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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
My son has a 97 eddie bauer with JBL audio/ tape player. Can a CD player be installed to this system? Do you have recommendations whether I should go to dealer or a car audio place? Also, any recs on what we can add that is reasonably priced given the age of the vehicle? Thanks.
Just buy him the radio (or have him buy it) and if he wants it in his truck bad enough, he'll figure out how to put it in. I did. I've replaced radios in 4 vehicles now. The first was my parents old beater dakota. The 4th one was my beloved explorer. After installing the headunit, I thought it could definately sound much better if I bypassed all the factory amps and wiring so I ended up doing a complete sound system rewire from the head units to the speakers with 12 guage wire. Now it sounds awesome!
There's not much to it at all. It's really easy after you figure out what you're doing. No need to get ripped off by the dealer or a Car Audio Place. In fact, a couple of my friends had Best Buy install their headunits and they actually messed the installation up. They had the polarity reversed on one of my friend's car. It sounded horible until I figured out that the polarity was reversed, then I fixed it and it sounded real good. If you want the job done right, I'd do it yourself.
The JBL system in the '97 Explorer is one of the most complicated systems out there. The guts of the radio are not even in the head unit - they are in an RCU (Rear Control Unit) located in the RR qtr trim, in a box next to the SW amp, attached to the SW enclosure.
There is absolutely no head-unit upgrade that your Ford dealer can perform on this system. There were never any factory CD radios made in this configuration. The only thing a dealer could do would be to add a factory style CD Changer in the console - and even that would require a head swap, since in 1997, the FCU (Front Control Unit) was different depending upon whether or not you had the CD Changer. I think you will find the Dealer's prices for this to be pretty steep.
If you want something different, you will have to go to a stereo shop, and you will have to replace EVERYTHING - the head unit, the amps, the sub, the wiring, and even the antenna wiring (the antenna lead currently goes to the RCU in the back).
It's not a simple swap, but, a lot of guys have managed it.
To be sure, take the arm rest apart. I have a '97 Eddie Bauer with the JBL system, it came with a 6 disk chager in the center arm rest. Your's may have a wire harness ready for a changer. If you don't know what you are doing, it sould take a half hour to take it apart and put it back together.
If you have the harness, you should be able to get a changer from a dealer and put it in yourself. The dealer's changer is probably around $400. Maybe someone on this board took there stock JBL out and has it for sale?
I would not go to a Best Buy, or any chain store, to get this installed.
Cobrajeff is exacly right. I had a rattle from an amp in the back of my X. On the passenger side of the cargo area, from the wheel well back to the sub woofer is packed with audio stuff. Amplifiers, the woofer, and this "RCU". It is a mess.
The factory changer in my X works great, doesn't skipp much and plays most CD-R and CD-RW's. I just have to keep the door on it closed at all times. The spare change holder is right in front of it. I dropped a quarter down into my changer once and had to remove the changer and shake the quarter out. Not a lot of fun.
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