98 eddie bauer HU question

[mschflbn]

Hey all, I have a 98 Eddie Bauer explorer with the MACH sound system. I was looking at HU's to replace my dying stock one and I ran across the pioneer FH-P800BT. Crutchfield's site says it wont work, but it looks to me like the exact same size and I can't find any dimension specs on it. Anyone have any suggestions or know if I could do this? Thanks!

 

[rip]

You'll need a line output converter (LOC).

I'd try a OEM-2 from PAC, found one here: http://www.installer.com/hilo/index.php

Unless it's a 100% dropin install, Crutchfield will say it doesn't fit....I don't know the specifics of the HU you are looking at or what might be lurking in your dash with the MACH system....there might be a little amp sitting behind the factory HU or dash you'll need and the HU really doesn't fit.

I plugged in 98 explorer with MACH into crutch and didn't see any 2 din units listed (although I didn't look too hard) so suspect the amp is up front and it's 1 DIN.

 

[mschflbn]

Thanks for the quick reply! This will make me sound like a newb, which I am, but what is the difference b/w single and double DIN? When I took my radio out it has 3 connectors in the back. 1 for the sub, 1 for the cd changer, and one for the unit I'm guessing. Also, I didn't see any amp in there, all I have up front is the HU I believe.

 

[rip]

Thanks for the quick reply! This will make me sound like a newb, which I am, but what is the difference b/w single and double DIN? When I took my radio out it has 3 connectors in the back. 1 for the sub, 1 for the cd changer, and one for the unit I'm guessing. Also, I didn't see any amp in there, all I have up front is the HU I believe.

If you have the HU out, snap some pictures. I did google a bit to see what's different. Everything changes years to year, so it's hard to know what's going on inside the dash....but one I found was double din but the tabs that hold the dash in actually intruded into the radio mounting area, thus could be the reason....it's not enough to just lop them off because then there is no mounting location to hold the dash plastic on...as a "for instance.'

Double DIN....a normal radio is 1 DIN high, lots of American cars and trucks are 2 din (the size of two regular units, one on top of another...) With the advent of touch screens and GPS, 2 DIN/Double DIN seems to be getting more popular with automakers.

The MACH system had several versions across several models in ford's line, but basically they have an amp somewhere, or at the speakers themselves. The level required to drive them seems to be quite low, thus the adapters.

 

[Cobraguy]

I have that radio in my 99 with Mach. Well, mine is the FH-P8000BT. I really don't know what the difference is between the two, but as far as this is concerned, there isn't any.

You do NOT need a line converter. The only amp in the Mach system for our Explorers is the subwoofer...and you can reuse that just fine as long as you reduce the enable voltage to 5V so you don't get a pop on start up. There is no other amp and nothing at the speakers. The factory speakers work well. Just buy the double din kit from Metra or Scoshe, get the proper wiring adapter, and steering wheel control from PAC if you have steering wheel controls. It's about as simple as it gets.

By the way, it's one heck of a radio for the price. The BlueTooth...which is why I bought it...is fantastic with my LG phone. The voice recognition in my phone works flawlessly.

Oh yea... you do have to trim the opening in the dash bezel to fit. But it's minor and in no way impacts the looks of the bezel with this or the factory radio. It's not an issue.

I've put several Pioneer double din units in Explorers including the Z series and even with factory JBL. This one is about as easy as it gets if you get the right wiring harness adapters.