Now word on the street is y'all suckers (don't) want static.
April 22, 2011 7:48 AM Subscribe
Help me find a place to purchase this tiny car part for a Scion xB!
On my xB, the auxiliary audio input jack (a standard 3.5mm socket) has been giving me static and dropping the left or right speaker channels whenever the cable is jostled. I've verified this isn't a cable issue, over three different cables. Dissembling the console, I can isolate the jack portion itself, detach it, clean it, etc, and when hooking it back up I may get a few days of interference-free playback, but inevitably the connection issues return. I don't think it's a dirt or obstruction issue, as the cable is rarely unplugged from the port, so nothing could get in. My solution is to find a replacement for the jack itself (which looks like I could get it atRadio err The Shack for five bucks), but this has proven difficult since I can't identify a part number to look up or anything like that.
Anyone have any ideas on where I could purchase one of these things, online or in meatspace? Am I mistaken in thinking it's relatively cheap? Is my solution possibly tied to a completely different thing? Pictures of the widget in question are below - it's about 1.5 - 2" long, the green end is the 3.5mm socket, the grey side is the 4-pin socket for the cable it joins to inside the console.
one two three ukulele
On my xB, the auxiliary audio input jack (a standard 3.5mm socket) has been giving me static and dropping the left or right speaker channels whenever the cable is jostled. I've verified this isn't a cable issue, over three different cables. Dissembling the console, I can isolate the jack portion itself, detach it, clean it, etc, and when hooking it back up I may get a few days of interference-free playback, but inevitably the connection issues return. I don't think it's a dirt or obstruction issue, as the cable is rarely unplugged from the port, so nothing could get in. My solution is to find a replacement for the jack itself (which looks like I could get it at
Anyone have any ideas on where I could purchase one of these things, online or in meatspace? Am I mistaken in thinking it's relatively cheap? Is my solution possibly tied to a completely different thing? Pictures of the widget in question are below - it's about 1.5 - 2" long, the green end is the 3.5mm socket, the grey side is the 4-pin socket for the cable it joins to inside the console.
one two three ukulele
Toyota is a good place to start, but there's a chance that they'll only be willing to sell it as part of a larger assembly. If that's the case and you don't want to buy it from them, start calling around to auto salvage yards and ask if they have any xB's in the lot. It's actually kind of fun to go to one of these--the guy in the shack will give you some vague directions to where the car will be, and you just climb in and pull the part out yourself.
Also keep in mind that it's very likely that other Scion and Toyota models share this same component. Since the original xB (which is what I'm assuming you have) is based on the Yaris platform, that's a likely candidate.
posted by TrialByMedia at 8:17 AM on April 22, 2011
Also keep in mind that it's very likely that other Scion and Toyota models share this same component. Since the original xB (which is what I'm assuming you have) is based on the Yaris platform, that's a likely candidate.
posted by TrialByMedia at 8:17 AM on April 22, 2011
If you get really lucky you might be able to identify and purchase just the cubic green part, desolder the old one and replace it.
That, or desolder the connector, buy a standard 3.5mm jack, and recreate the whole thing with a bit of perfboard.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:29 AM on April 22, 2011
That, or desolder the connector, buy a standard 3.5mm jack, and recreate the whole thing with a bit of perfboard.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:29 AM on April 22, 2011
Talk to your dealer. It looks like a standard XB can have up to two auxiliary jacks (in the console between the seats, not the dash, correct?), one regular stereo, and one for an iPod. If it's the former, as it seems, it looks to be about a $35 part, list (it runs a touch cheaper online, but it's probably worth the peace of mind to get it locally). It's impossible to get the exact part number without a year, but the PNC is 86190C.
posted by Nahum Tate at 9:03 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Nahum Tate at 9:03 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
The jack isn't a standard audio jack. It has additional contacts in it to signal the radio when something is plugged into the jack (and probably which jack if your car does indeed have more than one). It's probable that the resistors on the board are there to multiplex that signal. The multiplexing is why part numbers are year dependent. If you end up scrap yarding this part make sure the coloured bands on the resistors are the same on the new part as they are on your existing part.
posted by Mitheral at 10:15 AM on April 22, 2011
posted by Mitheral at 10:15 AM on April 22, 2011
Response by poster: Ah ha - mine is an '06 xB. Good to know they're year dependent, that'd save me grabbing the wrong one!
posted by FatherDagon at 11:45 AM on April 22, 2011
posted by FatherDagon at 11:45 AM on April 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jon1270 at 8:01 AM on April 22, 2011