beetlebz
Member
- Joined
- September 29, 2008
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Connecticut
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1994 XLT
Sooooo today I took on the 15 minute task of installing my alpine 9815 (dont laugh, that thing has been with me through 3 cars and is still sexy as the day I bought her! 
) into my 94 exploder. Well, it would have been 15 minutes had I done a google search before hand. I used the install sleeve that came with the head unit into the factory opening... A little bending of the locking tabs and she sat right in. I used the only wiring harness that advance auto carried, which was 20 freakin dollars NOW for the moral of the story.
HU fired up, worked PERFECTLY, but no sound. 2 hours of trouble shooting was solved by a 30 second google search... the factory amp. who knew? I certainly didnt. The "premium" sound system for the 1st gen exploders use a factory amplifier located behind the trim panel on the passenger side at the far rear... opposite the jack and all that. it took about 35,215 christmas tree plugs but the thing comes off easy enough, though I broke most of the christmas trees.
the reason the wiring kit was so expensive is because it comes complete with a second harness (i didnt know WHAT the heck it could be for until I saw the amp) to bypass the amplifier completely. Its the only kit so far I have seen with the amp harness too, and I checked about 6 different places before stopping at advance auto for ships n giggles.
for anyone else planning on experiencing this headache, save the trouble and go track down a Metra harness for fords of that year stating "Premium sound system". its model 70-5514 or WHFPS, this is the one that comes complete with a factory amplifier bypass harness.
I learned my lesson the hard way, hopefully I can save someone else the headache Oh, and Ill be posting pics as I go along when I mount my Cadence Z8000 150x2 amp behind the trim panel where the factory amp was, and cutting out the pocket in the panel for a plexi window If only I had money for new component speakers lol
) into my 94 exploder. Well, it would have been 15 minutes had I done a google search before hand. I used the install sleeve that came with the head unit into the factory opening... A little bending of the locking tabs and she sat right in. I used the only wiring harness that advance auto carried, which was 20 freakin dollars NOW for the moral of the story. HU fired up, worked PERFECTLY, but no sound. 2 hours of trouble shooting was solved by a 30 second google search... the factory amp. who knew?
I certainly didnt. The "premium" sound system for the 1st gen exploders use a factory amplifier located behind the trim panel on the passenger side at the far rear... opposite the jack and all that. it took about 35,215 christmas tree plugs but the thing comes off easy enough, though I broke most of the christmas trees. the reason the wiring kit was so expensive is because it comes complete with a second harness (i didnt know WHAT the heck it could be for until I saw the amp) to bypass the amplifier completely. Its the only kit so far I have seen with the amp harness too, and I checked about 6 different places before stopping at advance auto for ships n giggles.
for anyone else planning on experiencing this headache, save the trouble and go track down a Metra harness for fords of that year stating "Premium sound system". its model 70-5514 or WHFPS, this is the one that comes complete with a factory amplifier bypass harness.
I learned my lesson the hard way, hopefully I can save someone else the headache
Oh, and Ill be posting pics as I go along when I mount my Cadence Z8000 150x2 amp behind the trim panel where the factory amp was, and cutting out the pocket in the panel for a plexi window If only I had money for new component speakers lol
. Got a bunch of extra wiring harnesses laying around now, and a little less cash in the pocket. I couldn't get my darn install kit working either, I just said.... "I'm not dealing with this anymore". And stuck it in there with some foam tape I found 
