From the trenches: AUX cable install
 

Hey,

just wanted to share this fun story from yesterday.

I had ordered an AUX-cable for my CDR-22 (2000 Boxster S) and the installation was dubbed as "probably the easiest mod you can make" and "will only take 10 minutes, tops!"

No story starts out bad, so at first I just inserted the head unit removal keys (fits like a glove, except not in the glovebox because the 2000 hasn't got one ;D). Start to pry the head unit from the dash, and it is hard to get fully disconnected, turns out a previous owner or shop had done some DIY on the cables—there was a couple of wires with duct tape and one of the wires to the yellow connector was connected using a really ugly and badly done solder joint. :barf:

I guess you can guess what happened next?

Well, the solder joint came undone and the duct tape was probably a decade old so it was brittle and dried out. :rolleyes:

Oh, and while disconnecting the blue-on-green-on-yellow connectors the green lost its side pin due to frail old plastics.:rolleyes:

Alright, so even before we have even attempted to install the AUX cable we have 1 broken wire and 1 broken connector. :ah:

What happened next was a multi-hour rescue attempt, first to make sure the green connector would securely lock into place when reattached, seems to work just fine since it is slid into both the blue and the yellow connector prior to insertion. :)

Then, since the broken cable sat in a bad location, I had to very carefully detach the MOLEX pin from the yellow connector (this thing was a real hassle, does anyone know where one can buy a removal tool), I bent two thin metal clips in a 7-shape to insert in the opposite direction of pin insertion to release the MOLEX.

Ok, so now we got the MOLEX out and can attempt to clean away the stump of wire still attached it, and open the clamps on it so I can clamp the wire to it.

Then, of course, to ensure longevity and conductivity of the newly re-MOLEXED cable, a nice solder joint. (Hey, soldering in mah Porsche like it ain't nothin' :dance:)

Reattach everything, attempt to get a decent route for the AUX cable, verify that it is working and call it a night. (4 hours later)

In short: Only madmen spend 4h installing an AUX cable. :D

I have a MOLEX pin removal tool, they are available on Amazon and all over, just do a Google search. When I installed my rear speaker kit I put one of the MOLEX pins into the harness for the amp which my car doesn't have. It took me a long time to find the right MOLEX pin that I needed to replace. I think it was ToolPants who set me straight on where to find one. A lot of my projects have the same unexpected twists and turns, so I feel your pain. Glad you persevered and got it done!

Haa..... gotta love these "simple" mods that you'll knockout in nothing flat. That sounds a little like opening Pandora's Box. You just had no idea what waited for you.