| Author | Message | ||
     Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 58 Registered: 05-2003 |
Most of them regarding the floating ground I guess. I have a Sony ES CD player head unit I am slapping in my 99 D1. Well I have a VW harness, which seems easy enough to modify, but my question has to do with the amplifier and the the subs in the rear door. Since the diagram that is in the archives, shows only 4 + speaker leads, and 2 negative speaker leads, what do I with the other wire on the RCA plug if I want to use the amp. For example, the diagram only shows a - lead for the Left side. Would I just not use the - lead on the RCA plug on the right side? Or would I somehow join it to that wire on the harness. To clarify this, I plan on using RCA cables that I have and just snipping them and then soldering the leads to the harness, and not buying those little RCA jack ends that Radio Shack sells. This is a decent monster cable that I have laying around and it is definitely easier to solder the cable than to the tip of those damn RCA plugs. And about the SUB? Since the stock radio has it's own subwoofer control, isn't there anyway to gain that control on my new deck. The new deck has three sets of RCA's, Front, Rear, and SUB. But the wiring diagram only ends up with Front and Rear? How is the Sub controlled independently with only those two leads coming from the harness? Any ideas would be great...Thanks guys.. | ||
| Tyler Anderson (Anderstd) New Member Username: Anderstd Post Number: 37 Registered: 05-2003 |
What a timley question. I just started to install a Pioneer Head unit which is xm ready into my 96 disco and I was pondering the same setup. Hope you dont mind if I tag along on you post. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 59 Registered: 05-2003 |
Not a problem... I think I know what I have to do, I just want a response before I tackle the job in the morning. I've done most stereo installs in pretty quick time, except my BMW, which did require a line level converter at the time. | ||
| D. Chapman (1hank1) Senior Member Username: 1hank1 Post Number: 365 Registered: 02-2003 |
I could be wrong, but I would bet your speakers are going to sound like crap if you hook them up thay way. | ||
| Stuart H (Disco_stu) New Member Username: Disco_stu Post Number: 1 Registered: 06-2003 |
Kevin- I went through this install a few months ago with a Sony head unit and thought about the same things you did. However during the install I found that the only wires that are up at the head unit are the left/right front and left/right back pre-amp leads. The factory amp under the seat had the crossover for the sub built in, and so the amplified signal just left straight from there. So the only option would be to re-wire (including getting an additional amp) the sub wires up to the head unit (using the built in crossover) going through the new amp, and out to the rear subs. In the end though it seemed like to much trouble considering the small size of the subs. BTW - This was the case in my '00 DII, but I assume it would be similar. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 60 Registered: 05-2003 |
Ok now I think you guys are missing my question. I don't want to add any amps or subs at all right now. When I get the time and the cash, I will but for now, STOCK STAYS (except head unit of course). From my understanding the leads coming out of the stock head unit, are at line level, and going to the factory amp. Wouldn't that mean that if I hooked then up to my LINE level outs on my Sony, there would be no difference? I've heard of ways to bypass the factory amp, but in this case, the cheaper the better right now. I would rather spend money on shocks and springs then a souped up stereo. I already have the ES head unit sitting here, so the only cost is the harness. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 61 Registered: 05-2003 |
Alright, after grabbing all the info from the search I could, I've also learned and feared that this VW harness trick seems to work only with 95 (am I right). Looking at it and the configuration of the factory harness seems to not match up, and the haynes wiring diagram that someone posted, seems off as well. Maybe my truck is odd or whatever, but there are 16 wires going into 3 wiring blocks in the stock HU. Not including the two single RCA's labeled SUB and MAIN. (which I have seen no discussion about). Any ideas. I do have a layout of the way the blocks look if anybody can help. Why does LR have to make things so damn difficult. | ||
| Stuart H (Disco_stu) New Member Username: Disco_stu Post Number: 3 Registered: 06-2003 |
sorry if I didn't answer you there, yes you can hook up the RCA outputs from the sony (front and rear) to the line level inputs to the amp. That is exactly how I hooked mine up. I also had to use the VW harness for my install, and although they plugged in correctly to the factory wiring harness, the wires were not in the same locations. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 62 Registered: 05-2003 |
