Where to get wiring harness connectors for cars

[quanttrom]

I am wondering if there is a spot where I can get wiring harness connectors for a specific car ? I want to use them so I can make a "intercepting" cable without cutting or damaging the stock harness in the car.

I have an old 2003 Infiniti G35 with a navigation system and I would like to be able to push external video onto the nav display. I have the wiring diagrams for the car. I have seen similar project before but they use off the shelf product that I can't find anymore.

I haven't worked with video before so I am not sure how the RGB interface work and how the SYNC signals work on this one. If the attached diagram says something to you please link me to a good read on the topic

[Chet T16]

Quite a lot of manufacturers will sell you the connectors although getting the local parts dept to find the part numbers will probably be an issue.

I guess you will need both the male and female versions of the connector?

[SeanB]

RGB video plus H and V sync, looks a lot like either VGA or CGA/EGA, depending if the display can do full video or just does colour with no brightness variation.

Probably the best bet is to go to the scrapyard and look for a car with the same nav system and a broken display, and get the unit and cable out of it. Then you can rip out the connectors and the cable end and look how the dead display is made, what the chipsets are and such. Then you can do the video either by switching in the signals using relays or CMOS analogue switches.

[quanttrom]

Yeah if I can find a scrapped G35 with Nav that would be the best option. I haven't looked but I can't imagine it being reasonably priced.. I will look around.

I should call Infiniti and see if they will sell just the connectors... somehow I have the feeling they will want to sell the whole harness..

[PuterGeek]

Unfortunately, connectors for Japanese vehicles can be hard to come by. The main manufacturers are Yazki and Sumitomo with neither supporting low quantities purchases. Almost all of their parts are built to order in high quantities with little to no sample stock. In many cases you can't even get any documentation since they built the parts specifically for a manufacturer.

Do you have any photos of the connectors?

It is possible they used computer type connectors since it is for the nav system. A possible alternate solution would be to splice connectors into the harness on one side or the other. That way you could use something readily available.

[ddavidebor]

Usually nav sistem are designed by someone else.

Maiby it's a "strange standard" conn, post a photo!

[KJDS]

The usual way of obtaining these is from a scrapyard.

[quanttrom]

The nav system is made by a 3rd company. I will look at it tonight. I will post a pic of the connector too

[N TYPE]

Every connector will have a part number which will be in the car manufacturers database with a neat little exploded diagram..
You can go to your infiniti (nissan?) dealer spare parts department and have them look it up for you, unfortunately though even if they can get the part for you its normally horrendously expensive to buy as an off-the-street customer, even at a trade price it could be well out of the ballpark.. so yeah you could give it a try or else your only other options would be scrap yard, or cutting the wiring loom and using your own plugs 

[ben_r_]

I tried getting male and female connectors for a similar project a while back when I had my Lexus IS 250. Working with some other people online we were able to get part numbers for the connectors that where part of the wiring harnesses that run throughout the car, but the connecting end that was mounted to the PCB (the female side) was just impossible to get without getting them directly from the manufacturer and in mass quantities. Sadly that product/project died there.

[quanttrom]

I just looked at the back of the system. It's made by Xanavi. I will get a picture of it soon.

[Stonent]

A lot of times the Nav system sits on the CAN Bus, if it doesn't already have analog video in, you may be out of luck for a camera.