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Changing out 92 Explorer Radio

Firephoto

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January 20, 2006
Messages
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City, State
Canoga Park, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1992 XL
I have a stock, basic radio (no cassette) in my 92 Ford Explorer. I purchased a Ford cassette radio from Ebay with a model number of F37F-19B165-AD. I was reading a little bit and have heard about an external amplifier and that the cassette radio that I have now has an internal amplifier. Is this true? And if so, how does it effect my installation. I purchased a Ford radio because I just wanted to take the old one out and switch in the new one. Is it going to be that simple? Please let me know, because I'm actually looking forward to having a cassette player in my car.
 



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It doesn't affect your installation. Your basic system is just a radio with four speakers. The optional JBL audio package with cassette radio had the external amplifier which powered the subwoofer in the rear of the vehicle.

It should work like you're thinking, just take the old one out and plug the new one in. I can't remember if the factory plugs are different for the base radio and the cassette/CD ones, though.

Hope you got a good deal on the unit, I'm selling my factory cassette unit on here, might have to put in on ebay though...
 






There was different plugs for base/premium decks, if your truck is a base it will have a flat plug in harness, if its a premium it will have a square plug in harness that runs directly to the amp in the wall. So if this new deck is from a premium sound truck and you have a base sound truck, it will not be direct plug in, without buying a adapter, or cutting and rewiring the harnesses.
If this is the case, you can go check the sutomotive audio section at walmart, they sell adapters for both base and premium systems.
 






Re: More help

Ok, from what I can tell, the new radio is the JBL version. Do I need to install an amp for this radio to work? I an not adding speakers or subwoofers, looking to boom, or anything. Also, I have the factory flat plug, but no plug for the new radio. Does anyone sell the plug that I need? I have checked two walmarts, autozone, pepboys, and kragen with no luck. I don't care about cutting the harness, but I need the right connector to plug into the radio which I do not have. Please help.
 






To be honest, I dont know if the deck has its own built in amp, so that it could be stand-alone. My 92 had the premuim without sub system, it had a flat plug for power, and a square plug for the amp. My 91 had the base system with (i think) two flat plugs, one for power and one for speaker wires.
Anyways, if the JBL deck does not have a built in amp, you will have to get the amp. You may be better off buying a new cassete player, to be honest.
I have the amp you would need, but I do not have the amp connection wire.
Also, your power to the deck is not going to be the same as the harness that wired into your truck, I dont remember how different, but I remember looking at it and noticing it.
 






Ok....now....

Ok, so I went to a junkyard to look for the connector that I would need for the speakers and figured while I was there, I would look for an amp too. So, I picked up an amp....brought it home and have no clue how to hook it up. Where my radio used to be I have 1 gray flat plug for power and I have one square 8-pin plug that I got from the junkyard (for the speakers). I was trying to study it before I took it all out of the truck and thought I had it. The item I picked up was a Ford Audio System JBL F17F-18C807-CA. From what I remember, there is a plug with 8 wires (that are from the speakers, I matched up the colors) that are connected by a harness with a red, yellow, and blue wire. Then, at the bottom of the amp I have another harness that went to the dash and ended with a black 8-pin plug for speakers. Will any of this make my new system work or do I need to find more connectors? I'm really at the point of giving up and just having am/fm only. I hate to work on Ford trucks so much. There is no room, its a pain to upgrade anything, they give you no slack on the wires.
 






