Frozen Navigation Screen Fix DIY
02-26-12, 05:22 PM
#64
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: VA
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My navigation has this issue and hasn't been fixed in over a year. Originally the screen wasn't responding to touch with everything operating fine. Now the screen when I push the MAP button the screen says "external unit not connected" and still the touch screen isn't responding.
If I do this fix wdo you guys think the issue will be fixed or is the "external unit not connected" another issue?
thanks
If I do this fix wdo you guys think the issue will be fixed or is the "external unit not connected" another issue?
thanks
02-29-12, 12:34 PM
#67
My navigation has this issue and hasn't been fixed in over a year. Originally the screen wasn't responding to touch with everything operating fine. Now the screen when I push the MAP button the screen says "external unit not connected" and still the touch screen isn't responding.
If I do this fix wdo you guys think the issue will be fixed or is the "external unit not connected" another issue?
thanks
If I do this fix wdo you guys think the issue will be fixed or is the "external unit not connected" another issue?
thanks
Jonny
03-06-12, 12:16 AM
#68
Thank you for posting this DIY! It saved me over $2k. I did this fix this past Sunday and just wanted to share my experience.
This was my first time opening the center console, and it was actually really easy! The only thing I've ever taken apart before was my steering wheel (to install the steering damper), the interior lighting covers (to install LEDs), and the side mirrors (to install LEDs).
Taking the GPS / CD / Radio out of my car took about 20 minutes the first time, but once you've done it once, it's actually doable in 5-10 minutes. When I unplugged all the cables, I cut out a white envelope label into tiny numbered labels to make sure I knew how to plug everything back together. (In retrospect, this was not necessary because it was pretty obvious and most were different sizes.) The tools listed are really the only things you need. You may want to get a socket wrench extender to make your life a bit easier, and a small set of pliers came in handy taking the cables off.
Also, the OP made taking off the vents seem harder than they really are. I highly advise just looking at a YouTube video — made it really easy and really quick.
Actually taking the touch screen off the GPS unit was a bit harder. There's a step missing where you have to unscrew the front plate... pretty straightforward once you get there though (4 screws). Everything was very easy except for separating the three cables from the screen and the "screen holder". I actually pulled the ribbon out of its socket on accident, luckily without any damage. There's a four-pin (inside a five-pin holder) cable that you have to pull out from the bottom that I pulled too hard on and the pins actually came out of the holder. Luckily, I usually put computers together so I knew that the pins could just be shoved right back in. I recommend using the small set of pliers to pull the cable out of its socket by the plastic part. (Lesson: don't yank on wires to get them out of their sockets.)
I spent the most time on the touch screen. It was quick to debug which connection was loose, but for me it was hard to repair the connection. Some points that were non-obvious to me:
Bullet 2 was very non-obvious, but maybe I just needed to read more closely. The idea is that the connection is broken right where the glass ends and the ribbon meets it. If you scrape away at the glass, you'll get to the conductive copper part under the glass. You use the CircuitWriter to connect the exposed copper part to the ribbon.
When I did this, I could not get the pin 4 (my problematic pin) on the ribbon and conductive copper under the glass to connect. I read that some people had luck with putting more CircuitWriter (being careful not to put too much so you're anywhere near the next pin), so I tried that and it still didn't work. I actually scheduled a Lexus appointment and made up my mind to bring it in and pay $2k.
Then I put everything back together (very fast, 10 minutes this time) and as I drove, out of habit, I pressed "I agree" on the GPS and it worked! I'm guessing that either my multi-meter sucked (by the way, get a good one with sharp pointer probes to make your life easier) or the CircuitWriter leaked in further and managed to amend the connection while I re-installed everything. Either way, $2k saved!
In total, this costed me ~$80 ($20 for screwdrivers*, $20 for the socket heads and adapter, $20 for the CircuitWriter, and $20 for a crappy multi-meter).
*Yes, I did not have one. That's how n00b I am.
Thanks again! Sorry for the long-winded post, but hopefully this helps someone.
This was my first time opening the center console, and it was actually really easy! The only thing I've ever taken apart before was my steering wheel (to install the steering damper), the interior lighting covers (to install LEDs), and the side mirrors (to install LEDs).
Taking the GPS / CD / Radio out of my car took about 20 minutes the first time, but once you've done it once, it's actually doable in 5-10 minutes. When I unplugged all the cables, I cut out a white envelope label into tiny numbered labels to make sure I knew how to plug everything back together. (In retrospect, this was not necessary because it was pretty obvious and most were different sizes.) The tools listed are really the only things you need. You may want to get a socket wrench extender to make your life a bit easier, and a small set of pliers came in handy taking the cables off.
