I forgot about this thread and got an email notification abouit it. I decided to pop back in and give my 02 cents.

When doing this update, first, like TexasRebel said, your head unit has to of been turned on to accept SW Control from the s/w. There are other items to consider for a head also if you want to stay with a factory unit. Job 1 and Job 2 radios. Job 1 has all black on the ***** etc, where Job 2 has a chrome ring on the upper *****. Job 2 is SYNC and Sirius capable also. Job 1 are any radio with a starting part number of 7 or smaller. Job 2 heads start with an 8 and go to the letter A. These are Ford's Audiophile radios. Any radio with a B or higher letter are Sony/Ford radios, and those are not the same, exactly. I know with the 2010 and up navigation radios, we've had problems getting things to work correctly 100% of the time. It usually costs more to reflash a radio than it does to find a factory replacement that is already programmed.

If you are just going for audio controls, also most any "Ford car" , not Escort or small models, radio has audio s/w/c turned on. If you want to go with something other, like navigation, make sure you get a radio starting with the #8. The Mustang Shaker heads fit but are NOT swc compatible without a reflash. CD6 units from the Fusion/Edge/Taurus/etc work perfectly for quick cheap swc radio heads. Most of these are SYNC compatible and all #8, Job 2 radios, have Sirius capiblities. Just thought I'd throw that out there for people.

If you should decide to go with a navigaton Ford radio, that can be done easily also. Your best bet is to us an #8 or #9 radio head, with the chrome *****. Usually a Taurus, Xmodel, Edge, Fusion, etc, have this set up. Personally I use the # 8G1T prefix from a Taurus. I've found that this radio is set up for about anything. I have placed navigation heads in my 2007 Mustang and also one in my 2006 Fusion. The Fusion head is Job 1, without the chrome, but both perform flawlessly. Ok, my 02 cents is spent.

 

Not all "Job 2" radios have chrome rings and work with SYNC... ...or else "Job 1" doesn't all start with 7s.

8C3T-18C869-xx is what i put in mine... it's all black. The radio I took out was 8C3T-18K810-xx and was also all black... AM/FM only (no CD) and 2 speaker.

 

Let me restate this better. Job 2 radios have the chrome rings. They start with an 8 and are also 9 and A. Job 1 ended in mid year 2008 models, so an 8 prefix is possible to be either one, thus the chrome rings to identify. Job 2 radios have internal differences over Job 1, with SYNC and Sirius capibilities.

Your numbers are for CD6 style head, right? I can't locate my radio listing tonight, so tomorrow I will find it. I did find my research a couple years ago, that most standard radios with the 2,3rd and 4th numbers of _T4T, _G1T. _F2T, any _L3T will come with audio control enabled. (Sample... 8G1T-18K931-AD is a navigation Job 2 radio---notice the G1T at the beginning of the number),

I hope that helps clears up what I poorly tried to state before. Sorry for that. I have a hell of a time trying to describe this to people. I hope I explained myself better this time. I have been doing these installs, as well as adding SYNC for the past few years into 2003 and up Fords cars and 04 F series. Mostly adding navigation upgrades (thus the 8G1T=AD listed above). lol

 

My numbers are for a single disk MP3 capable headunit.

I think the last digits were BA, but I'll have to check at lunch.

The head unit could use the Aux-In and the redundant controls. It's been so long, but I believe it came out of a 2008 F550.

 

Job 2 radios also have the aux in feed line, which Job 1 didn't unless it was programmed for a specific application. As far as your head, I actually haven't dealt with single CD heads, mostly the Shaker 500 (not 1000 as they are internally different and don't work for trying to add factory Navigation heads), CD6 / THX and navigation heads for install.

I do have a 7 code navigation head in one of my Fords, and surprisingly, it works better than the Job 2 heads in pre-2008 vehicles. I tried it in all my cars, to see what the differences were. On the Fusion the volume could not be lowered by the swc, but worked fine in the Mustang. When I tried it in my 2005 F150, it did not work at all. I had to wire in a separate wire for constant power for the memory. I'm trying to remember, but I also seem to remember having to add a second wire, but can't remember why right now. Job 1 radio didn't work either, because of lack of wiring in the 2004-05 models.

