HU/Amp/Speaker Installation Questions for '04 Explorer

[rjeffers]

Hello all,

I have a 2004 XLS and I already started to upgrade my audio system. My truck is stock at the moment, but I’ve already purchased a Pioneer DEH-6600 HU, a 4-channel MTX amp, and speakers (infinity reference for front and alpine 570A for the rear).

I was thinking that maybe I should have circuit city or some comparable audio installation store install the HU and amp, and I was thinking of installing the speakers myself to save money and also because out of the three, speaker installation seems to be the easiest to do myself.

My question is would you pay to have your speakers installed? It seems so simple…connect the leads and place in the door, or am I naive in thinking that this will be so simple. Are there any hidden problem areas I should be aware of, or parts I will need to buy to install myself?

Also, I searched various threads on door panel removal, but I didn’t find anything referencing the 2004 Explorer. Can someone assist me with information on door panel removal? Will I need a special tool to removal the door handles for instance?

Oh, and just curious, can anyone give an estimate as to how much it will cost to have an amp and HU installed (or even all three)? I should probably note that I have all the wires and harnesses for everything.

Sorry for the long post.

RJ

 

[expo5.0]

no, the hu installation is very simple and we can walk you through it etc. i think if anything the speaker installation can be the hardest because taking the door off although very easy (and you CAN definitely do it) can lead to some problems and possibly breakage.

all in all, just do it yourself. Any problems you come up with just go on here and ask or contact me on aol aim at svt exploder

 

[EricM]

The most difficult thing is probably the amp, because you'll need to run the power wire through the firewall and hide the rcas and wires under the carpet. It's not really hard, just kind of tedious.

The HU is the easiest. It'll only take you ten minutes at most to pull the old one and put the new one in.

The speakers in the doors might take five or ten minutes each, no special tools required. You don't have to take the door handles off. Take out the two bolts at the bottom part of the panel, pry out the plastic piece around the door handle, carefully pop off the front part of the arm rest where the power window/lock buttons are, disconnect a couple power harnesses, take out one more bolt that was hidden in there, and lift the panel up and off.

 

[rjeffers]

Thanks guys for taking the time to respond. I know this isn't a hard process, but I just can't imagine paying someone $75 to do something like take the door panel off. I mean...I know I can do that. It's bad enough I am/was paying for the HU replacement.

Believe it or not, I have replaced a HU before, but I guess I was thinking the HU replacement was going to be pretty difficult because of the various connections to the amp and the fact that there is some descrepancy over what type of HU wire harness to use on a '04 Explorer. I guess more than anything, I was planning to pay for convience and no worry.

So now, I'm feeling a tad-bit more confident about replacing the speakers and HU myself.

 

[royd86u]

To remove the door panel no special tools are required . There are two screws along the bottom of the door panel that need to be removed. Then remove the small panel around the door handle(pull from the front of the small panel then slide off. remove the panel that has the power window and door lock buttons(pull up on the front then slide forward and up, unclip the three connectors. There is one more screw(same as the two along the bottom of the panel behind the panel you removed by the handle you can see it through the opening where you removed the panel containing the power window and door lock swithches. then just simple lift up on the door panel it should slide up and off. If you have power mirrors you will also need to unclip the wire to the panel once you slide it up and off, The wires arent real long so be carefull

 

[oldschool4life]

First things first: GET AN ALARM! (a good one properly installed)

Use a wire harness; DON"T CUT THE FACTORY WIRES!

Scosche sells a wire harness that that has the connector for some radios (Alpine, Pioneer, etc...) on one end and the factory connector on the other; you can special order this from Walmart (automotive manager - give him the part number). No cutting/stripping/crimping involved (just plug and play).

Also, before you let someone else touch your car, DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON THEM! See their work (usually a photo album); and, just because it's Circuit City, it doesn't mean that it's better. My experience, local shops will either give you the BEST or the WORST service. Discuss with them how things are gonna be installed (like amp location).

Basic car audio installation isn't rocket science, but it IS science. You have to understand and respect 12VDC.

 

[kelly2]

if you came to my best buy bay, you would be looking at:
HU ------ $49.99
4ch amp - $69.99
1 pr spkr - $32.99
1 pr spkr - $32.99
-------------------
labor total $185.96
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plus more speaker wire - $16.99
and another set of RCA's - at least $20 depending on the set you want.
------------------
new total $225
-------------------
do you already have the amp kit? if not, that will bump you over $300. adds up quickly. i also recommend doing it yourself. hardest part for most will be the amp and running all the power/signal wires for it.

 

[dyazdani]

Speakers and the HU should be no problem. A conservative estimate might be 30-45 minutes for the HU and 15-20 minutes per speaker. I think it is a fair estimate if you haven't done that many. By the time you unpack your supplies, get out your tools, etc - I think it's close.

The amp might be another story. It's not that it is difficult - just a lot of little things to do. I just installed my first one last weekend in a '92 X. The most tedious steps were running new speaker wire to the doors and routing the power wire (drilling the firewall, etc). I also replaced my battery terminals and added an extra ground cable, so that took a little bit. The amp I bought (an older Alpine) had Molex plugs rather than screw terminals, so I also had to build those connections.

Good luck and let us know what help you need once you get going.