Also, the OP made taking off the vents seem harder than they really are. I highly advise just looking at a YouTube video — made it really easy and really quick.
Actually taking the touch screen off the GPS unit was a bit harder. There's a step missing where you have to unscrew the front plate... pretty straightforward once you get there though (4 screws). Everything was very easy except for separating the three cables from the screen and the "screen holder". I actually pulled the ribbon out of its socket on accident, luckily without any damage. There's a four-pin (inside a five-pin holder) cable that you have to pull out from the bottom that I pulled too hard on and the pins actually came out of the holder. Luckily, I usually put computers together so I knew that the pins could just be shoved right back in. I recommend using the small set of pliers to pull the cable out of its socket by the plastic part. (Lesson: don't yank on wires to get them out of their sockets.)
I spent the most time on the touch screen. It was quick to debug which connection was loose, but for me it was hard to repair the connection. Some points that were non-obvious to me:
- Use the exposed pins at the narrow end of the ribbon cable to debug.
- The guide is suggesting that you scrape away at the glass above where the problematic part of the wide ribbon meets the glass.
Bullet 2 was very non-obvious, but maybe I just needed to read more closely. The idea is that the connection is broken right where the glass ends and the ribbon meets it. If you scrape away at the glass, you'll get to the conductive copper part under the glass. You use the CircuitWriter to connect the exposed copper part to the ribbon.
When I did this, I could not get the pin 4 (my problematic pin) on the ribbon and conductive copper under the glass to connect. I read that some people had luck with putting more CircuitWriter (being careful not to put too much so you're anywhere near the next pin), so I tried that and it still didn't work. I actually scheduled a Lexus appointment and made up my mind to bring it in and pay $2k.
Then I put everything back together (very fast, 10 minutes this time) and as I drove, out of habit, I pressed "I agree" on the GPS and it worked! I'm guessing that either my multi-meter sucked (by the way, get a good one with sharp pointer probes to make your life easier) or the CircuitWriter leaked in further and managed to amend the connection while I re-installed everything. Either way, $2k saved!
In total, this costed me ~$80 ($20 for screwdrivers*, $20 for the socket heads and adapter, $20 for the CircuitWriter, and $20 for a crappy multi-meter).
*Yes, I did not have one. That's how n00b I am.
Thanks again! Sorry for the long-winded post, but hopefully this helps someone.
03-06-12, 03:22 PM
#69
Well, for anyone still keeping up with this thread. I gave in and purchased the new screen from the seller in China on eBay. It arrived within 3 days. Here they are side by side
it in and it works with no issues. An expensive fix, but if the circuit writer trick doesn't work then at least we know this does...
Jonny
it in and it works with no issues. An expensive fix, but if the circuit writer trick doesn't work then at least we know this does...
Jonny
03-06-12, 05:42 PM
#70
03-07-12, 07:22 AM
#71
Thank you for posting this DIY! It saved me over $2k. I did this fix this past Sunday and just wanted to share my experience.
This was my first time opening the center console, and it was actually really easy! The only thing I've ever taken apart before was my steering wheel (to install the steering damper), the interior lighting covers (to install LEDs), and the side mirrors (to install LEDs).
Taking the GPS / CD / Radio out of my car took about 20 minutes the first time, but once you've done it once, it's actually doable in 5-10 minutes. When I unplugged all the cables, I cut out a white envelope label into tiny numbered labels to make sure I knew how to plug everything back together. (In retrospect, this was not necessary because it was pretty obvious and most were different sizes.) The tools listed are really the only things you need. You may want to get a socket wrench extender to make your life a bit easier, and a small set of pliers came in handy taking the cables off.
Also, the OP made taking off the vents seem harder than they really are. I highly advise just looking at a YouTube video — made it really easy and really quick.
Actually taking the touch screen off the GPS unit was a bit harder. There's a step missing where you have to unscrew the front plate... pretty straightforward once you get there though (4 screws). Everything was very easy except for separating the three cables from the screen and the "screen holder". I actually pulled the ribbon out of its socket on accident, luckily without any damage. There's a four-pin (inside a five-pin holder) cable that you have to pull out from the bottom that I pulled too hard on and the pins actually came out of the holder. Luckily, I usually put computers together so I knew that the pins could just be shoved right back in. I recommend using the small set of pliers to pull the cable out of its socket by the plastic part. (Lesson: don't yank on wires to get them out of their sockets.)
