the circuit.
Dash Switch Wires
Red, Brown, Green and Yellow Wires – Go to the appropriately colored locations in the switch connector. Plug the 2 parts of the connector together at this point.
Black Wire – Chassis ground. I used the bolt holding the steering column bracket.
Grey Wire – This wires the dash switch for the cruise to the dash lights so the switch lights up when the dash lights are on. I tapped in to the dash light dimmer switch. There are a bunch of wires on this switch – find one of the two that provides a variable voltage as you spin the dimmer. Once I got everything hooked up, I found that, for some reason, the wire I used made the cruise switch dim when the dash light were bright and vice versa. This worked out OK for me since it looked OK with the rheostat in the mid-range, where I like to keep it.
7. Test Drive Time
Now you are pretty much done. Start her up, if no fuses blow, take her out for a test drive. If the cruise does not work for some reason, then it’s either: 1) your dip switch settings, 2) your wiring is either faulty or connects to the wrong wires, or 3) your vacuum source is improper. The trouble shooting guide in the instructions is actually very useful. Also, don’t be afraid to call the tech line. I did, and they knew the product and the pitfalls in installation.
Enjoy the Ride……
