DIY head unit?

i seen one on here awhile ago and now i cant find it. i cant remember how to do it. can someone link me please?

This is a head unit (radio, cd deck, dvd player, in dash screen...) install write-up based on a MY97 GT Wagon. It should still be directly applicable to all BD- 95-99 Sedans and BG/BK- 95-99 Wagon. The general concepts will also apply to any car as many parts (such as the cage for the head unit) are nearly identical on Japanese cars.

 

 

Basic tools required:

 

Screwdrivers (Phillips, 1 Stubby and 1 with long shaft)

Crimping tool

Small Plastic box: to keep screws from getting lost

 

Accessories required:

 

Head unit (DIN or double DIN)

Butt connectors

Wiring harness (specific to model year)

 

 

Total time required: 2 hours taking my sweet time not to break anything and double checking my wiring is correct.

 

Level of difficulty: 3 out of 10. It is possible to screw up the wiring if you are not careful. See previous point.

 

This is what I started with, your typical boring factory head unit. I'll be replacing it with an Alpine 9815.

 

http://img492.imageshack.us/img492/696/01stock1js.jpg

 

To get at the head unit you must remove the trim panel which surrounds it. The panel is held on by four phillips (+ pattern) screws. Two at the top and two at the bottom. The top screws are hidden behind the cup holder.

 

http://img438.imageshack.us/img438/1680/02cupholderscrews8cv.jpg

 

The right hand side screw is not accessible with the cup holder in place. To remove the cup holder pull it out all the way then press down the button at the middle back end and pull.

 

http://img425.imageshack.us/img425/4445/03cupholderbutton6qa.jpg

 

Here's a better picture of the screws you will be removing once the cupholder is removed.

 

http://img425.imageshack.us/img425/6296/04cupholderscrews23zr.jpg

 

Once the screws are removed you will need to remove the housing for the cup holders. Do this by re-inserting the cup holder and locking it, then pull the cup holder back out. The housing will slide out with it.

 

http://img425.imageshack.us/img425/4403/05pulloutcupholder4pu.jpg

 

To remove the radio trim panel from the bottom it is necessary to remove the trim along the transmission hump. You may be able to force the panel past the shifter trim without taking it latter off however its also possible you'll break something in the process and getting it back in will be difficult at best. This step is so easy there's no point taking that risk.

 

The center trim is made of two pieces, front & rear. The front is held down by the rear piece which must be removed first. Open the arm rest and remove the two screws, remove the rear trim.

 

http://img425.imageshack.us/img425/1727/07handbrakescrews5xf.jpg

 

Unscrew the shifter knob then remove the front trim panel.

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3743/08centerconsole7uf.jpg

 

Back to the center console radio panel. The bottom screws holding it in are located behind the coin tray. Pushing down slightly, pull it towards you.

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3096/09cointray0ml.jpg

 

Remove the two phillips screws, you'll need a stubby screwdriver to get at these.

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8357/10coinscrews6ra.jpg

 

At this point the center trim panel is ready to be removed. You'll need to remove it from the top then from the bottom rotating towards the right. The 12 volt outlet needs to be rotated for it to come out. I fail to see what logic Subaru had with this one. Prior to removing the panel you'll need to unplug the + and - wires from the 12volt outlet, they just slide right off.

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/674/11trimpanelrotate0zq.jpg

 

 

Now its time to remove the cage and the radio. Remove all four screws.

 

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6009/12cagescrews2al.jpg

 

You'll notice the cage is now loose but doesn't come out. Ah HA ! Subaru also has two more phillips screws burried deep back in the dash, one on each side. You'll need a screwdriver with a long shaft for this one. Be prepared to lose both screws unless you have a magnetic tip on your screwdriver.

 

Pull the cage towards you, the radio will still be connected in the back by the power/speaker harness and the radio antenna. Subaru in their wiseness does not include much length, you'll have to reach back there and undo it with your fingertips.

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4792/13cagescrewsrear1yn.jpg

 

At this point you should be staring at the radio harness. This is what you will plug the aftermarket wiring harness into unless you enjoy splicing and soldering all the wires manually. When the time comes to sell the car and you want to put the factory deck back in you just need to remove the aftermarket harness and plug the factory deck back in.

 

 

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3097/14subaruharness1yf.jpg

 

Next step is to connect the wire harness to the wires coming out of your deck. This Alpine headunit has the ability to unplug its wire harness for ease of install. Yours may or may not have this feature. I've opted to clean up the wiring using two sided velcro tape to keep it neat and prevent random wires from snagging behind the dash causing problems down the road.

 

Here's where taking your will save you headaches after the install. Carefully read the legend on the wire harness (usually printed on the bag it came in) and the legend on the head unit (or the manual). Not everyone uses the same colours to indicate power/ground/speaker + and - wires. Make sure you are connecting the right wires together otherwise some speakers may be out of phase, not work or worse you'll short your deck out. This section of the install is not where you want to rush.