I spent the most time on the touch screen. It was quick to debug which connection was loose, but for me it was hard to repair the connection. Some points that were non-obvious to me:
Bullet 2 was very non-obvious, but maybe I just needed to read more closely. The idea is that the connection is broken right where the glass ends and the ribbon meets it. If you scrape away at the glass, you'll get to the conductive copper part under the glass. You use the CircuitWriter to connect the exposed copper part to the ribbon.
When I did this, I could not get the pin 4 (my problematic pin) on the ribbon and conductive copper under the glass to connect. I read that some people had luck with putting more CircuitWriter (being careful not to put too much so you're anywhere near the next pin), so I tried that and it still didn't work. I actually scheduled a Lexus appointment and made up my mind to bring it in and pay $2k.
Then I put everything back together (very fast, 10 minutes this time) and as I drove, out of habit, I pressed "I agree" on the GPS and it worked! I'm guessing that either my multi-meter sucked (by the way, get a good one with sharp pointer probes to make your life easier) or the CircuitWriter leaked in further and managed to amend the connection while I re-installed everything. Either way, $2k saved!
In total, this costed me ~$80 ($20 for screwdrivers*, $20 for the socket heads and adapter, $20 for the CircuitWriter, and $20 for a crappy multi-meter).
*Yes, I did not have one. That's how n00b I am.
Thanks again! Sorry for the long-winded post, but hopefully this helps someone.
This was my first time opening the center console, and it was actually really easy! The only thing I've ever taken apart before was my steering wheel (to install the steering damper), the interior lighting covers (to install LEDs), and the side mirrors (to install LEDs).
Taking the GPS / CD / Radio out of my car took about 20 minutes the first time, but once you've done it once, it's actually doable in 5-10 minutes. When I unplugged all the cables, I cut out a white envelope label into tiny numbered labels to make sure I knew how to plug everything back together. (In retrospect, this was not necessary because it was pretty obvious and most were different sizes.) The tools listed are really the only things you need. You may want to get a socket wrench extender to make your life a bit easier, and a small set of pliers came in handy taking the cables off.
Also, the OP made taking off the vents seem harder than they really are. I highly advise just looking at a YouTube video — made it really easy and really quick.
Actually taking the touch screen off the GPS unit was a bit harder. There's a step missing where you have to unscrew the front plate... pretty straightforward once you get there though (4 screws). Everything was very easy except for separating the three cables from the screen and the "screen holder". I actually pulled the ribbon out of its socket on accident, luckily without any damage. There's a four-pin (inside a five-pin holder) cable that you have to pull out from the bottom that I pulled too hard on and the pins actually came out of the holder. Luckily, I usually put computers together so I knew that the pins could just be shoved right back in. I recommend using the small set of pliers to pull the cable out of its socket by the plastic part. (Lesson: don't yank on wires to get them out of their sockets.)
I spent the most time on the touch screen. It was quick to debug which connection was loose, but for me it was hard to repair the connection. Some points that were non-obvious to me:
- Use the exposed pins at the narrow end of the ribbon cable to debug.
- The guide is suggesting that you scrape away at the glass above where the problematic part of the wide ribbon meets the glass.
Bullet 2 was very non-obvious, but maybe I just needed to read more closely. The idea is that the connection is broken right where the glass ends and the ribbon meets it. If you scrape away at the glass, you'll get to the conductive copper part under the glass. You use the CircuitWriter to connect the exposed copper part to the ribbon.
When I did this, I could not get the pin 4 (my problematic pin) on the ribbon and conductive copper under the glass to connect. I read that some people had luck with putting more CircuitWriter (being careful not to put too much so you're anywhere near the next pin), so I tried that and it still didn't work. I actually scheduled a Lexus appointment and made up my mind to bring it in and pay $2k.
Then I put everything back together (very fast, 10 minutes this time) and as I drove, out of habit, I pressed "I agree" on the GPS and it worked! I'm guessing that either my multi-meter sucked (by the way, get a good one with sharp pointer probes to make your life easier) or the CircuitWriter leaked in further and managed to amend the connection while I re-installed everything. Either way, $2k saved!
In total, this costed me ~$80 ($20 for screwdrivers*, $20 for the socket heads and adapter, $20 for the CircuitWriter, and $20 for a crappy multi-meter).
*Yes, I did not have one. That's how n00b I am.
Thanks again! Sorry for the long-winded post, but hopefully this helps someone.
Jonny
03-10-12, 11:36 AM
#74
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
