I went on Crutchfield.com and they said that this radio works.

However, I have the Bose system. What other things do I need and where can I find the proper harness?

Also, any way to test if I have no electrical problems? The stock HU broke, but I'm not sure if its the unit or electrical problems with the car. The AM use to work and antenna popped up and down. Then eventually AM stopped working and the antenna motor stopped working as well.

Just want to make sure before I buy a new HU.

 

Dont waste your money on that headunit, it really stinks! Well crutchfeild gives you everything you need for the install. Check out Sonicelectronix.com for cheap and nice headunits. The bose system blows lol. Good Luck

 

Really? Okay, but I've been reading I have to bypass the amp and switch the speakers out which I have no problems with.

But how can I tell the Bose system really broke? I don't want to do all that work (rip the old Bose speakers out, get new HU) and find out its still not working.

 

The only similarities between the old radio and the new one will be the power and ground wires, so as long as you have power to the aftermarket one, it will function normally. Sounds like something was burning up in your stock HU.

 

How can I tell if theres power? The buttons light up when I turn on my headlights.

 

Separate circut.

Does the radio turn on when you push the power button?

If not, you'd have to remove the radio and see if there is power at the main power wire going to the radio. Can also check the radio fuse, although that won't indicate a problem past that part of the circut. You should have power whenever the key is in ACC or ON, if you don't, it's a wiring circut issue. If you do have power, then the problem lies in the radio itself.

 

ah okay, I have no way of telling. When I got the car only AM work (FM, CD, Cassette did not), but the LED display did not. Then slowly the AM stopped working and now I have nothing.

Guess I have to take out the radio and measure.

 

italianjoe1 is right, check the fuses and wiring, things can get brittle and old.
Bypassing the amps for the Bose system is for the speakers only. If you are keeping the speakers you dont need to bypass them, but if you do, you would need new speakers cause the Bose runs on 2ohms. But most likely your problem is within your head unit, cause when your speakers goes, it would make popping sounds or just die LOL.

 

wait, if I keep the speakers I still need new speakers?

From what I understood, if I get a new HU I would need new speakers as well because of the ohm issue?

 

Test for power at the fuse first, but the fact that it kinda worked and now quit, i'd bet 100% on a bad radio.

 

no you do not need to remove the bose speakers. The New head unit would make the speakers a bit louder with the amp plugged in though, thats just about it. If the speakers are fine you would not need to touch them. If anything just take it to bestbuy for install and when your ready to get rid of the car they would remove it for you free.

 

Thanks coolsun, I just want the cheapest solution to listen to some music and radio. Besides taping a boombox to my dash =P

I'm afraid to bring it to a shop because I think they might add on extra charges. Like oh I need new speakers or say 'this Bose system won't work, need something else'.

 

No problem, its fairly easy to install yourself. I had mines installed at bestbuy before i learned about audio setups. But they do a great job, they inspect the whole car before you hand it to them and then they were kind enough to tell me that the previous owner had cut the wires directly and they would correct it with a small charge $10 which i saw him do in first hand. Plus any headunit you buy that is over $100 if can remember is free install, but you would still buy a kit and a harness for your car. GL

 

Are u sure for that??

 

I tried to search Bestbuy.com and they say the only HU that fits my vehicle is this: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...KEH-P4020.html

Why is that? Its only a cassette player.

 

pretty much any radio (single or double din) will fit in our cars. there is a lot of room in the back. I have put four or five in my car over the years, and none have given me any problems (as far as the installation goes, anyway...).
the only things you will need are the wiring harness and antenna adapters (available at walmart), and the head unit of your choice.

I am sure the speakers will need replacement, based on what I undestand about amps and speaker impedance. the low impedance speakers will make short life of the internal amps on most head units.
you will either need to a) get a head unit with 4-6 preamp outs (front and rear, or front, rear, sub), and wire those into the harness I mentioned above, or b) bypass the Bose amps and get new speakers.
no other way around it.

 

While you are mentioning it where are the Bose Amps?

 

Okay so basically this is what I need to do?:

1. I get a new HU. Wire everything up (I have no problems as I've installed HU before and feel comfortable doing it).

2. Buy 4" front speakers and 6x9 rears and install them.

3. Bypass the amp, and I can use the same old wires.

 

1) yes

2) front you can have 6.5" as for 4" is a bit weak. You would need this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6-Spe...#ht_1403wt_939
Thread here- http://forums.maxima.org/3rd-generat...ront-door.html
unless you just screw the whole speaker on the bose box which i did.

3) Bypassing the amp is simple, they are right next the speakers and all you would have to do is to connect 2 wires together which i forgot which ones. Just search around

 

I definitely recommend replacing the HU and speakers. The Bose are designed to run in their own little world, separate from the rest of the car audio universe. I am sure you could find some speakers on Craigslist or ebay cheap. I bought a set of Infinity reference 6x9s for under $20 shipped on ebay before. There is bound to be someone on CL with older stereo stuff that sounds OK and works fine cheap.

 

Guess I'm going to update my situation if it might help someone else.

I ended up buying the Eclipse CD1200G
and used this harness and antenna adapter

it was so easy and that harness allowed me to use the pre-amp outputs for my Bose system. Took 30 min to install, the OEM brackets fasten right on; you will end up with two extra screws.

 

The harness is using the low level output from your HU to the Bose speaker amps. Good. Just be aware that in the future the amp boards will probably fail. The capacitors will leak and need replacement. High environmental heat levels will shorten the life of the boards, but they can be repaired by several companies who specialize in rebuilding Bose radios and amplifier boards.

 

Thats Super! budget price under $150
Hows the sound? any pix?
Its nice to here that it all went in smoothly!

 

Yeah, the adapters seem to get a stronger signal and knock them out even faster.

I bought my car from my brother and he had Magnolia install an Alpine HU and an adapter. In a few years all of the amps were screwed up.

When it was first installed, it sounded a lot better than stock, though.

I just yanked out the whole thing and put in something I wanted.

 

yeah I'll take some pics tomorrow, sounds great and 'strong' even though I don't make it super loud

Yikes, so it takes like a few years eh? As long as it doesn't damage my HU, I can always put new speakers in afterwards

 

http://i55.tinypic.com/15p52cj.jpg
The size of the new radio is a tad smaller but I'm still satisfied.

 

looks clean just like stock.

 

any head unit will fit in a j30....ive got a kenwood deck and my cuz has a pioneer 7inch dvd double din

 

Personally i prefer the stock radios i like the look and all here is a place that maybe able to help you with a Bose Sytem. i havent used them yet but plan too:
http://carstereohelp.net/aboutus.htm

 

Yes the Bose system was a really good sound system in it's time, it actually was an upgrade from the base system. Obviously if it's old and beat up it will sound like ****. I'm keeping my system Bose, I'm probably gonna replace with new components that are Bose though. The front/rear speaker in my Max are in great shape, like 1st owner didn't really use them or kept it at a low volume.

 

can someone tell me where the fuse is on 2000 max for the radio. just shut down and cant seem to find in the fuse box...