 

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5305/15wireharness4ju.jpg

 

All wired up and ready to go. I chose to use butt connectors as I very well may change the headunit down the road. It will save me from cutting wires. If you know you'll never change that headunit you may opt to solder the wires.

 

Never ever connect wires using electrical tape unless its an emergency to get you home. As moisture & dirt get into the tape it will eventually come apart and you risk losing a connection or shorting out a connection.

 

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5070/16wireharnessdeck9ve.jpg

 

The factory deck is held in the cage using 4 screws, two per side. Unless you want to remove the pocket below leave those screws in place. It will keep the cage togeather as the cage is really just two side pieces of metal.

 

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5895/17deckmountscrewscage1lc.jpg

 

Undo the screws and slide the deck out. Install your new deck the same way. All decks should have screw mounting points on the sides to mount the deck to a cage. If you're coming from German cars you'll notice you will not need to use the head unit's metal cage or the trim surround. Both will need to be removed prior to install if they are already on the deck. Make sure not to install the deck backwards, again take your time.

 

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1069/18alpineincage0go.jpg

 

Back to the car, plug in the wire harness and make sure it fits properly.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8233/19wireharnessplugged0sb.jpg

 

This is the time to test your connections before you install the deck in the car. You'll notice my deck is not in the cage, it doesn't really matter if you test it with/without the cage. Its just force of habit to verify my wiring as soon as its done.

 

Turn on the head unit, check for power, set a radio station and turn the power off then back on. Verify the radio station preset is kept. If not you've reversed the power/switched power leads. Using the balance and fader controls verify each speaker works and correctly corresponds with the decks settings for front/rear/left/right. You'll find out at this moment if your wiring has any mistakes or if there's a broken connection.

 

Here's where my use of quick connect butt connectors comes in handy. They are matching male/female connectors which can easily be unlpugged allowing for a quick fix. I didn't have any such problems

 

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2928/20testdeck9te.jpg

 

Now lay the wiring warness neatly back in the dash with only enough lead to connect to the head unit. Cramming the wiring in as you install the deck can lead to wires being pulled loose immediately or down the road.

 

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2990/21cleanwiring8jq.jpg

 

Attach the wiring harness and radio cable to the head unit. If you are using external amplifiers this would be the time to connect the RCA cables as well. Again, before you put the screws in verify the head unit properly works and nothing has come loose during install. With that confirmed replace all four screws. If you haven't lost the two rear screws for the cage like I have put them back in place.

 

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5619/22cagealpinemount2lu.jpg

 

The rest of the install is the reverse of uninstall. Replace the radio trim panel. Don't forget to attach the 12 volt socket leads as you roate the trim back in place. Replace the coin pocket and install the bottom screws only over the radio trim plate at this time.

 

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/329/23trimbackon5cf.jpg

 

Slide the cup holder tray back in place. Again, remove the cup holder leaving its mounting plate in place and fasten the upper two screws. Then slide the cup holders back in place. Replace the trim over the shifter assembly and fasten down the rear screws. Put the shifter knob back on.

 

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2919/24cupholderbackon1cs.jpg

 

At this point you should be done. You should not have any extra screws or parts. Turn the radio back on, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

 

 

 

 

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6776/25finished4vo.jpg

thanks, my problem now is the wiring, the one outta ur factory looks no where close to mine, and i got a sony head unit and those wires have much different coloring, i think im gonna have to bring it to my friends house and have him help me

just pick up a wiring harness for the sony to the gt...there's specifics that I don't know about, but it has something to do with a new wiring harness. You also don't have to pop that plastic piece by the shifter either; it'll just pull out by pushing it up and working the plastic a little bit.

pick up the fsm page and have fun. took me three hours to splice a dual unit in. and the antenna is always up when its on and it still dont dim with the car

i found a wire spec for both so it shouldnt take long now

well me and my friend has it all hooked up, to the specs but the screen on the head unit wont turn on, the only wire that isnt connected is the dim wire cause well the head unit didnt have one, would this cause this? it takes my cds and gives it back but other than that nothing >.> any idea whats causing this?

damn where was this when i did my install lol. i had a hell of a time figuring how everything came apart. one bit of advice i have, is to move the cubby hole thing to the top, and have the deck at the bottom. i found that the cup holders got in the way of me being able to see the headunit and making it harder to use

lol i got my head unit to work, i guess one of the wires thats suppose to be a power wire turned out to be a ground

Gonna pull my double din and replace with a single din. Ordered a cubby with a door from the dealer today - it's from a 2000-2004 legacy, so hope it will fit. Talked to several install places and all say my factory subwoofer will not work with the new single din radio. Anyone know if that's true?

^I've learnt the hard way that putting the stereo on top is a nightmare

 

When I upgrade my speakers I shall def be swapping them around

No no, not the work but having it at the top when using drink holders lol. I'll move it when I get new speakers and at the same time move my antenna switch to a proper switch near steering wheel (will get a scrapped fogs switch to do it) so waiting till I get it all before bothering to do it

thanks for the write up

You can also avoid needing to purchase a wiring harness if you want to spend an extra 20 minutes with a soldering gun:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3744090&postcount=5418