Audio Nub needs help

[Tavery1]

Hey guys couple of questions since I'm a complete audio NUB.

I have a Pioneer DEH-P7300 receiver that I'm looking to put in my 98 Explorer XLT as a replacement since my circuit is broken, will I be able to have it work without an amp/subs stock speakers until I get money to buy everything?

I need a wiring harness and I think it would be considered a double din sleeve? To make it fit right in my stock slot, is this correct? Would I need any adapters or is it a straight forward cut solder and crimp job?

Do they need to be model specific or is it just a generic pioneer 16pin harness and double din sleeve, any measuring etc.?

Also, any good sites to read for more info would be very much appreciated.

Also I've been looking on Crutchfield.com how do I know if my truck has the MACH sound system or not? I guess stereos is something I've never really paid attention to.

Thanks

 

[617ricky]

I'd be able to help a little more, but unfortunately I believe 98's are different from 97's (which I have).. Basically all you gotta do is make sure you get the right harness, cuz there are 2 diff kinds for Explorers back then.. To be positive, pull your stock deck out enough to look at the plugs, and compare it to the harnesses you see listed for a 98.. Ebay is very cheap for harnesses and dash kits - I got my harness for 6.99 and the kit for like 15.. The part where you say "without amp/subs", you mean that you just wanna add the deck and keep whatever you got in there for speakers? Cuz if so, then yea you can easily do that.. You may even have a stock amp in there too, I have one in my 97 and had no idea it was there.. If you DO have the stock amp tho, you have to connect the 2 wires for it on the harness - there's a 12v amp and ground wire - you connect the 12v to the power antenna wire, and the ground right into the main stereo ground connection.. If you don't do this, and you DO have the amp, the speakers won't work (happened to me).. Then I realized I could do that, and it works, although not totally ideal, cuz you can only crank the volume ~halfway cuz of the extra power.. As long as you're careful, it'll sound ok tho (still better than stock).. And if you DON'T have the stock amp, it'll be that much easier to get it going, cuz it'll just be a typical install.. But yea, just search ebay or google for 98 explorer harness and 98 explorer dash kit, and you'll find it.. If you wanna solder the connections, go right ahead, but it's not necessary IMO.. I just twist my wires really tight, do a layer of electrical tape, then a layer of duck tape - there's no way they're coming apart if you're neat with the tape..

 

[Tavery1]

Yea I mean with just the stock speakers and sub(if mine has one) Thanks

 

[techboj]

Check this site out.

www.bestkits.com or

http://www.bestkits.com/SearchResults.aspx?mk=Ford&mkid=9&md=Explorer&mdid=292&yrg=1998 - 2001 (if this link does not work then just go to the main page and drill down to get to your vehicle


Since the Deck you intend to install is a single-DIN unit then you may want to get an "installation kit". This kit provides a bezel for an aftermarket stereo and usually includes an open storage pocket either above or below the new deck

The opening you we have on 2nd gen explorers is not a double DIN. Although we can usually fit a double DIN unit or even 2 single DIN units on top of each other with a little bit of modification to the bezel

There are direct plug in harnesses that you can use. Basically you need to unplug the ford/oem deck, plug in the harness/adaptor and then connect the wires of the harness adaptor to the included harness of the pioneer deck


oem plug inside dash (female) ----> aftermarket adapter harness (male) ----> kenwood harness (female) ---> back of kenwood stereo (male connector)

Naturally you would have to know the wiring arrangement of the ford harness and match this with the wiring diagram of the kenwood deck. The colors will not always match so be sure you are connecting the correct wires together. I am assuming you still have the harness that came with the DEH-P7300. If you don't then you may need to acquire a separate harness for that deck. If that's the case then I am unsure if there is a generic pioneer harness. It may be different from model-to-model

The wiring diagram for the 2nd gen explorers may be found elsewhere on this forum but another good source for information is www.the12volt.com

