replace head unit
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=13714
Printed Date: May 25, 2024 at 9:15 PM
Topic: replace head unit
Posted By: joseph0608
Subject: replace head unit
Date Posted: May 19, 2003 at 1:11 PM
Hi. My car was broken into a couple of nights ago and my cd deck was unfortunately stolen (well, at least, only the deck!). I'm planning to purchace a replacement over the internet and replace it myself. The guy didn't really mess up with the wiring and the harness and even left the mount. If I do replace it myself, will it be just a "plug-and-play" thing? If I get a different brand, would it be ok to just directly connect the wires? What other parts do you think would I need? Thanks!
Replies:
Posted By: Sweekster
Date Posted: May 19, 2003 at 2:04 PM
Well. what kind of car do you have (make and year)? If the harness and mount were not damaged then it should be just a plug and play thing. My sony HU (which the guy actually did me a favor) was stolen back in February and he even left the harness adapter along with the mounting bracket and screws . So when I decide to get another aftermarket HU (i put the factory HU back in for now) it will be plug n play for me. Did you also have an external and subs? You may have to re run the wiring for all of that (like the remote turn on and speaker wires) but you should not have much of a problem. Did you orignally install it yourself?
Posted By: joseph0608
Date Posted: May 20, 2003 at 1:59 AM
I have a '95 Dodge Neon. It was a Kenwood CD deck and I didn't install it. I've checked the wiring and it has only 1 RCA, if I get a deck with multiple RCA outputs, what do I need to do? The speakers are factory, I think. I just purchased the vehicle 4 months ago so I'm not really sure about the subs or any other stuff. But I don't think I have subwoofers, though. Would it still be alright if I get a different brand, like Alpine or Blaupunkt, and directly connect the wires? Thanks.
Posted By: wvsquirrel
Date Posted: May 20, 2003 at 2:53 AM
It's always best (and cleaner) to use a Metra Harness. Here's a link to what you need. This would get spliced into the aftermarket headunit harness (comes with the headunit) and then plugged into the car's harness (where the OEM headunit plugged into).
The only time you would need RCA's (barring DVD/video applications) is for amplifiers. If you saw a single RCA cable in your dash then you might have an amp hidden somewhere in the car (either that or the previous owner removed the amp but not the wire). Stupid question, but are you sure it was an RCA cable and not the Antenna connector? ------------- Squirrel
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Posted By: joseph0608
Date Posted: May 20, 2003 at 11:28 AM
On the contrary, it's a very good question. And it may very well be the antenna connector. But what I'm sure of is that there are 2 of these Metra Harnesses(I've always wondered what they're called), another wire, and the connector. What I really wanna know is that would it be as easy as connecting these wires directly to the headunit that I'm getting? If not, what other possible connections do you think I need to make? And what parts do I need to purchase? I'm planning to get a JVC KD-SX780 and I used to have a Kenwood deck. Another thing, would there be a difference in wire connections between headunits with motorized and flip-down faceplates? Thanks, I really appreciate it.
Posted By: Sweekster
Date Posted: May 20, 2003 at 12:09 PM
What wvsquirrel said is extremely useful. The Metra harness splices on the to wires on the head unit. There's always instrcutions included that tell you which wires to splice together. So you really aren't touching any of the factory wires (if the factory plug is still there). I would check out that link he provided. It'll give you a better clue as to what you might need.
Posted By: Sweekster
Date Posted: May 20, 2003 at 12:10 PM
What wvsquirrel said is extremely useful. The Metra harness splices on the to wires on the head unit. There's always instructions included that tell you which wires to splice together. So you really aren't touching any of the factory wires (if the factory plug is still there). I would check out that link he provided. It'll give you a better clue as to what you might need.
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