I didn't post in the audio forum because some of the different years have different setups.

I have a 90 GXE with the Bose system - down to one speaker working. The others whine until it warms up, then nothing at all.

I went stereo shopping around the city this past week. I ended up buying a Sony system at the military exchange store. Really couldn't beat the price plus no tax. Yea, I know that's not the choice of many but it was a great deal and I'm just looking for something that makes some noise, past the age of booming stereo's. All the other places offered "FREE" installation, what a joke that was. I was willing to pay some for less aggravation of having to do it myself, but seeing how bad they want to screw you for the "FREE" installation, I just decided to do it myself. It's been a longgggg time since I installed anything myself, so pardon me if these questions seem ridiculous.

I've read Craig and Matt's information but just wanted to be clear on some things before I was to get started. Speaker pull seems pretty well spelled out. I figured I'd run new speaker wire with the new speakers based on everything I read here in the past that the current wiring is no good for aftermarket stereo's.

I guess my main question is when installing the head unit. Have you used those wiring kit they sell in the store? Do I really need it? Since I'm running new speaker wire, I'm assuming it would go right to the head unit and the power right to the fuse box and then find a ground. What good does a store wiring kit do otherwise? The old speaker wire is going into the old harness that's part of the car, can that be removed? How about the power anttena, is that a good enough reason to buy the store wiring kit or can it be hooked up another way?

The head unit comes inside a sleeve, is the sleeve needed in the install? Or is that just for protection in shipment? I did buy one of those install kits. Looking at some of the instructions makes me wonder if I'll really need that also.

Any other tips? Thanks for any help in advance...

 

Installing a HU is a snap - the speakers will be a bit more difficult, but nothing you should be too afraid of.

DO use the wiring harness for the HU - that's the easiest, cleanest way to install a new deck. You'll crimp/solder the wires from the harness to corresponding wires on the HU, so the HU can get power, send a signal, turn on the antenna, etc. You will not need to hook up the speaker wires from the wiring harness to the HU harness, as you'll be running new speaker wires which you'll connect directly to the HU harness.

You can remove the old speaker wire if you want, but it's not necessary. And if you have the dual diversity antenna (a regular power antenna mast, and an antenna in the rear window; I'm not sure if 90's had them), you'll need a dual diversity antenna adapter.

You won't use the metal sleeve that came with the HU - that's a security sleeve you can put in the dash if you had a single DIN opening...in any case, you can save it or throw it away, you won't need it.

Just read as much as you can from Craig's site... If you get stuck along the way, feel free to email me w/any questions, I'll do the best I can to answer them... Or try the forums @ www.sounddomain.com. Good luck!

 

Alright...why on earth are you running new speaker wires to the HU? WHY? It is much easier (5 mins each) to either use speaker adapter harnesses (ala crutchfield) or do what I did on my Bose setup....simply unplug the speaker harness from the Bose amp by each speaker and then either splice a 12" piece of wire into the +ve and -ve wires or strip the ends of that piece of wire and just insert it into the +ve/-ve metal connectors of the harness. I chose to do the latter for all four speakers, and no problems whatsoever. I have a Pioneer mp3 HU and JBLs all around.

BTW, you do NOT need any install kit. This is a very straightforward install. The only things you need are: A 3rd gen-specific HU harness, antenna adapter, and about 3 or so feet of speaker wire. And oh yeah, a screwdriver!. So if you haven't opened the kit yet, return it to the store.

P.S: Good luck removing the Bose HU from factory brackets....two screws on mine were so tight, I had to drive to my mechanic and borrow his impact driver to take them out!

 

or, you could use new wire all around cause 22 guage wire sucks *** for any sort of post-amp power. i went with 14guage all around. took some time, but was well worth the effort.

 

stock wiring isn't the best choice...

Stock wiring is ok, but IMO you get the best out of the new and more powerful HU's coming out if you provide a good clean path for the signal to reach your speakers.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

I thought I read in past threads that the wiring in the car was not compatible with aftermarket systems, something to do with the ohm rating. All the car installation places also spoke of having to do a complete rewiring. I searched Crutchfield, could find any adapator.

When you say it takes some time, how long would you say? The hardest part looks like the front doors...

 

Oh now I see! You misunderstood. The 1ohm/4ohm issue arises when you are replacing JUST the HU, not speakers, as Bose amps are propreitary and will not work with the 4ohm signal of an aftermarket HU. But with a complete system upgrade, you don't need any new wires. You are all set!

Front speakers are not bad at all. You will need 4x6 brackets from the dealership, or you can fabricate some for 6.5" speakers (recommended). I'd suggest do the passenger side door first if you have never removed a door panel before. That is easier and will be good practice!

 

Plus stock wiring that is 14 years old is even worse. If you're upgrading head unit and speakers, just do it all and cause yourself less headaches down the road vs. using the OEM wiring.

 

they send them when you buy speakers from them. you will have to call them to order separately (don't buy speakers from them...they are a rip-off). www.circuitcity.com sells them too. i didn't buy them as i just fiddled with the factory harness to make it work.