Finally, I would suggest eventually changing the oem door speakers with something better. The oem speakers may not be able to handle the output of the pioneer deck at higher volume levels. Our explorers come with 5x7 openings but you can fit 6x8 or even 6x9 and 6.5 rounds with adapters.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions

 

[techboj]

Yea I mean with just the stock speakers and sub(if mine has one) Thanks

On the passenger side rear cargo area (just after the tailgate/liftgate) if there is a storage pocket there - then you do not have the oem subwoofer and amplifier

 

[617ricky]

On the passenger side rear cargo area (just after the tailgate/liftgate) if there is a storage pocket there - then you do not have the oem subwoofer and amplifier

that's what i thought too - but in my 97 I have the storage pocket and amp (no sub tho). unless 98's are different like that too.

 

[sport97]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25999

This is a guide to all the stock systems and the differences between years and the different packages.

 

[617ricky]

Yea, so the storage pocket alone can't determine whether there's an amp or not, only the sub obviously, which you'd see anyways.. My advice, if you're unsure, is go to crutchfield.com, and under car audio, click "outfit my car".. For a 98 there's a bunch of different choices, but you can figure it out by entering what kind of deck you have.. Then after, go look under the "installation gear" part, and it'll show the harness, dash kit, extras, etc..

 

[Tavery1]

Ok, So I have figured out my 98 XLT has the AM/FM/CASS/CD so it is the "premium" system so no stock Sub just amp. Where is the amp located in the truck?

I am ordering later today, a new 16pin Pioneer wiring harness (my brother couldn't find the one that came with it when he gave it to me)

Double din installation kit(I'm thinking I'm going to have to modify the din(cut with dremel? and re-hot glue, Sufficient to hold it?) this is my first time doing this kind of modification so I would rather have to replace a din instead of hunting for a new bezel.

Quick connects(or should I just solder?) what size solder(is a 40watt gun good enough)

Will this be easy enough to change in the spring(when I get enough money to buy worth while audio stuff) so I can put new speakers and sub/amp

 

[617ricky]

Ok, So I have figured out my 98 XLT has the AM/FM/CASS/CD so it is the "premium" system so no stock Sub just amp. Where is the amp located in the truck?

I am ordering later today, a new 16pin Pioneer wiring harness (my brother couldn't find the one that came with it when he gave it to me)

Double din installation kit(I'm thinking I'm going to have to modify the din(cut with dremel? and re-hot glue, Sufficient to hold it?) this is my first time doing this kind of modification so I would rather have to replace a din instead of hunting for a new bezel.

Quick connects(or should I just solder?) what size solder(is a 40watt gun good enough)

Will this be easy enough to change in the spring(when I get enough money to buy worth while audio stuff) so I can put new speakers and sub/amp

If you have 98 premium sound system, here's what you need:

The dash kit - $9.99 + 8.99 s/h
http://tinyurl.com/yek2reg

Now for the harness you need, I'm getting conflicting info on ebay, cuz I see something listed 95-98, but I thought it was 98-05.. You should pull the deck halfway out and confirm how many plugs there are and what they look like.. This is what I THINK you need, but not positive.

Harness - $1.00 + 5.99 s/h
http://tinyurl.com/ydzcxjv

As far as the connections, no need to solder IMO, as long as you can make good solid connections and tape them up nice and tight with elec/duct tape.. That's how I've always done it, and I've never had anything happen..

As for your stock amp, I'm not positive about a 98, but in my 97 it was like this - there were 2 wires on the harness for the stock amp.. You can connect them (12v amp <> powerantenna & amp ground <> stereo ground), and you'll basically be using the deck AND the amp.. Although it's not ideal cuz of the excess power, it's still an improvement above stock, but you gotta be careful with the vol/eq levels.. If you wanna do it the right way, you get the amp bypass cable, pull off the rear pass quarter-panel, disconnect the amp plugs, and plug them into the bypass cable.. But again, I'm not positive which amp and which type of plugs you have on it, so I can't show you which cable you need.. Good luck