H
Homburpokes
Guest
(Detailed/redundant topic for search reasons)
Hey now!
I installed an aftermarket stereo into my 03 Disco SE yesterday, and the information in this forum was extremely helpful. I wanted to give my synopsis of the installation as well.
My Disco does not have the Harman Kardon sound system, but it does have a LR amplifier. I used a Pioneer head unit and a Pioneer 6 disc changer that I already had. I couldn't find an Alpine head unit that had the features I wanted and would allow me to connect the CD Changer directly to the head unit (RF modulated changers ruin sound quality).
I Chose to wire the system using stock wiring and LR amplifier to see how it sounds. I can always go back and change out the amp and wiring. My main goal was to have an in-dash CD player without paying $700 plus from the dealer.
1. Remove the stock head unit with the DIN extraction tool (deck keys). I used the metal bars from common hanging file folders as suggested by others. The DIN tools are probably better, but after some wiggling and jiggling, the file folder bars got the unit out with no damage. Slide the unit out and rest on gear shifter.
2. Remove the antenna connections. There are two antenna connections, so odds are one of them will fit your aftermarket head unit (or both?).
3. Remove the connectors (molex style) from the rear of the head unit. As best I can tell, the top connector is three different colors and has the data cable to the CD changer. After all was said and done, I did not need this connector any more. If you are using the CD changer, you probably will.
4. Per other posts, I bought the Volkswagen wire harness from my local car audio store (Car Toys, Inc). Harness part number is Metra 70-1784 Volkswagen 1980-Up. This plugs into the two remaining connectors from the LR, which contain power wires and speaker wires. The stock connectors only fit one way into the harness, so you can't really mess it up. The harness takes the stock wiring and provides leads to connect to the wiring harness from the back of your new headunit. With little exception (noted below), you just match the colors and connect the wires. The harness was about $12.
- YOU MUST SWITCH the POWER (Red) and CONSTANT (Yellow) wires in this harness. -
5. Note the positions of the Yellow and Red wires in the harness. Remove the wires by pulling them firmly away from the assembly. It takes some force, but they come out unharmed. Switch the positions and insert the wires into the connectors (they will snap back in). Ensure the connections are snug. It's easy.
6. The harness comes with two additional wires that are not connected by default. The first is for a power antenna that my Disco doesn't have, so I didn't use it. The second is the Blue/White wire that tells the LR amp to turn on when the radio is on. The directions with the harness say to insert the Blue/White into slot A10 on the harness, but I'm not convinced that is the slot I had to use (the directions are slightly ambiguous here). I tried what I thought was A10 and I had power, but no sound. I switched the Blue/White wire to the slot right above the red wire (I think it is A11) and it worked. I had to hook one speaker up to test for sound.
7. The speaker leads are standard colors, one solid, one with a black stripe. Speaker leads are Grey, White, Purple, and Green. The harness bag has the speaker colors on them and the LR stock wiring match uo. Amazing how standards work. The speaker leads go to the amplifier, not to the speakers themselves (I'm guessing here) because all 8 speakers and the sub are fed off of the leads to the head unit. (See steps 8 and 9)
If you need the speaker lead colors they are:
(Solid color is always + and Solid with Black stripe is always -)
Right Front - Gray
Left Front - White
Right Rear - Purple or Violet
Left Rear - Green
8. The front speaker system is all connected with the Gray and White leads. In my case I have three speakers in the driver door and three in the passenger door. They are not independently connected. Hook up the White and Gray leads and they will work.
9. The subwoofer (if you want to call it that) is fed from the rear speaker leads as well, so if you hook up the Purple and Green leads, the subwoofer works as well.
10. If you have other connections to make, such as the cell phone mute, alarm, door switch, or dimmer stuff, have at it. This is from the stereo, the dimmer does not affect your lights or instrument panel.
11. Order/buy the trim piece to go around/below the aftermarket stereo from the LR dealer. I didn't check the car audio store to see if they had a trim piece. I assume the LR part will look better and someone else said it wasn't expensive. Part number FHY100290LNF - Cover, FXG, ALARM (other post quoted it as $7.97). It will look a lot nicer when the two screws are hidden, but for the week or two that it takes to get the part it doesn't look too ghetto.
12. You are on your own for installing the aftermarket headunit mounting bracket that comes with the stereo. They are designed to stabilize the head unit and keep people from stealing your stereo, much like you had to use specialized hanging folder bars to remove your stock stereo. These brackets work well for stabilization, but if someone is going to steal my stereo, I'd rather they get it out clean rather than rip my dash apart.
---All in All----
All in all, the sound quality is improved, but not drastically. I am glad that I could use the stock wiring and amp without having to spend a day or two routing wires and installing aftermarket amps. To improve the quality more, I could put in new speakers and still use the stock wiring. The big thing is that I now have an in-dash CD player. Why LR would sell such a great vehicle with only a tape deck baffles me. I see the 04 Discos have a CD player, but $725 plus install is ridiculous.
In time, I'll install the subwoofer and amps that I have with new wiring and new speakers.
I read the forums yesterday afternoon at 3:00pm, ran to the car audio store to pick up the Volkswagen harness and talk to them about some other specifics and had my stereo in by 7:00pm with about 1.5 hours of actual labor and figuring the wiring out. There is a makeshift wiring diagram available for the Disco II at:
http://carstereohelp.net/wireharness_LandRover3.htm
but I didn't find it too helpful and think it misrepresents the shape of the stock LR molex connectors, but since they only fit one way, it wasn't hard to figure out.
