[Gymkata98]

That sensor in the dash is a dual sensor. It is used for both the auto headlights to turn them on and off as well as the auto climate control if that’s already installed. If the auto climate isn’t installed then simply installing the dash dome sensor won’t allow you to use the auto climate. However the auto headlights will still run off that sensor once installed. As far as the auto dim headlights im the rear view mirror that is for turning the high beams on and off if at speeds about 20 mph. The rear view mirror doesn’t turn the headlights on or off automatically that is what the dash dome sensor is for.

Man, thank you! You would not believe how long it has taken me to get a straight answer about this question. I have the rear view mirror upgrade now (so I suppose I will install this and gain audio dimming and apparently a microphone I could tap into for my upgraded stereo…who knows), but I just ordered the sun sensor and will see if I have the wiring and can get it installed. Thank you again (Seriously, thank you!)

 

[Diamondsareforeveryone]

Man, thank you! You would not believe how long it has taken me to get a straight answer about this question. I have the rear view mirror upgrade now (so I suppose I will install this and gain audio dimming and apparently a microphone I could tap into for my upgraded stereo…who knows), but I just ordered the sun sensor and will see if I have the wiring and can get it installed. Thank you again (Seriously, thank you!)

You have the wiring for the sun sensor already in the dash. You have to reach in and find it and kinda break the tape and run it to the opening for the sun sensor. It’s up near the top of the dash in the back near the middle. As far as the review mirror when you installed that upgrade did you install the wiring that goes down the driver side pillar that goes with that?? Also there is more wires and another device in the dash for the microphone for the u connect. Im not sure what fully is there as I have installed the upgraded mirror and with auto dim mirror and mic and I can’t get the mic to work for the u connect.

 

[Michalb]

Hi and thank you for all the information on adding auto headlights. So from what I was told my 2015 Dodge grand caravan (SXT with no auto dimming) has the sensor in the rear view mirror and doesn’t use the dome sun sensor in the dash. After reading your post above, now I’m super confused as it sounds like it does use the sun sensor (I thought this was for The Auto climate system) for the auto headlights. Anyways, I know I’m pretty late to the party on this discussion, so not sure if I will get a response, but thought I would try! I was thinking maybe your model used a different sensor than my 2015? Thank you!

Edit. The messages after this did not load until I hit "post". So I apologize.

The electric rearview mirror is used only for dimming at night to reduce glare from people driving behind you, it doesn't affect headlight operations as far as I know. The Chrysler Town and Country higher end trims have an additional sensor mounted to the mirror, which looks like a camera. It is for auto high beams, but no Grand Caravan was ever equipped with it from factory. There is also a box for rain sensing wipers right above the mirror but only available on higher end caravans (like the crew, R/T, and GT) and higher end T&C's.

The bubble on the dash located one inch back from the center dash speaker hole which sticks out and is a half bubble (or if it's flat it's just a cap and no sensor) is used for both auto headlights and auto temp control if so equipped. It has 4 wires going to it on the high end system, the 2 outer wires are auto headlights signal and return(ground), and the inner 2 wires are for sensing the intensity of the sun.

 

[stss95]

Hi and thank you for all the information on adding auto headlights. So from what I was told my 2015 Dodge grand caravan (SXT with no auto dimming) has the sensor in the rear view mirror and doesn’t use the dome sun sensor in the dash. After reading your post above, now I’m super confused as it sounds like it does use the sun sensor (I thought this was for The Auto climate system) for the auto headlights. Anyways, I know I’m pretty late to the party on this discussion, so not sure if I will get a response, but thought I would try! I was thinking maybe your model used a different sensor than my 2015? Thank you!

The original post was for adding auto on headlights not auto dimming, I’m am not sure how the auto dimming circuit functions.

 

[Gymkata1998]

I am doing manual temp controls to auto temp controls for a 2009 caravan, that is how I know about the auto headlights connector. And all I have to say it has been the hardest project I have ever done, but along the way I have done auto headlights and the premium sound system. I sorted every sensor out for the auto climate, but driver side blows max cold air so I need to find where i messed up. Will make a video on how to if I ever get it running how it should.

I thought about doing this project while I was installing the Sun sensor and center speaker. After reading this, I think I’m going to stick with the manual control climate setup I have now. Thank you for sharing this information!
Trey

 

[Gymkata1998]

Edit. The messages after this did not load until I hit "post". So I apologize.

The electric rearview mirror is used only for dimming at night to reduce glare from people driving behind you, it doesn't affect headlight operations as far as I know. The Chrysler Town and Country higher end trims have an additional sensor mounted to the mirror, which looks like a camera. It is for auto high beams, but no Grand Caravan was ever equipped with it from factory. There is also a box for rain sensing wipers right above the mirror but only available on higher end caravans (like the crew, R/T, and GT) and higher end T&C's.

