I had an aftermarket cd player installed in place of the bose stereo unit. However, after some time it caused trouble with the dash light illumination. All the lights went out. I'm pretty sure this must have been caused by the illumination wire. I took it to a shop and they "fixed" it. Well lately the radio stopped working. I found they had connected the Illumination Control Wire (black/red wire)on the bigger factory harness to the Ground Wire (black wire)on the small factory harness!

I may take it back since this likely caused something to short out. I was looking at the Install Dr. website and they say not even to use the illumination control (rheostat) wire or the lighting switch wire. So is this right that the illumination wire should not even be connected? Don't know why the metra harness would have it.

 

Come on people, surely someone has installed a head unit in their 3rd gen maxima here. Did you connect to either of the factory illumination wires? These would correspond to pin I or D.

Here's a diagram http://carstereohelp.net/wireharness_Nissan3.htm

 

I made a reply but it didn't go through. That's pretty odd.

OK First off buy a wire harness. Because some wires you will be omitting. OK go on eBay and buy the harness. It'll make you life 1000x better.

 

And then, don't ever go back to that shop again.....

 

Sorry, guess I wasn't too clear in my first post. A metra install harness was actually used when it was put it in. When they attempted to fix the dash lights going out they connected the factory harness dimmer wire to the factory harness ground wire. I don't think they knew what the hell they were doing.

I'm wondering though if I should connect the Illumination wire from the new head unit up to the metra kit Illumination wire, which in turn connects to the Nissan factory lighting switch wire? OR should I not even bother with the Illumination wire? I'm thinking this wire must have caused trouble with the dimming circuit or something.

 

Correct. Because they grounded the illumination wire it closed the circuit and fuses popped. Connect ill->ill and you should be good to go.

Again, don't go to that shop again.

 

I will concur with him. BTW the lights went out because of the fuse. The fuse is the tail light fuse if you were wondering. Connect Illumination to illumination. Your tails probably grounded out somewhere causing it to blow.