After market stereo

[jimster502]

I was thinking of buying a new stereo and saw that the harness my 97 xlt needs is like $40 and requires running the wires from the back to the front..So i was wondering if i could just cut off the the plastic adapter that connects the stereo and just wire on the aftermarket deck on to it.Will it work?And for the stereo connectors, what does the black and gray connetors do?which is the connections for the amp and which is the one for the stereo speakers?

 

[PandorasCustoms]

You can bypass the factory amplifiers since the after market head unit will have a amplifier built into it. But, it does take some cutting and tactical wiring.

This link tkae you to the Wiring breakdown provided by The12Volt.com. That should help you decipher what wires do what. The only downside to cutting the factory connectors is that you run the risk of losing the ability to ever put the factory radio back in if you sell the vehicle. It is always installer's choice. I personally didn't care, and started cutting away, as I was in a rush and didn't have the time for the extra back track of the factory wiring.

I don't ever plan on selling my X, so I really won't have a problem. Plus, I would have ended up disconnecting the factory amplifiers anyways since I am using aftermarket ones now.

 

[bcburlette]

DO NOT CUT YOUR HARNESS!!!!

If you get your new head unit from Crutchfield.com or sonicelectronix.com they will send you the correct harness with it for free, cutting your harness is completely unnecessary because the one they send you will plug into the stock one. and if you do cut it it just turns the inside of your dash into a wiring clusterf*ck.

EDIT- Also if it still requires running wires from the back, then you aren't going to get around that by cutting the stock harness, but you can cut into the aftermarket one without doing any permanent damage.

 

[617ricky]

and saw that the harness my 97 xlt needs is like $40 and requires running the wires from the back to the front..

Nope this isn't correct.. It may be what an install shop will tell you tho, I called Best Buy and they tried telling me the same thing.. You can get the harness and bypass cable for $10 shipped from sonicelectronix - here's the link http://tinyurl.com/yapvgpq

And another thing - it's not totally necessary to bypass the amp, which requires a little project of getting to it under the rear pass. quarter panel.. You can instead just integrate the stock amp into the system by connecting the 2 wires for it on the harness.. Either way there's absolutely no need to run any wires all the way to the back

 

[Scotty J.]

get your new head unit from Crutchfield.com

Yep, that's what I did. 45 minute install and 30 minutes of that was crimping the pigtail to the harness adapter that Crutchfield provided. Oh, they not only provide the harness, they also provide any filler stuff needed to make the in-dash install look professional.

I have nothing but good things to say about Crutchfield. Oh, and you want a head unit that supports USB, I have my entire music library on one thumb drive attached to my new head unit. No disc to burn, or keep up with. Just plug it in and don't look back so to speak.

 

[Khaelbee]

wow scotty that looks really good. i went into the audio installation place at the local best buy and asked for the harness and the spacer and he gave them to me, no bs. he also used his little forky thingies to get my stereo out for me, knowing i wasn't paying him to do the install.

but my spacer doesn't look that good.

 

[Scotty J.]

I was amazed at how easy crutchfield made things. I just wanted a new head unit that played MP3/WMA, this one was like $160.00 and it does that AND USB. The install was so easy I went one farther and ordered the Pioneer Hands Free blutooth adapter. It works great as well.

 

[jimster502]

The thing is that I didnt want to pay 130+ for a stereo just to get a free harness,antannae adapter,etc. & for sonicelectronics, there is no free harness or adapter for the antennae for the xlt.

 

[jimster502]

Thanks!!!Thats awsome!I thought this specific harness wouldnt work..but nevermind

 

[Scotty J.]

The thing is that I didnt want to pay 130+ for a stereo just to get a free harness,antannae adapter,etc. & for sonicelectronics, there is no free harness or adapter for the antennae for the xlt.

Suit yourself.

 

[jimster502]

Yeah but I dont want to buy a stereo thats $130+..

 

[bcburlette]

All of their head units $50-$100: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/view...ice_min=51&price_max=100&sort_order=price_asc
And every head unit they sell comes with those same accessories (for fitting it in the dash and the wiring harness for your car) for free.

And just btw sonic electronix is almost exactly the same as crutchfield, except they seem to have slightly lower prices, though whichever route you go, both sites come highly recommended, and you will get a better deal at a website than a most stores.

 

[xglyphicx]

Yep, that's what I did. 45 minute install and 30 minutes of that was crimping the pigtail to the harness adapter that Crutchfield provided. Oh, they not only provide the harness, they also provide any filler stuff needed to make the in-dash install look professional.

I have nothing but good things to say about Crutchfield. Oh, and you want a head unit that supports USB, I have my entire music library on one thumb drive attached to my new head unit. No disc to burn, or keep up with. Just plug it in and don't look back so to speak.

Lol have the same deck. hate how touchy that joystick thing is though.

 

[jimster502]

Well when I get a stereo of my choice on sonicelectronics, I put in the car info and the acessories come out and the only thing for free is the dash kit and the harness is $26 and the antannae adapter is $27 too..so yeah..kinda confused

 

[bcburlette]

well that's weird, I just looked it up, and your right, that's the first time i have seen it do that, well maybe check on crutch field and see if its included there, but i still HIGHLY recommend getting the harness(s) to save your wiring