Disable ANC on 2012-2013 Pilot - 1 of 2

[ToolmanJoe]

Disabling the ANC itself does not affect the sound quality at all but it is necessary if you add any external amp or subwoofer to the system, otherwise you will get a loud tone out of the sub and/or speakers. Adding the amp and subwoofer does drastically improve the sound quality.

Did this improve the sound quality?

[nicano]

I will make it more simple for whoever wants to use this method. I have a 2012 EX-L and to me it drives crappy without the ANC. So i disable the ANC on my radio. 1st - make sure your radio is off. 2nd - simultaneously press the numbers 1 & 6 ( while pressing them) press the Volume. At the top of the screen DIAG will appear. 3rd - press number 1. ANC ON should appear at the top of the screen. 4th - by pressing 1 you can turn the ANC off. There will be a continuous hum in the rear speaker for about 3 mins (at least thats the time it takes for the hum to stop in my Pilot). 5th - Once the hum stops press your Volume which will turn your radio off. Now you are set. The only down side to this method is every time you turn off your vehicle it will automatically return your radio to the original setting. Also if you want to re-engage the ANC after you turned it off, you can turn it on with the same process while your driving.

[Armystrong]

Good instruction Nicano....ToolmanJoe provided these exact same instructions in another thread. Thanks for posting it here.

[Armystrong]

ToolmanJoe...I have a 2013 EX 4WD and there are no ANC mics in either of the locations indicated by your pictures. I just did the LED interior light install and looked all over for the ANC mic and for the 2013 Pilots I believe the ANC mics are integrated into the Overhead map light housing...right next to the homelink buttons.

Here are the photos.
No ANC Mic above 2nd Row


Possible ANC Mics next to the Homelink buttons:

[john segal]

Hey Toolmanjoe,
Your post on getting rid of the ANC was great. My question is - if the primary reason Honda installs the ANC is to negate the VCM is there away to turn off the VCM?
I, like many other Pilot owners, do not like those cylinders being deactivated.
I would do ANYthing to always run on all six cylinders.
And I know forum readers say that the ANC does not interfer with the sound of the stock radio unit, but my 2012 touring sound system is weak.
I hope you are still following this post and will reply
Thakns

[DMG]

There is no way to disable the VCM, if there was I would have done it the first day I picked up my Pilot.

Originally Posted by john segal

Hey Toolmanjoe,
Your post on getting rid of the ANC was great. My question is - if the primary reason Honda installs the ANC is to negate the VCM is there away to turn off the VCM?
I, like many other Pilot owners, do not like those cylinders being deactivated.
I would do ANYthing to always run on all six cylinders.
And I know forum readers say that the ANC does not interfer with the sound of the stock radio unit, but my 2012 touring sound system is weak.
I hope you are still following this post and will reply
Thakns

[Armystrong]

After disconnecting the ANC connector the hands free phone does not work anymore. My wife is alittle upset so I am going to have to reconnect it. One of the Connectors says ANC the other says wireless. We disconnected the ANC and when I call here from the house and she is driving she can hear me but I can't hear her talking. Once I get my Adjustable Line converter I will post pictures.
Jim

[DMG]

Armystrong, two ideas:
1- To your wife just say "oops sorry dear".
2- Hook up the 1st set of wires and then disconect the other set. See if that may work.

Originally Posted by Armystrong

After disconnecting the ANC connector the hands free phone does not work anymore. My wife is alittle upset so I am going to have to reconnect it. One of the Connectors says ANC the other says wireless. We disconnected the ANC and when I call here from the house and she is driving she can hear me but I can't hear her talking. Once I get my Adjustable Line converter I will post pictures.
Jim

[john segal]

DMG
I can not believe the VCM has to be locked in. Why would Honda go thru all the extra gizzmo's (ANC) to lessen the annoyance of the cylinders shutting down for a fraction of a gallon of fuel?
But to all who disagree- I firmly believe that by running a "noise cancelation" thru the SAME speakers that must produce very good sound quality is an oxymoron. The Touring says 600 watts. Thats a joke. How can a speaker that supposed to muffle a sound, produce great music? Honda should have used a separate speaker to run the ANC. The sound system in my 2004 pilot was fantastic. I could never have turned the volume up past 3/4 way up! On this 2012 its up all the way a lot of the time (and I'm an old guy)! The clarity and loudness is being muffled by the ANC. And the ANC is only there to help MUTE the VCM which none of us want! Bunch of crap.

[DMG]

J.S. I agree with you, I do not like dropping cylinders just to add to themileage. The pilot it is not that noticeable as my 2011 Dodge Ram. When the Ram drops to eco mode you would swear that you must need a tune-up.

I don't even like the auto door locks when you shift out of park, I wish I could disable that and the VCM.... then life would be great.


When it comes to the stock radio (non-Nav) in my Pilot that was a total joke.... no volume, no imaging and certainly no punch! It was like a 9 volt transistor radio form the 60's. That is why I ripped out all of the stock system and replaced it with Kenwood, JL Audio and Morel drives.>>

2012 EXL Stereo Build

[john segal]

DMG,
What a beautiful/professional installation job.
If i didn't have a bunch of tools, etc under the hatch I would consider cutting in a sub woofer too.
And if tool man Joe is listening, you stated in your 11-13 post how you should have gone with the Touring to get the better system. Well that is the ONLY reason I went with the touring. Now I'm having a hard time with an upgrade since I already thought I paid for one from the factory!

[RobertBrophy]

Thanks for the walk through. It took less than 15 min for both sensors combined in my 2012 EX-L.

[Aminton]

You are my hero! That noise was driving me insane! I would have to drive with my door open to get rid of it! Thank you sooo much for posting this. In case anyone cares it was a 2011 pilot and you just unclip the black box mounted in the light assembly (not the one behind the garage door opener) for the front (it doesn't look like the one in the picture but it does have a QR code on it and the back one you can unhook without taking anything out or cutting wires if you use a pocket knife to unclip it.