The 06's have the power wire, as do some of the 04-5's with the upscaled radios from the factory. If it is a standard model, the wiring just isn't there in the early models of Gen 11. I know, I found out the hardway. lol

If a person want to keep with the factory radio, I might say that the Job 2 CD6 out of the Fusion, Taurus, Edge, etc, is the cheapest, decent radio out there. They can be had for $20-30 or a bit more on eBay and have the 6 disc changer and a stronger power balance than the single CD heads. Just thought I throw that out there, and 90% or more, are already programmed for swc's and if you can get a Job 2, you can have the aux in capablitiles as well as SYNC and Sirius capabilites. A simple solution for a hard to do by yourself problem (adding aux capabilites), without having to add a PAC connector. Cheaper this way also. lol

 

Thanks <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td class="alt2"></td><td nowrap="nowrap">TexasRebel I went back and read the whole thread and it cleared up a lot of questions that I had.


Thanks again to all on this project.
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TexasRebel, I've read over the "Adding Redundant Audio Controls - 2008" thread several times in order to figure out how to get the steering wheel audio controls in my 2011 Expedition XL with an after market Chinese Android-based radio (the second one I've owned because I love them).

After reading a similar thread for a 2007 Explorer (Steering wheel audio control | Ford Explorer and Ford Ranger Forums - Serious Explorations) I purchased the RH switch, DC3T-9E740-CAW (Ford F250 F350 Super Duty Steering wheel Volume Seek Media Switch OEM | eBay), and wiring pigtail WPT-1219 (formerly WPT-699) to plug into it with the plan of wiring it to the existing clockspring connector as suggested in that forum instead of purchasing a donor steering wheel. I also purchased what I believe will work with my radio ( ).

Before I dive in and go to remove the airbag, which is a major thing for my level of comfort, I want to have a really solid idea of what to do.

Do you know if there is only one type of clockspring for that year/model or will I have to replace that as well?

Do you have any idea if this is what I'm going to see minus the RH side?


What is your opinion of this approach?

 

I should add that the connector shown in the picture in my previous post is the exact same connector that is in the dash behind the radio with nothing plugged into it. Would that mean the connection is already there to use and a new clockspring wouldn't be needed?

 

This pick is from the Internet and appears to be exactly what I have going on currently. Not sure of the year this wheel is from, though. It looks as though the RH connection is already in place. Is that a possibility?

 

The last pic looks like it has the same connections for the RH as this wheel that already has the RH controls in place.

 

I don't know much about the Expeditions, so take it for what it's worth.

The Super Duty's only had one clockspring in 2008.

In your pictures, that red, 2-pin connector goes to the horn/airbag.

The larger connector that meets the hole in the frame of the steering wheel connects to the clockspring. In a wheel without controls this connector only has a few wires in it. In a cruise-only wheel it will have a few more wires, but none will cross over to the right side. The connectors are always the same, but the harness they are attached to is not.

Really the only way to tell is to pull the plastic insert to see if you have the connector behind it.

 

Got it, thanks. Any idea how I can get the wiring diagrams for the RH controls connector and the clockspring connector to make sure I'm using the correct pins in each? I've searched and have found nothing.

 

That should all be available at http://www.motorcraftservice.com

 

I got it all figured out. I have it all written up here for the next poor schlub:
Adding Audio Switch to a 2011 Expedition XL | Ford Expedition Forum

 

Hey guys sorry for bringing up an old thread again. I am wanting to add radio controls to my 08 xlt. I have checked my steering wheel and I have the blank cover with open cavity under it but I didnt get lucky enough to have the harness already there. Part numbers and things have changed a few times over the years so I want to make sure I am ordering the right parts. As far as the buttons themselves I can use either part #7c3z9c888aa or dc3t-9e740-caw. I have found other threads where you can use part # wpt1219 for the wiring harness and extra pins to rewire the plug going into the clock spring. I have an aftermarket dual brand ( yes I know low end but it works for me) navigation radio. It is swc compatible so I would need a swi Jack adapter to make everything work. My steering wheel is in good shape so I would like to avoid buying a whole new wheel for parts. Will the parts I have listed work for what I am wanting to do? Am I missing anything? Thank you all for your help!