Ok, you may have to do some wiring, here is what I remember from last time.
For power you will have to connect: Red wire to red wire for power while driving or key in listening to radio, yellow to yellow for constant uninterupted power for memory etc, black to black for ground, Orange, or Orange/white to the same for illumination and I think blue to blue for amp relay kickon.
For speakers, they are colored the same way, just match em up.
If you already have the newer JBL in hand, look at the wires coming out of the back, compare locations in the harness coming out of you dash, you may need to rearrange some, I cant remember.
Now the amp, if you are going to mount it in the wall where the factory does, you will need the full wrapped cable that has the plugs attached already. If you dont you will have to run each and every speaker wire to the location.
If you have to have factory, I would try to find a base model radio with a cassete player, I think they made them, this amp is NOT worth the time, effort and money its going to involve. Right now all your speaker wires are going into the dash, so they will have to be rerouted to the amp, which is a major pain.
It can be done tho, if you are motivated enough. Like I said, I had the amp in mine, but the speakers were toast and I already had a badass cd player, so I stripped my trucks inside bare and put down new sound deadner and new wires, and took the factory amp out and put in a 5 channel with a stealth sub and new 4ways.
Anyways, I would just forget about factory and buy a aftermarket cassete player and buy the adapters at walmart, that way you can just wire the adapters into the new radios wire harness and then just plug it into the trucks dash harness/s and your done. Its up to you tho.
Edit, just thought of something, if you still have the factory speakers in the truck, running this amp will probably blow em up, the base model speakers are not rated for the amps power, that plus age will tear em up quick.
 






Explorer Radios

Stop by Crutchfield's site. It will explain differences in OEM radios. If not premium system you do not have external amp. If you are looking at aftermarket radio in your dash all bets are off. The premium system will have a small square connector with round gray cable with all speaker wires going to external amp. The amp resides behind the cargo panel on the passenger side. The amp must be bypassed with most all aftermarket recievers. You can buy connectors at PEP boys. Best to do this as you can solder at the bench. Just connect colors. The amp is accessed by taking out screws along carpet, take out rear gate sill, two screws allong right gate post and 2 push pens further up the post. Use piece of wood to wedge up the panel so that you can get to the amp. It has a connector at the top and at the bottom. Using the bypass connector is stone simple (only one way to connect) Getting the OEM connectors off the amp is #$%^%$ difficult until you understand there is a small plastic release behind the connectors. Press and pull-wiggle gently. Will come off.:thumbsup:
 






The amp must be bypassed with most all aftermarket recievers.

I'm not all too sure that statement is correct, every explorer that I have had, I have swapped the stereo with an aftermarket one, andin each instance, all I did was purchase a wiring harness adapter that would plug into the existing wiring harness and then I would splice the wires from my head unit. Just make sure you hook up the blue amp wire, or you won't get sound. It was pretty straight forward. Right now,I'm trying to figure out how to install the sub woofer set up from a premium system into my 91 ex that only had the singular amp on the back wall. The sub unit I have is the entire box complete with sub and two amps, but the wiring harness at the rear seems different as there is an extra plug for the sub unit, but nowhere on the existing harness to plug into, anyone ever do this install and can provide some tips?

Sorry to post in this thread, but I figured since the conversation was already on going, I'd pipe up! :D
 






I don't think you are going to find any adapter that goes from reg. to premium except perhaps at a Ford dealer. I am sure that people have gone to the dealer to upgrade. Call them.
Adding a aftermarket radio is simple because they have the plug addapters from your radio to theirs.
 






My experience, maybe you can get some info from here

Changing a ’91 # E9SF-19B165-JA WITH A ’94 # F37F-19B165-AF

The middle numbers of the radios part numbers must match (19B165) for the connector to be compatible.
On the ’91 Explorer I had to take off the Dashboard Face. Two screws at the Ashtray and carefully prying the locking snaps will get that off easy enough. As soon as it’s loose, get your fingers back there and unhook the 4wheel drive connector. After that; go out and chock the wheels or use the Emergency brake. Put the key in the ignition, to the Run position so you can drop the shift lever down to 1st and that will make it possible to get the Panel up and off.

