Instructions.. really!!
Nov 16 '00
What a task. Installing a car stereo into your ride isn't (and shouldn't be) rocket science, but it is certainly an art best left to professionals or those who have "the knack" to do it.
If you must, at least prepare yourself with some good information, like this that follows:
There are really five phases to a successful car stereo installation:
1) Planning
2) Disassembly
3) Connection
4) Testing
5) Reassembly
But let's be clear about what we're talking about here. We are talking about a car stereo installation, not an complete mobile audio-video masterpiece, right? Let's stick to the basics.
First: Planning for the installation.
Find a stereo which FITS! There are many online fitment guides which will tell you what fits in your car and what (approximate) difficulty you will have installing a stereo in your car.
One resource I have found is at: www.crutchfield.com
Most modern vehicles (1986 and later) have a DIN fitment. DIN is a German standard which translates to approximately 7 inches wide by about 2 inches high, but some vehicles like the 1996-1999 Ford Taurus requires a special fitment and "kit" to replace the entire Heating and A/C control panel for installation. Use the resource... use the resource.. Most aftermarket stereos come in the DIN format.
Plan for the tools you will need. Typically a hacksaw and router are not required, but a multi-tip screwdriver, a volt meter, electrical tape, wire connectors (or solder plus a soldering iron) are. For temporary connections, I sometimes use wire nuts.
Second: Disassembling your stereo
In order to install a stereo, you have to take out what's there. This can be a 5 minute job or a 2-day nightmare, depending on the car and what you know about how the existing stereo and the panels which keep it in the car. Sometimes, the stereo removal requires special tools which can be had only by purchasing them through your dealer.
Be careful and take your time. But also be aware that sometimes removing your factory stereo may affect some other functionality in your car as in the mid 90's Honda Civic, which can disable some functionality in its security system. Best case scenario is to purchase the service manual for your car so you can tell how to remove what you need to.
Place panels you remove from your car on a soft cloth away from your vehicle. This eliminates the chance you will damage them (or sit/step on them) during the installation process.
Third: Connecting the wires
First, let me suggest that all wires should be tested using a voltmeter and not a test light. Test lights can sometimes blow delicate electronics. If you are inexperienced, always use the voltmeter.
All modern car stereos require the following electrical connections at minimum:
* Hot Wire. +12 Volts constant (even when you turn the key to any position, the wire always supplies +12 volts.
* Switched +12 volts. This wire give +12 volts when the ignition key is either turned to the ON position or in the Accessory position only. This wire gives no connection when the ignition key is in the OFF position or when in the START position.
* Ground. This wire must give ground all the time. A chassis ground is fine. GOTCHA - Some cars have wires which appear as a good ground wire until you toggle some switch on. A common wire is the "illumination" wire which is the wire that connects to the dash lights of your car. DON'T use this wire.
* Speaker wires. Figuring out the speaker wire's polarity is also important. Most speaker wires are two conductors (wires) leading to the speaker. One wire leads to the positive terminal of the speaker and the other to the negative terminal. Typically, even the manufacturer marks these wires with identifying marks, although what these marks means is different from car to car. In some cases, however, they are marked clearly and are easy to discern. In others, you just have to experiment and see what "sounds" better to you.
* Antenna. This is usually the easiest connection. Most cars have the simple standard male connector which simply hooks up to the female connection on the stereo. Others have a special connector like the DIN (on many German and Slavic cars) or what I call the mini-male connector - similar to the standard male connector, but smaller - for which you may have to purchase an adaptor. Still other vehicles are equipped with a "diversity" antenna which has two connectors, typically in the standard male configuration.
That's it (on a basic level). Luckily, most, if not all, of the wires you need are provided in the car's audio harness which connects to the factory radio.
Some cars have power antennas and outboard amplifiers and the like which need to be connected, but we ARE sticking to basics, here.
Connecting the wires from your car to the ones on the stereo should be made through the best methods available - by purchasing a direct-fit wire harness intended for your car and hooking that to the wires of your new stereo first. Sometimes you don't have that luxury, so you may have to use solder (not recommended for the novice) or butt connectors (easier for the novice, but they can fail). I always recommend temporarily connecting the wires together until you are sure everything works properly first.
Use the directions in the owner's guide of the stereo you purchased to hook up wires to the harness and then hook up is pretty easy... just plug it in.
Fourth: Testing.. testing..
OK, so now you have the wiring all done and you can test it out.
***GOLDEN RULE: Don't put it all back together until you have tested everything out.***
Turn the key on and test everything.. and I mean everything. Make sure the stereo, wipers, dash lights, fan, turn signals, horn, dome light, headlights and security system works.
Make sure the stereo fades front to rear correctly and balances left to right correctly. If the speakers have a lack of bass (low frequencies), it may be that the wiring you did put them "out of phase" and the low frequencies are getting cancelled out. Try switching the polarity of one of the speakers first by swapping what you thought was the positive to the negative output of the wire and vice versa.
Fifth: Putting it all back together. The home stretch!
Once you are satisfied everything works, complete the wire connections and proceed to reassemble your car.
Be careful not to pinch any wires. I always wrap the wire mess with some electrical tape into a neat bundle before reassembly. Don't skimp on the tape.. Use enough and use good quality tape that won't unravel after a day or so.
Tighten everything down and inspect your craft.. plus enjoy!! OK, if the complexity scares you let me say one thing.. that's what the pros get paid for.
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