The bubble on the dash located one inch back from the center dash speaker hole which sticks out and is a half bubble (or if it's flat it's just a cap and no sensor) is used for both auto headlights and auto temp control if so equipped. It has 4 wires going to it on the high end system, the 2 outer wires are auto headlights signal and return(ground), and the inner 2 wires are for sensing the intensity of the sun.

thank you for this information and sorry I never responded a while back….got into the rear backup camera project and now back on this one. Getting the sun sensor installed today and looking at putting in a center speaker…hoping I can find the cable by putting my hand in center speaker🔈 hole and not completely dismantling the dash!
Trey

 

[Michalb]

I thought about doing this project while I was installing the Sun sensor and center speaker. After reading this, I think I’m going to stick with the manual control climate setup I have now. Thank you for sharing this information!
Trey

The 2008-2010 vans use a much different manual HVAC system then the auto version, in terms of wiring differences. This is not true for 2011+ vans, all you need is a auto control panel, the connectors for the auto unit included, and a sun sensor with the 4 pin connector +1 hour of your time.

After you remove the manual climate panel, you need to de-pin the manual connector pins and re-pin them into their auto control slots, all will fit except the smaller connector, which you need to take needle nose pliers and bend a tab on the side of the pin slot, flat against the pin and it will then fit perfectly. Then it's a matter of finding a 4 pin connector for the sunlight sensor (manual controls will have 2), and running the 2 extra wires your van doesn't have to the sunlight sensor. That's it. Wire colors will all match up perfectly, but do them one by one to be safe, and one wire is different, the sunlight sensor wire ground or return changes slots on the auto unit, contact me when you go to do this one.

My generation used different means to power the blower motors, the manual controls used a large rotary knob which had 4 separate circuits for front and 3 for rear, each running to a resistor which varies resistance based on selected speed of the fan control knob. The auto version has only one circuit and turns the resistors into power modules, using one power wire at max, and a blower control wire which tells the module how fast the blower needs to spin. So I had to run a wire to each blower motor, change out the blower motor wiring for the rear, and front, modify the wiring so I had the max power circuit connected, re-assign one of the wires controlling the temperature and blend doors, install an additional infrared sensor (which is attached to the 2011+ vans auto climate panel on the center blower knob), and then change out the connectors (I made an adapter), run the 2 wires for sun sensor, and change out the panel.

 

[Michalb]

Careful for the formatting, you can highlight my message and hit reply so I don't have to fish for it in what I've already said, thanks!

The center speaker wires are not present, you won't find it no matter how hard you look. These vans have 2 wiring harnesses for the 3 sound systems available, all lower end vans are pre wired for 6 speaker system, having the 2 corner dash speakers taped off to the harness close to their location in the 4 speaker system and used for the 6. And then the premium amplified sound system which uses a 11 channel amplifier in the rear left quarter panel behind the jack, which feeds 9 speakers individually plus a dual coil 8" sealed subwoofer.

I made a thread outlining all the sound systems in a prior thread, including wiring colors, programming information, pin out sheets for the radio, and the amplifier pin outs for the premium system.
2008-2019 GCV/T&C Sound System Information Thread...

I also made a DIY sound system thread, trying to avoid adding the premium system amplifier after the work involved of running wiring, but after much trial and error and still not eing happy with the sound, I added it in the end anyway. It's a lot of reading, if you like to read. Adding Infinity Speakers/Amp (Guide)
In the end, I found the amplifier to be under tuned and also designed to power the factory premium Infinity speakers, which distort at moderate volumes and the amplifier tries to minimize this. Upgraded all the speakers to aftermarket Infinity Reference which helped it sound better. Found a amplifier out of a 2011+ Dodge Durango with the premium sound system (alpine, but identical pin outs and speaker locations) to sound worlds better, recommend this if you decide to upgrade to the amplified sound system.

 

[Gymkata1998]

Careful for the formatting, you can highlight my message and hit reply so I don't have to fish for it in what I've already said, thanks!

The center speaker wires are not present, you won't find it no matter how hard you look. These vans have 2 wiring harnesses for the 3 sound systems available, all lower end vans are pre wired for 6 speaker system, having the 2 corner dash speakers taped off to the harness close to their location in the 4 speaker system and used for the 6. And then the premium amplified sound system which uses a 11 channel amplifier in the rear left quarter panel behind the jack, which feeds 9 speakers individually plus a dual coil 8" sealed subwoofer.

I made a thread outlining all the sound systems in a prior thread, including wiring colors, programming information, pin out sheets for the radio, and the amplifier pin outs for the premium system.
2008-2019 GCV/T&C Sound System Information Thread...

I also made a DIY sound system thread, trying to avoid adding the premium system amplifier after the work involved of running wiring, but after much trial and error and still not eing happy with the sound, I added it in the end anyway. It's a lot of reading, if you like to read. Adding Infinity Speakers/Amp (Guide)
In the end, I found the amplifier to be under tuned and also designed to power the factory premium Infinity speakers, which distort at moderate volumes and the amplifier tries to minimize this. Upgraded all the speakers to aftermarket Infinity Reference which helped it sound better. Found a amplifier out of a 2011+ Dodge Durango with the premium sound system (alpine, but identical pin outs and speaker locations) to sound worlds better, recommend this if you decide to upgrade to the amplified sound system.