Have at it.
justin
Hey now!
I installed an aftermarket stereo into my 03 Disco SE yesterday, and the information in this forum was extremely helpful. I wanted to give my synopsis of the installation as well.
My Disco does not have the Harman Kardon sound system, but it does have a LR amplifier. I used a Pioneer head unit and a Pioneer 6 disc changer that I already had. I couldn't find an Alpine head unit that had the features I wanted and would allow me to connect the CD Changer directly to the head unit (RF modulated changers ruin sound quality).
I Chose to wire the system using stock wiring and LR amplifier to see how it sounds. I can always go back and change out the amp and wiring. My main goal was to have an in-dash CD player without paying $700 plus from the dealer.
1. Remove the stock head unit with the DIN extraction tool (deck keys). I used the metal bars from common hanging file folders as suggested by others. The DIN tools are probably better, but after some wiggling and jiggling, the file folder bars got the unit out with no damage. Slide the unit out and rest on gear shifter.
2. Remove the antenna connections. There are two antenna connections, so odds are one of them will fit your aftermarket head unit (or both?).
3. Remove the connectors (molex style) from the rear of the head unit. As best I can tell, the top connector is three different colors and has the data cable to the CD changer. After all was said and done, I did not need this connector any more. If you are using the CD changer, you probably will.
4. Per other posts, I bought the Volkswagen wire harness from my local car audio store (Car Toys, Inc). Harness part number is Metra 70-1784 Volkswagen 1980-Up. This plugs into the two remaining connectors from the LR, which contain power wires and speaker wires. The stock connectors only fit one way into the harness, so you can't really mess it up. The harness takes the stock wiring and provides leads to connect to the wiring harness from the back of your new headunit. With little exception (noted below), you just match the colors and connect the wires. The harness was about $12.
- YOU MUST SWITCH the POWER (Red) and CONSTANT (Yellow) wires in this harness. -
5. Note the positions of the Yellow and Red wires in the harness. Remove the wires by pulling them firmly away from the assembly. It takes some force, but they come out unharmed. Switch the positions and insert the wires into the connectors (they will snap back in). Ensure the connections are snug. It's easy.
6. The harness comes with two additional wires that are not connected by default. The first is for a power antenna that my Disco doesn't have, so I didn't use it. The second is the Blue/White wire that tells the LR amp to turn on when the radio is on. The directions with the harness say to insert the Blue/White into slot A10 on the harness, but I'm not convinced that is the slot I had to use (the directions are slightly ambiguous here). I tried what I thought was A10 and I had power, but no sound. I switched the Blue/White wire to the slot right above the red wire (I think it is A11) and it worked. I had to hook one speaker up to test for sound.
7. The speaker leads are standard colors, one solid, one with a black stripe. Speaker leads are Grey, White, Purple, and Green. The harness bag has the speaker colors on them and the LR stock wiring match uo. Amazing how standards work. The speaker leads go to the amplifier, not to the speakers themselves (I'm guessing here) because all 8 speakers and the sub are fed off of the leads to the head unit. (See steps 8 and 9)
If you need the speaker lead colors they are:
(Solid color is always + and Solid with Black stripe is always -)
Right Front - Gray
Left Front - White
Right Rear - Purple or Violet
Left Rear - Green
8. The front speaker system is all connected with the Gray and White leads. In my case I have three speakers in the driver door and three in the passenger door. They are not independently connected. Hook up the White and Gray leads and they will work.
9. The subwoofer (if you want to call it that) is fed from the rear speaker leads as well, so if you hook up the Purple and Green leads, the subwoofer works as well.
10. If you have other connections to make, such as the cell phone mute, alarm, door switch, or dimmer stuff, have at it. This is from the stereo, the dimmer does not affect your lights or instrument panel.
11. Order/buy the trim piece to go around/below the aftermarket stereo from the LR dealer. I didn't check the car audio store to see if they had a trim piece. I assume the LR part will look better and someone else said it wasn't expensive. Part number FHY100290LNF - Cover, FXG, ALARM (other post quoted it as $7.97). It will look a lot nicer when the two screws are hidden, but for the week or two that it takes to get the part it doesn't look too ghetto.
12. You are on your own for installing the aftermarket headunit mounting bracket that comes with the stereo. They are designed to stabilize the head unit and keep people from stealing your stereo, much like you had to use specialized hanging folder bars to remove your stock stereo. These brackets work well for stabilization, but if someone is going to steal my stereo, I'd rather they get it out clean rather than rip my dash apart.
---All in All----
All in all, the sound quality is improved, but not drastically. I am glad that I could use the stock wiring and amp without having to spend a day or two routing wires and installing aftermarket amps. To improve the quality more, I could put in new speakers and still use the stock wiring. The big thing is that I now have an in-dash CD player. Why LR would sell such a great vehicle with only a tape deck baffles me. I see the 04 Discos have a CD player, but $725 plus install is ridiculous.
In time, I'll install the subwoofer and amps that I have with new wiring and new speakers.
I read the forums yesterday afternoon at 3:00pm, ran to the car audio store to pick up the Volkswagen harness and talk to them about some other specifics and had my stereo in by 7:00pm with about 1.5 hours of actual labor and figuring the wiring out. There is a makeshift wiring diagram available for the Disco II at:
http://carstereohelp.net/wireharness_LandRover3.htm
but I didn't find it too helpful and think it misrepresents the shape of the stock LR molex connectors, but since they only fit one way, it wasn't hard to figure out.
Have at it.
justin
