Do I have to bypass the amp?

[Niteshade]

I replaced the stock cd player in my 2001 Explorer and I want to put it into my father's 1996 Explorer. Bypassing the amp looks like a pain. What would happen if I just replaced his stereo with mine and didn't use the amp bypass?

Thanks.

 

[jimbo74]

you would just be powering the stock speakers with the stock amp...... i had this for awhile and it sounds well, stock..... i bypassed the factory amp and it gets to about the same volume level before i get massive distortion, bun in my opionio the sound now using the hu power is a lot more crisp and clear and i can use the filters and bass outputs and so on on my hu

 

[Niteshade]

So, the amp built into the 2001 stereo won't interfere with the external amp of the 1996 stereo?

 

[jimbo74]

they will work fine together... just make sure the wire harness plugs are compatible or you may have to cut and splice, or by a new hu to get it to work.

 

[Brian's98XLT]

Do not try to run the 2001 radio into the factory amp of the 96 you will end up damageing the radio. The output section of these radios are different.
The radio in the 96 has no power built in hence the external amp. The 2001 has a amp built in. The input section of the amp is not capable of handeling the output from the 2001, this is why when people try this they get alot of distortion at louder volumes
I would by a new harness that plugs into the 2001 radio and a amp bypass kit for the 96 and do it that way. If you have a car stereo dealer that carries Stinger and Best Kits the parts you would need would be a BHA5514 amp bypass harness and a BHO1771.

 

[Niteshade]

I already received the wire harness and amp bypass from Crutchfield. The amp bypass is just long speaker wires that go from the HU to the speaker wires that plug into the external amp. I didn't realize I would have to run a bunch of wires. Is there any way I can just pull the input and output wires off of the external amp and splice them together?

 

[jimbo74]

my aftermarket hu pushing out 50 watts/channel to the factory amp was fine.........also, my amp bypass harness just plugs in between the wires.nothing had to be spliced... it jut pluged in between the input to the amp and the output....maybe they changed it after 94----but probably not

 

[Brian's98XLT]

If you get the BHA5514 from Best Kits or the 70-5514 from Metra it will do this for you. All Best Buys carry Metra product.

 

[Niteshade]

Thanks. I'll try Best Buy this weekend. I called Crutchfield, and they said that after 1995 you have to run the wires back to the head unit. They didn't have a simple harness that just connects the input and output of the amp.