’94 Ford Explorer Factory Amp Bypass

I've got a Kenwood KDC-x959 receiver and I just bought a wiring plug-in harness (to the ford harness) from Crutchfield. On the ford side of the harness is a blue wire which Crutchfield told me is like a remote-turn on wire for the factory amp. It has no connection on the Crutchfield harness. Now, Crutchfield also included factory amp bypass connectors and said I should bypass the factory amp because the output from the new receiver is too much for the factory amp. I'm wondering if anybody has actually tried this....it seems like I could just run a wire bypassing the crutchfield-ford harness from the receiver remote turn on to the factory amp remote turn on lead (which is ON the ford harness, just not connected to anything on the crutchfield side) (attempt at a picture below, heh).

___| (factory amp rem. turn-on, connected to F.Harness)
|   |
| ---------------------- FORD HARNESS
| ---------------------- CRUTCHFIELD HARNESS
|___
   |
   | (receiver rem turn-on, not connected to C. harness )
I'm assuming at this point the speakers would turn on because there's now a remote turn on connection from receiver to factory amp. Heh, what would then happen? Would the speakers blow? Would the factory amp blow? I don't have any specs on the factory amp so I don't know how different receivers output was/is from the factory radio's output. I'm assuming the speaker outputs from the receiver go into the factory amp sort of like rca inputs.....

You can go about this one of two ways.

The first, get a ford premium sound harness, and retain the factory amplifier. This harness will have the two connections with a amplifier remote turn on lead. Connect this and it will turn the amplifier on, in which you will be able to use it. I don't know why they told you that you HAVE to bypass the factory amplifier, this will not hurt anything it will just let you retain the amplifier with an aftermarket HU. They sent you a harness for a non-premium sound vehicle.

The second, you can bypass the amplifier, you will have to get the factory amplifier bypass harness, which I think you said they sent, in that case you can use that. You will have to remove the panel in the back, on the passenger side. This is where the amplifier is located. Once you have located the amplifier, you can unplug the two plugs in the amplifier, and plug in each end of the bypass harness. In this case, you can use the harness they sent, you will have no need to for an amplifier remote.  

This harness here will give you the option for both. Your local Metra dealer/stereo shop should carry it.

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thanks for the reply, chad. Here's what Crutchfield said about bypassing the factory amp, and their instructions were exactly the same as yours. "The amplifier is designed to accept a much lower input than what your new radio will put out. The factory radio did use regular wire (not RCA connections) to get the signal to the factory amp, but the signal level of this was on par with a preamp level signal.   So, it will be necessary to take the third part of the harness you purchased (the jumper) and go to the amplifier. You will unplug two connectors from the amp, they and those will in turn plug into each end of the bypass harness."

About the ford premium sound harness and the link you posted - those three harnesses are almost exactly what they gave me except that the harness in that link looks like it has one more wire than my Crutchfield harness - I'm assuming that's the remote turn-on lead for the factory amp. Makes sense that there'd be one less wire in the Crutchfield harness that I have since Crutchfield said you couldn't use the factory amp, so they just left that wire outa the harness.

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You can go about this one of two ways.

The first, get a ford premium sound harness, and retain the factory amplifier. This harness will have the two connections with a amplifier remote turn on lead. Connect this and it will turn the amplifier on, in which you will be able to use it. I don't know why they told you that you HAVE to bypass the factory amplifier, this will not hurt anything it will just let you retain the amplifier with an aftermarket HU. They sent you a harness for a non-premium sound vehicle.

The second, you can bypass the amplifier, you will have to get the factory amplifier bypass harness, which I think you said they sent, in that case you can use that. You will have to remove the panel in the back, on the passenger side. This is where the amplifier is located. Once you have located the amplifier, you can unplug the two plugs in the amplifier, and plug in each end of the bypass harness. In this case, you can use the harness they sent, you will have no need to for an amplifier remote.

This harness here will give you the option for both. Your local Metra dealer/stereo shop should carry it.

sorry, the wire left out on my Crutchfield harness corresponds to one of the leftmost wires on the grey harness (rightmost harness) in the link you sent

If you are talking about the blue wires, then that is your amplifier remote turn on, as you thought, and power antenna wire.

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yeah, from what they said, if I did connect my receiver to their factory amp I'm guessing that I'd get some distortion out of the speakers since the voltage coming into the factory amp's higher than what it's designed for.

You can use the factory amp if you so desire, we are a Kenwood authorized dealer, and have been using the amplifiers in the Explorers when desired. Haven't had any distortion or amplifier failure problems.

If the HU provided too much input voltage for the amplifier, and would cause any equipment damage, then aftermarket companies would not produce a harness that enables you the option to retain usage of the factory amplifier.  

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