Getting my hands on the first car of my life is quite exciting. However, with a low price of 2,000 CAD, there are bound to be problems that come with. This is a collection of miscellaneous fixes and improvements I have performed on this car to get it running.
DRL Module
When the car is idling, the Canadian traffic law requires that the car would have a headlight lit to indicate running. Long story short, the light was not working, so we tried many bug fixes.
The first thing that came to mind is the breaker connection, maybe the fuse was brunt. After troubleshooting the fuse box, there were no disconnections. Well, there were no disconnections with the DRL module, but I found other problematic area which are in the later sections.
Second was the headlight wiring, because the Honda Civic’s uses the main light and input a lower voltage to have a dimmer effect as a daytime running lights. Well, no disconnection was found.
Third was the last resort of having to replace the entire the entire electronic module, the last thing I wanted to do. Checking the module, I pulled it out from the underside of the dash (first figure).
Fortunately, the module had some hairline fractures on the solder (second figure), which meant that the DRL’s fault might be only a loss of connection. So, resoldering everything was painful as it was quite small, but eventually, the wiring was done.
Fortunately, the module is only faulty for the burnt connections, and this was only a temporary fix before it burns out again in the future; however, it is good for now.
Touch Screen Center Console
Observing the amount of technology on newer cars, I was left wondering why couldn’t my old civic have built in map and android auto. Thus, I set to find a touch screen integration relacing the old radio console (figure 1).
Delivered to my door was the new console; however, there were no instruction to install the panel from the manufacturer. Looking into the messy wires behind the bay after I took the old radio system out, I started my share of researching through the car’s audio system.
Owner’s manual gave valuable insight on the location and functions of each pin on the connector; however, custom wiring has to be done to connect speakers and power.
Through many trials and error and dropped panels, I came across a custom adaptor to the pin setup, compatible with the model of screen I bought. So, I wasted no time for installment.
The final product is shown in the banner. Needless to say I was surprised how smoothly the installment went and my car has touch screen panel connects to android auto and maps.
I am by no means a good driver. For quality of life, I decided to wire a custom back-up camera that will turn on when I put the car in reverse and provide a clear vision to the back of the car.
Breaking down the problem, I need a camera, wiring, and I need to feed it to the touch screen console to make the footage appear on the car’s screen.
Custom Backup Camera
For the power source, I already had a place to tap the power and ground wires in the back up light, which only receives power when the car is put to reverse. When the camera receives power, it will take over the display to serve as a backup camera.
Though quick tests, we found the position of the power and ground of the backup light. With some unprofessional duct tape around the soldered connection between two wires, the power source is finished.
At the end, the wire is feed through the entirety of the car, running beneath the internal panels to the front console. In the wiring, there is a wire labeled back, which is the singular connection left out specifically for the backup camera. I then soldered it to the wire and put tape around the connection to seal.
However, the mounting is a still a problem. the camera requires a hole through the trunk of the car to feed the wires and mount the camera. Although most of the trunk is steel, there is a skirt above the license plate which is plastic. Taking it off and drill a few holes before sealing it with watertight tape results the final product.