The 2008-2010 vans use a much different manual HVAC system then the auto version, in terms of wiring differences. This is not true for 2011+ vans, all you need is a auto control panel, the connectors for the auto unit included, and a sun sensor with the 4 pin connector +1 hour of your time.

After you remove the manual climate panel, you need to de-pin the manual connector pins and re-pin them into their auto control slots, all will fit except the smaller connector, which you need to take needle nose pliers and bend a tab on the side of the pin slot, flat against the pin and it will then fit perfectly. Then it's a matter of finding a 4 pin connector for the sunlight sensor (manual controls will have 2), and running the 2 extra wires your van doesn't have to the sunlight sensor. That's it. Wire colors will all match up perfectly, but do them one by one to be safe, and one wire is different, the sunlight sensor wire ground or return changes slots on the auto unit, contact me when you go to do this one.

My generation used different means to power the blower motors, the manual controls used a large rotary knob which had 4 separate circuits for front and 3 for rear, each running to a resistor which varies resistance based on selected speed of the fan control knob. The auto version has only one circuit and turns the resistors into power modules, using one power wire at max, and a blower control wire which tells the module how fast the blower needs to spin. So I had to run a wire to each blower motor, change out the blower motor wiring for the rear, and front, modify the wiring so I had the max power circuit connected, re-assign one of the wires controlling the temperature and blend doors, install an additional infrared sensor (which is attached to the 2011+ vans auto climate panel on the center blower knob), and then change out the connectors (I made an adapter), run the 2 wires for sun sensor, and change out the panel.

WOW, you did a lot of work to get that auto climate control working…good job! I don’t think I could have tackled that one. Thank you for the info on changing from manual to auto climate control in the later models. I have already returned the one I bought on ebay, but after reading your post you have encouraged me and I think I will purchase a used auto climate control panel and give it a second try. I’m working on finding the sun sensor wiring as we speak and I think I’ve found it. Got a picture I took from the center speaker hole with my iphone after removing the front panel under the windshield. I’m thinking it’s the white and blue wires, but wanted to see what you thought?

 

[Gymkata1998]

Careful for the formatting, you can highlight my message and hit reply so I don't have to fish for it in what I've already said, thanks!

The center speaker wires are not present, you won't find it no matter how hard you look. These vans have 2 wiring harnesses for the 3 sound systems available, all lower end vans are pre wired for 6 speaker system, having the 2 corner dash speakers taped off to the harness close to their location in the 4 speaker system and used for the 6. And then the premium amplified sound system which uses a 11 channel amplifier in the rear left quarter panel behind the jack, which feeds 9 speakers individually plus a dual coil 8" sealed subwoofer.

I made a thread outlining all the sound systems in a prior thread, including wiring colors, programming information, pin out sheets for the radio, and the amplifier pin outs for the premium system.
2008-2019 GCV/T&C Sound System Information Thread...

I also made a DIY sound system thread, trying to avoid adding the premium system amplifier after the work involved of running wiring, but after much trial and error and still not eing happy with the sound, I added it in the end anyway. It's a lot of reading, if you like to read. Adding Infinity Speakers/Amp (Guide)
In the end, I found the amplifier to be under tuned and also designed to power the factory premium Infinity speakers, which distort at moderate volumes and the amplifier tries to minimize this. Upgraded all the speakers to aftermarket Infinity Reference which helped it sound better. Found a amplifier out of a 2011+ Dodge Durango with the premium sound system (alpine, but identical pin outs and speaker locations) to sound worlds better, recommend this if you decide to upgrade to the amplified sound system.

Thank you for letting me know this information about the upgraded audio system…after reading this post I think I will be happy with my 6 speaker system and upgraded after market 9.1“ head unit!

 

[Michalb]

I’m working on finding the sun sensor wiring as we speak and I think I’ve found it. Got a picture I took from the center speaker hole with my iphone after removing the front panel under the windshield. I’m thinking it’s the white and blue wires, but wanted to see what you thought?

Yep, the sun sensor will have a 4 way black connector but only 2 wires used for the manual climate system, I see it on the side there, the wires will be White/Violet and Dark Blue/Dark Green.
Edit; There will also be one more connector there, taped off farther towards the driver side which will be the compass module, for compass on the premium gauge cluster so won't be of use to you. Just don't get surprised when you find it down the line.

Remember you will still need the plugs for the auto climate control panel, which you will then have to de-pin the cut wires on the auto climate panel connectors, de-pin the wires from your original climate panel connectors, and re-pin them into their slots on the auto control panel, not a hard job to do just do them one by one so you don't loose track of orientation. Wire colors are identical manual to auto, except for the sun sensor return which is DB/DG on the manual system but changes to VT/TN (violet/tan) in the auto system, also has a different pin assignment and the original isn't used although does show it in the auto system so make sure to keep this in your notes, and of course the missing 2 sun sensor wires, which your van manual system only has 2/4. You will need a 4 pin sun sensor connector, I just cut mine and soldered on the 4 pin connector.