Having said that there is a slight modification on the long connector.
The way the ’91 radio, amplifier and harness are set up , pin #8 on the connector provides the 12Volts to energize the Power Amp (dark blue wire). There is no connection in pin # 7. Pin #7 is for the Power antenna not on the ’91 Explorer.
The issue is with the ’94 Radio. The later years, the Power amp only needs 5Volts to energize so that is what it provided through pin #8 on the ’94 radio.
The solution was basic. Pin 7 on the new radio still provides 12Volts to feed the Power Antenna. So if you modify the connector on the Harness and pull the wire out of pin 8 and put it in pin 7 you in affect have made a 12v run to the Power Amp when you turn on the radio.
The Harness Connector:
To make the wire modification you must first pull the black cover off of the connector body. It just lifts off.
With anything small, screw driver, toothpick, whatever, press in the small little RED tabs on the ends of the connector then pull the Red piece in the opposite direction of where the black cover was. It’s easier when you look at it then it is described.
Now that the Black cover is off and the Red locking mechanism is off you can pull the #8 wire out of the connector and move over to the #7 position.
Press the Red piece back up and pop the black cover on. That takes care of the wiring Modification.


Connections: From Top of radio to bottom For the ’91 just delete the pin #7 wire
Pin# 1 54A LG/Y Memory
Pin#2 57B BK Lamp GND
Pin#3 137 Y/BK Ignition V+
Pin#4 19A LB/R Lamp Illum
Pin#5 484 O/B LCD Power
Pin#6 694 R Power GND
Pin #7 747 O/LB Power Antenna
Pin #8 698 DB Power Amp
The rear mounting modification:
The backs of these two radios are different. The original radio has a threaded piece that comes out that the plastic Slide bolts up to. The ’94 radio has a slot where the threaded hardware should be. Fortunately there is enough room on the inside of the radio to put a nut. With a small round file I opened up the just a little bit to accept a #8 screw. Took the cover off the new radio, with very little prying, it just lifts off from the back. And ran a screw through and caught it with a Nut. I had one of those nylon locking nuts but a little loctite or nail polish on the screw will keep it from vibrating loose.
OLD RADIO ON THE LEFT




’94 Radio installed.
 






I'm in the process of changing the radio in my 92 XLT. I bought an $80 cassette receiver from Crutchfield. I forgot that the XLT has the premium sound system which also (like the JBL system) uses an external amp. However, I found a way to bypass the amp without pulling out the trim panel in the cargo bay. I removed the door sill plate on the passenger side. This plate covers the cable channel from the front to the rear door and it also covers the lower part of the "B" pillar. Its easy to get it off. At the "B" pillar, there is a 8-wire harness with inline connectors. Disconnect these connectors. One goes to the amp output and the other goes to all 4 speakers. I made up new speaker wires to go from the radio to the connector at the "B" pillar, vial the cable channels. I connected these wires to the male pins on the "B" pillar connector using female MOLEX pins and shrink sleeving. No harness cutting necessary.

I bought a harness adapter at Wal-Mart, but (naturally) it was the wrong type, but I will just cut off the power connector and use it to adapt to the power wires from the new radio.

It really helps to have the official Ford wiring diagrams or the Haynes book diagrams, but for anyone who wants it, I will post the speaker wire color codes.

Bob
 






I think I can solve your problem with the am/fm to am/fm cassette

I have a stock, basic radio (no cassette) in my 92 Ford Explorer. I purchased a Ford cassette radio from Ebay with a model number of F37F-19B165-AD. I was reading a little bit and have heard about an external amplifier and that the cassette radio that I have now has an internal amplifier. Is this true? And if so, how does it effect my installation. I purchased a Ford radio because I just wanted to take the old one out and switch in the new one. Is it going to be that simple? Please let me know, because I'm actually looking forward to having a cassette player in my car.

If the radio you bought is not a premium sound Ford radio and has the same plugs as the ones in your Explorer it should word fine
 






It really helps to have the official Ford wiring diagrams or the Haynes book diagrams, but for anyone who wants it, I will post the speaker wire color codes.

Can you post the wiring diagram. I already replaced my stereo with a cd player, but to my dismay I have connected something wrong and have alot of interference and static when I hit bumps. Thanks.

Boom
 






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