Retrofit of the 12” UAX radio and screen into a Tradesman

[djcwardog]

EDIT added on 3/16/2020 - Bottom Line Up Front: This thread will show you the issues faced when retrofitting a UAX 12” system in a 2019 Ram 2500 Tradesman 6.4 gas 4x4 that came with the UAA 5” radio and the three basic knobs for Manual Climate Control. Although it starts off promising, it ended up that we did not have a solution (yet) to get the 12” (and I suspect, the UAV 8.4” with nav) units to work with the MTC system in a truck, like mine, that did not come from Ram with ATC already fitted. This means that we need to figure out how to at least get a single zone ATC retrofitted in these trucks before the UAX and UAV systems will work fully in climate control. They expect to see your BCM coded to reflect “Dual Zone ATC” and the other choices such as “MTC” as my truck came delivered result in the big screen going blank with a message that Climate Control is Turned Off. Choose “Dual Zone ATC” and it all seems to work nice until you notice that it is not setting or keeping the temperature. Temp controls only work if set to fully hot or fully cold. There appear to be three main coding choices to make when going from a 5” to the UAX (and probably the UAV). I now have the base 8.4” (no nav) screen up and running along with the proper diesel gray-trimmed bezel. No coding changes required to go from the 5” UAA to the 8.4” UAM like mine (no nav).

That said, here’s the history...

I got mine from infotainment.com and installed it. All seems to work fine except for the new (for my truck) feature of automatic climate control. My truck came with the basic 5” UAA display and a set of three knobs for manual climate control. However, the new radio takes up all that space in the dash so it adds in automatic climate control. Great idea but it does not work properly for me so far because it is unable to set and hold any temp other than full hot or full cold. They are aware and working on a fix but I thought I’d share here also. I have found a part that may be what these trucks use to allow automatic climate control?

Ambient Temp Sensor - Mopar 68138681AE. I have not found this part already in my truck but not sure where it might be located exactly. Anybody with a factory auto climate control truck able to locate their sensor and share with us?

I’ve inquired of the folks at AllMoparParts to see if they list any associated part #’s such as adapter harnesses, etc. I noticed that my truck had a single plug in the back of the manual climate control box when I did the retrofit. However the rear of that box appears to have two jacks, so perhaps the second might be of use?

The first three photos show the original dash bezel and parts. The next photos show what you get with the 12” screen - a whole new bezel too.

 

[mlrtimemach]

Is that an upgraded radio from what you had as far as functions? If so did you have to take a trip to the dealer to have any programming done? I have a 2019 Tradesman and was bamboozled on the Sirius radio so I was debating on upgrading to a radio with Sirius

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[mlrtimemach]

Never mind. Just looked them up on website an got my answer

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[djcwardog]

No problem. I couldn’t believe that my radio didn’t even show SiriusXM as a source option. It had the roof antenna so I guess it was “SiriusXM ready”. The SiriusXM antenna was actually plugged into the back of my radio so I wonder if it is really just a coding choice in software for the 5” UAA radios to have SirousXM enabled. No matter, once I saw that 12” screen in operation I knew that I would not be going back! Honestly though, if you don’t care about Sirius, factory nav or CarPlay, and you really just want to play things off of your iPhone as an “iPod”, then the 5” radio is pretty good. Chances are excellent that you can pull off your dash corner speaker covers and find factory leads there waiting for you. They are probably crossed over from the door speakers. Crutchfield sent me a pair of 3.5” speakers (JL Audio) and their adapter harnesses. I went right to the 6-speaker “premium” sound level!

 

[mlrtimemach]

I just watched the video on infotainment an I like the 8.4 screen just not the money. An I have used my phone to sync with radio to listen to Red White And Booze on Sirius but I don't have unlimited data. The antenna Sirius sent me with radio ain't worth the money they spent to make it. I like that bigger screen. I contacted em about the knobs on the bezel cause I only need the 2. If they can accommodate that then it may just become a matter of cold beer before I hit the "order" tab. I just hope the Sirius radio cable is right there.
If I do it an the Wife ask me an I'll just blame it on you LOL

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[djcwardog]

If your cab roof has both the shark fin and the flat square antenna as did mine, then you may find it. As for the 8.4’s, if you want the basic 8.4 UAM (no nav) then I think you still can have the basic three-knob manual climate controls. But if you go to the 8.4C that has factory nav, then I think you get a new bezel and knobs - the unit does automatic climate control like my 12” does. So, the issues I face may be shared with folks who retrofitted an 8.4C also. Here are a few photos to show my roof and the back of the original UAA radio. Note the color and location of the FAKRA connectors. Top right, blue = shark fin GPS, for the compass on the non-nav trucks. Top left, white - would be a VDS cable, maybe for the feed to the cluster display. Bottom right is the USB cable to your media inputs. Bottom left is the antenna lead that, when plugged into the new radio, gave me SiriusXM. So that must be the lead coming from the square rooftop antenna.




The back of the UAA radio showing where the factory had things plugged in.


The back of the UAA radio

 

[mlrtimemach]

Your roof looks like mine minus the lights that's why when the "salesman" told me it had Sirius I believed him. Radio was different than my 2015 Ran 2500 so I didn't know.
As for Nav I don't need it. I have a RV Garmin I use when I need directions. I guess we'll see what they say. If I have to have a dummy control knob oh well. I'll make up my mind then

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[djcwardog]

Your roof looks like mine minus the lights that's why when the "salesman" told me it had Sirius I believed him. - probably SiriusXM prep like mine.

If I have to have a dummy control knob oh well. I'll make up my mind then. What do you mean here?

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Can the dealer enable the SiriusXM by hooking the truck up to their computer - like they do when you add a factory kit? If not, there are people selling the same 5” radios with Sirius. Wonder if you could get one to work for you?

