2006 Explorer Console Disassembly Procedure

[Crizz]

First flip up the armrest and centerbox-lid and remove the screws ( red arrows always means "remove screw", blue means "untighten screw" ).
Disconnect 12v-outlet .

Then remove the bezel around the centerlever and the chrome-ring ( only plugged-in ). Untighten the 4 upper screws and remove the both close to the floor.

Unlock the gear-select-display ( snap-in, 2 times each side ) and bring the centerlever in pos. "2" or "1", depending how much spac you need for work

Unlock the centerbezel around the radiounit ( it´s just snapped in , places where you can see on Step-5-Pic ). Be careful : at top of bezel is a warning light "pasgr.airbag disabled" , you need to disconnect to take bezel off. If you forget to reconnect it later, the Airgab-control in the dashboard will light up as long as warning sign is kept disconnected !

Now remove the 4 srews on side of radiounit, slide it out and disconnect.

That´s all - takes r.a. 30 min´s

For installing a 1-DIN-Size or 2-DIN-Size aftermarket radio you need an adapter for power and for mounting. It´s already available, guess it´s the same like for the Five-hundred.

Have fun !

 

[Y2KFirehawk]

Thank you for taking the step that a lot of us will be afraid to when the time comes!!

 

[Mark5767]

Nice job

Very nice demo on getting out the radio! I just did this to install an mp3 input on my '06... wish I had seen this first!

Oh well, everything seems to work ok, loosening the console bolts would have helped make removing the face plate a lot easier.

I'm just glad I didn't break anything. The mp3 input works great, I use with Rhapsody model Sansa (NOT an ipod!) and it sounds really good! I still need to mount the aux input box (it's dangling under the dash still) but overall a pretty clean install. Thanks for nice demo!

 

[mikethegoalie]

i was wondering, my 06 eddie bauer explorer came with a basic radio, no steering wheel control, sincle cd with tape deck, i can get my hands on a mustang gt shaker 500 radio, do you guys think it will fit, thanks

 

[jdgohus]

Thanks for the pics. They will help when I switch out the audiophile radio for the NAV I ordered off Ebay today.

 

[Rngrs3910]

The pictures and diretions are awesome!

I just picked up a PIE FRD04-AUX to hook up to my stereo. The instructions say to ground the unit and conect a wire to a constant +12-volt source. Are those two hook ups easily available? How will i know which connections to use? (I'm pretty handy with tools and assembly, but not much of an electrician).

 

[07XLT4x2v8]

The pictures and diretions are awesome!

I just picked up a PIE FRD04-AUX to hook up to my stereo. The instructions say to ground the unit and conect a wire to a constant +12-volt source. Are those two hook ups easily available? How will i know which connections to use? (I'm pretty handy with tools and assembly, but not much of an electrician).

What did you do here?
I am thinking of using this adapter for my IPOD.

 

[Rngrs3910]

I used a wiring diagram that I found online that indicated which lines were the power and ground that were supplying the stereo (I'll search around for it). Basically what I did, once I pulled the stereo out, I found the power and ground slots in the white clipped plugs, and slid the wires from the PIE adapter in also (I folded them over so they were thicker and stayed in the clip). Probably not the safest thing to do, and I was positive it would fall out after a few days, buts held for five months now without a problem.

Also important to note when installing one of these adapters, there's no room behind the stereo or directly to either side. After about 30 minutes of trying to jam that box in, I eventually slid it down inside the dashboard so it hangs next to the vents below the stereo, and I have to cord come out at the bottom of the dash near the passenger's feet.

 

[thisguyinoc]

Thanks for this little tutorial! I never thought it would be so easy. I installed an axillary input device (Scosche AXFD2), that I bought on ebay. The hardest part was squeezing all of the new wiring into the small radio space.

Thanks!

 

[tldt2003]

Does the chrome ring around the gear shifter just pop off?

 

[Rngrs3910]

Does the chrome ring around the gear shifter just pop off?

Yes. You can see the 4 spots it clicks into in the 2nd and 3rd photos, in line with the "P" and the "1". You could probably get this up with your fingers, or a screwdriver covered in a rag, just to prevent scratches. Its a relatively flimsy piece of plastic, so try to get each tab to "pop" out just a little bit first, then go around and work the whole thing off, so nothing cracks or snaps off.

 

[tldt2003]

Thanks! I see them now.

 

[lvgtm10]

Your OEM stereo appears exactly like mine. I am having some issues with trying to find an appropriate wiring harness. I have one from Scoshe which purports to be correct, but it has a warning on the label that it is not to be used with factory amplified systems. Do you know if your stereo is a "factory amplified" system?

 

[stevetheelder]

viewing tutorial

Help -- I can't get the tutorial pix to reveal themselves. All I see are little red boxes with red "X's" in them.
I'm not very good with computers.
I need to remove my radio bezel, and this seems to be the place with the correct procedure to not damage it.
How can I get the pix to appear?
Thanx
Steve
ytushups@yahoo.com

 

[feetwet]

Here are Crizz's photos:

 

[wmbollen]

Thanks for Photos

Guess the arrows did not make the transfer

 

[wmbollen]

Installing PAC-Audio uPAC-FRD24

I am thinking about installing a uPAC-FRD24 in my 2006 Explorer w/ factory Navigation/6-CD unit. This will give me an iPhone inut cable and an external audio input cable. I can also add an HD radio component (HDRT) at the same time. If I do the work myself it looks like $200-250.

Any body have experience with this retro fit? If so do you like it? I will need to drill a hole to bring the cables out.

Other suggestions?:

 

[stevetheelder]

missing arrows

I sent an email to crizz and he sent me the pix. I sent them to the administrator and asked him to replace the old pix with the new pix. He did.
I didn't know there were arrows to begin with. As it happens -- I didn't need to remove my console (my faulty heater fan was due to a faulty resistor which I replaced) so I didn't actually use the pix after all.
Crizz told me he no longer has an Explorer. I guess he wouldn't mind replying to you if you send him an email.
Good luck,
Steve

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I am about to do this, as I am considering the Precision Interface Electronics FRD04-AUX to use my Droid or iPod for Music as my disc changer bit the dust a while back and want to keep the steering wheel functions. I may swap the head unit out later, but this seem like a good option, anyone else used a Precision Interface Electronics FRD04-AUX?

 

[Rngrs3910]

I am about to do this, as I am considering the Precision Interface Electronics FRD04-AUX to use my Droid or iPod for Music as my disc changer bit the dust a while back and want to keep the steering wheel functions. I may swap the head unit out later, but this seem like a good option, anyone else used a Precision Interface Electronics FRD04-AUX?

I put the PIE Interface in mine. Are you going with the model that just gives you a stereo input, or are you opting for the iPod Interface? The iPod interface will let you use your steering wheel controls to switch tracks and might display track info on your stereo (if you have the Audiophile), which is nice, but obviously you can't plug anything else into it.

Find yourself a wiring diragram of the back of the stereo. I had one online that i cant find now. The wiring harness that you'll plug into the back of your head unit has the "hot" and "ground" wires coming back out of it that you need to tie into something. I wedged them into the back of the main stereo power supply, which has helded up for a year and a half now, although it occasionally requires me to smack the dashboard with the palm of my hand to regain a connection.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the PIE box is a little bulky, and if you've got a stereo with a built in cd changer, the head unit will be pretty deep, so I ended up putting the PIE box down the side of the dash (next to the center vents) and have the stereo cable coming out near the passengers feet.

Good Luck!