'96 JBL Stereo Harness

[Inverhyt]

Hello!

I'm looking for how to connect an aftermarket head unit to the factory amplifier unit for the door speakers. A pinout for the RCU and how to connect it to that would be fantastic, but me and my buddy have been stumped at finding out how to get the sucker to work. It's a 1996 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition with the v8 5l engine and JBL Premium Sound system.

No, we don't want to buy a wiring harness. No, we don't want to rewire our entire car. Either a way to bypass the factory amp without tearing up all the wiring or just using the factory amp would be awesome. I have an RCA cable that's split into signal and ground wires. Could we use that?

I've looked just about everywhere I could think of and couldn't even find much on the actual factory amp. Is there even a diagram someone has?

I've connected a sub up to the head unit and ran all the wires for it, including RCA and signal.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AgqD9tj0PzzmlJhqpipbM5Y9k_GtDw

 

[96eb96]

This is only for the JBL:

I've done exactly this for my Android head unit.
1) You could never use the factory amp for anything except a paperweight. That factory amp is the radio. What is in the front is like a keyboard and monitor.
2) You could reuse the the factory sub unit, if connected to a sub out or even two RCA lines tied together. You will need to run your own wires.
3) You can either run wires directly to the speakers in the doors OR use a kit with long wires to the amp harness (the silver box). The antenna runs to the rear of the truck.

The head unit sends a digital signal, it is quite rare and was ahead of its time, dropped after 97. I don't think there are enough wires in the factory harness to make it work without long wires.

I have wiring diagrams if you want.

 

[Inverhyt]

This is only for the JBL:

I've done exactly this for my Android head unit.
1) You could never use the factory amp for anything except a paperweight. That factory amp is the radio. What is in the front is like a keyboard and monitor.
2) You could reuse the the factory sub unit, if connected to a sub out or even two RCA lines tied together. You will need to run your own wires.
3) You can either run wires directly to the speakers in the doors OR use a kit with long wires to the amp harness (the silver box). The antenna runs to the rear of the truck.

The head unit sends a digital signal, it is quite rare and was ahead of its time, dropped after 97. I don't think there are enough wires in the factory harness to make it work without long wires.

I have wiring diagrams if you want.

Yeah that'd be awesome! Is there a way to get to the antenna for AM/FM too? I just don't want to rewire all of the car's speakers, my hands are already cut up and bleeding enough from installing a subwoofer amp.

 

[96eb96]

You have to find the antenna wire where it comes thru the firewall, it ends in the back by the amp. The car has to come apart. I suggest this kit:
https://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-5601-Wiring-Harness-Bypass/dp/B0002BETAY

I think if you search around you can get it for around 19-20 shipped. I guess you would put RCA outs thru the wires to the amp. The wires go under the pass side threshold.

If you are installing an amp, it is going to get complicated. You need to run wires to the amp, then you have to connect the amp to the speakers. The speaker harness is in the back, not in the front like 99.9% of cars.


PM me if you want diagrams.

 

[96eb96]

JBL wiring diagrams are here:

https://imgur.com/a/z9DZu

I think that is right, there are like 4 different radios.

 

[Denyka C Powell]

This is only for the JBL:

I've done exactly this for my Android head unit.
1) You could never use the factory amp for anything except a paperweight. That factory amp is the radio. What is in the front is like a keyboard and monitor.
2) You could reuse the the factory sub unit, if connected to a sub out or even two RCA lines tied together. You will need to run your own wires.
3) You can either run wires directly to the speakers in the doors OR use a kit with long wires to the amp harness (the silver box). The antenna runs to the rear of the truck.

The head unit sends a digital signal, it is quite rare and was ahead of its time, dropped after 97. I don't think there are enough wires in the factory harness to make it work without long wires.

I have wiring diagrams if you want.

YES PLEASE ANY WIRE DIAGRAMS THAT COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY to a mechanical sevant (sp?) I could really use. I by accident I couldn't start my truck and it tookl me a minute to realize all the Jumps in the world wouldn't have cranked him.