 

[mlrtimemach]

I haven't ask the dealer about it. Didn't think of it. The same size oem radio with Sirius thru Mopar is around $549.

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[mlrtimemach]

I'll pull mine an see if the antenna is hooked up to it before I ask a dealer about it

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[djcwardog]

Just 2x Torx screws at the top under the rubber tray, then pull it out, easy!

 

[mlrtimemach]

Ya they look simple to pull. My short fall is once I get somethin stuck in my head I can't let it go an eventually end up up doin it or buyin it.

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[mlrtimemach]

I just pulled my radio. On the upper part of the radio there is a white connector an a blue one. The blue one is tied off to other wires an goes in the direction of the passenger side. Sirius antenna?? White one goes kind if straight an gets buried amongst the rest of the harnesses

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[mjf6175]

Just 2x Torx screws at the top under the rubber tray, then pull it out, easy!

djcwardog....while I have a 4th Gen 2500, I changed it from manual to automatic temperature control. There is a thread that covers this for 4th Gen, it may have some useful info for you. Here is the link https://www.ramforum.com/threads/ho...to-a-manual-temperature-control-truck.103456/

Post #1 is very helpful. When I did the change a temp sensor was needed and some additional wiring from the sensor to the HVAC control. The temp sensor was in the panel in front of my right knee. You will see most of this in that first post. Finally, you have to make changes to the BCM to get auto temp control. Just about everyone in that thread used the Alpha OBD program, I did as well. Maybe you will get lucky and the most of the info will apply to your 5th Gen.....Good luck!

 

[djcwardog]

This is very helpful, thanks a bunch! Infotainment has shipped me a package that they say is a temp fix while they finalize it. I should see it tomorrow so more to follow.

 

[mjf6175]

This is very helpful, thanks a bunch! Infotainment has shipped me a package that they say is a temp fix while they finalize it. I should see it tomorrow so more to follow.

Glad to hear. Keep us updated. I am actually toying with getting a new 3500 with the Cummins HO. My problem is that I want a Regular Cab. An RC is not available in any trim that has auto temp control or the 12" screen, those options are not allowed on an RC. If I get the new one then I would be doing the same as you.

 

[djcwardog]

It’s a work in progress. After I got the parts in the photo I inquired and their reply: “Our UAX and UAV are both having the same issue. the wiring we gave you is for the UAV. It actually won't wire in for you. This won't affect your warranty at all and we're almost done finding the UAX fix (even if it's temporary for now.) Once we have it, we'll get the right one out to you.”

 

[Jimmy07]

It’s a work in progress. After I got the parts in the photo I inquired and their reply: “Our UAX and UAV are both having the same issue. the wiring we gave you is for the UAV. It actually won't wire in for you. This won't affect your warranty at all and we're almost done finding the UAX fix (even if it's temporary for now.) Once we have it, we'll get the right one out to you.”

View attachment 194066

What sensor is that, and part number, that they sent you in that pic? Can you post a pic of the end views of the two connectors, maybe I can tell what they are trying to do? Is infotainment trying to get the ATC to function for you, or are they trying to get the manual temperature controls to work on the 12” screen’s controls? And, did you have to use one of their Genies for the install?
It appears there are 4 temperature sensors and an evaporator temp sensor that needs to be added to get ATC working on a MTC truck.

 

[djcwardog]

Here are a few photos. They have run wires out of the 4-wire factory plug into a 6-pin Molex, which they later confirmed as not for my truck and radio kit. So forget the 6-pin plug and assume that it would be cut off leaving the 4 wires to deal with. The sensor will be the same though. From reading other threads as linked above, you guys had to insert a couple pins from the sensor over to a 12-pin plug at the HVAC module and code? Not sure if that carries over to the 2019-2020 2500’s though?

They advertised this retrofit as adding auto control to trucks that only came with manual. The kit came with their OBDGenie and their Security Gateway Bypass - you remove both the plugs from the SGM (behind the cluster on a new 2500 - a PITA) and they go into their bypass. Once the Genie goes from flashing blue to green you restore the plugs back into the SGM. I hope that they added HVAC coding instructions already and that it’s now just a hardware issue. Otherwise, they’ll have to send me an updated Genie. So they’re trying to allow us to control the climate using the soft buttons in the screen display. For sure the air doors move and fan speeds can be adjusted so the system seems to function. It just doesn’t know what the temp is and how to regulate to maintain it. I believe that they are standing behind this and do not intend to have those of us with the issue pay for more stuff.

Of course, can’t some of this stuff (not the VIN into the radio of course) be coded ourselves with the software that’s available and the Bluetooth MX Device? Maybe even code it back to being manual temperature controls operated by the buttons on the new bezel and also in the touchscreen - have the ranges read “hot” and “cold” instead of “Hi” and “Lo” as they do now.

Looking up into the dash area with lower knee panel off.


Here’s where the sensor is attached to the knee panel - need two small screws.






Here’s the unit in my Tradesman after I carefully swapped the charcoal gray bezel trim over from the 5” bezel. I also painted the fake wood on the top with black interior dye. I like it!

 

[djcwardog]

I just pulled my radio. On the upper part of the radio there is a white connector an a blue one. The blue one is tied off to other wires an goes in the direction of the passenger side. Sirius antenna?? White one goes kind if straight an gets buried amongst the rest of the harnesses

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I think the blue FAKRA plug is for GPS - in this case, to your shark fin GPS antenna. Even the UAA radios need GPS to provide the compass display. The white is a video cable - probably feeding the cluster and its central display. You didn’t have something plugged in the bottom left? That’s where the lead that worked as my SiriusXM antenna (on the new radio) was.