Well I might be stupid here, but I'm using that VW harness diagram that someone posted. The problem is two blocks would fit into the harness. Which two. If I just knew what colors meant what I would have no problem at all but the Haynes diagram someone posted doesn't seem to match either. See what I did was draw myself a little matrix of the block on the radio and the harness coming into it. Then I used that VW diagram that someone posted, and tried to put them together. No matter what I do the wires are staggered in opposite ways and don't seem to fit. And this is using the modified VW harness like shown. ARGH. | ||
| D. Chapman (1hank1) Senior Member Username: 1hank1 Post Number: 366 Registered: 02-2003 |
Ok, Now seeing the time you have spent on trying to figure out the VW harness thing, and posting questions on Dweb you could have already had the thing in and bumping to music if you would have hard wired the thing in. Forget the VW plug. Forget the factory subs. Forget the cheesey amps. Hard wire the radio in and be done. Your new HU, I would bet, puts out more watts than the factory amps. You are not gaining anything by using the amps. While you have the dash apart go ahead and run you a set of RCA's and a remote power wire to the rear so you can at some point put in a real sub. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 63 Registered: 05-2003 |
I understand all of that, but how can you hardwire a set of speakers that are components in the front. Since the crossovers I assume are built into the amps correct. Hardwiring to the front speakers would required to either replace the door speakers with 2-ways or add some sort of crossover to the equation. About adding wires to the back, yeah I plan on adding a sub, but that would require more than those two wires depending on where I mount the amp. I would also need a heavy duty power wire from the battery, along with a remote turn on lead. I know how to wire amps, I know how to install stereos, all I need is the correct wiring for this thing. As much as I look at it, the wires don't match up with the descriptions posted. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know, I just need some info. And please stop, I am not hardwiring the speakers in now. When I can afford a new 5 channel amp, hopefully with built in crossovers, I will do it. For now I can't afford it, or afford to replace the stock speakers with new components. Even my BMW was simple with using the line level converter, just the same as with this. Only thing was, I knew which colors were which, and a harness was made that was already correct. All I needed were constant and switched power, ground, amp turn on, dimmer, and the four speakers that connected to the line level converter. I could do all of this if I knew the colors. Here envision this. There are three blocks going into the radio. The top has 5 columns and two rows. Colors as follows Red - Green - Yellow - Black - BLANK BLANK - BLANK - Black - Black - BLANK The next has 4 columns and 2 rows Brown/Yellow - Blue - Black - BLANK - N/A Blue - Red/Green - BLANK - BLANK - N/A The last has 4 columns and 2 rows BLANK - BLANK - Blue/Yellow - Green/Orange - N/A BLANK - Purple - Red - Black - N/A So looking at that and looking at the VW harness adapter, there is no way to have them match up as described earlier. BTW - this is assumed looking at the back of the radio. Also what are the two RCA leads on the back that say Main and Sub? | ||
| D. Chapman (1hank1) Senior Member Username: 1hank1 Post Number: 368 Registered: 02-2003 |
If you use a 9 volt battery touch the (what you think are speaker wires) to the battery. The speaker you touch, with the correct wires, will pop. When it pops look and see if the speaker pops out or sucks in. If it pops out you have the pos. and ground correct on the battery. If it sucks in you are backwards. If nothing happens you have the wrong two wires. As far as the two sets of front speakers. I guess you are talking about the tweeter and the mid-range speaker. They are wired together (at least on a 97). The tweeter has a high level filter on it to keep out the lows. I have a kenwood deck with 45 watts per channel running my mid-range speakers and tweeters. The rears are stock and the tweeters are stock. I did upgrade the front door speakrs to a 2-way Boston. They are plenty loud. I dont need an amp for those. The only amps I have is the one for the subs in the rear. I run two 12's with two kenwood 750s amps. Now this is why I say dont use you factory amps. 1. You dont need them with an aftermarket deck. 2. Depending on what deck you are going with, and the watts coming from the deck you will "override" the amps causing a squeel or cracking from the speakers at higher volume. 3. They are a pain to hook up. | ||
| Kevin Fedyk (Kovert) Member Username: Kovert Post Number: 64 Registered: 05-2003 |
Ok, now I understand what you are talking about with regard to the amps. I didn't think they would have an inline crossover alone for the tweeter. Haven't seen many like that lately aside from JBL. That might not be a bad idea, I just don't feel like running wire all around just yet. I'd have to wait for the manual to get here in order to do that, especially taking out all the trim in order to route the wire. If I do hook up the head unit to the stock amp though, it really should be a problem since it wouldn't be through the SONY speaker leads. It would be from the Line Level Amp Outs so no additional power would be provided. It does output 5V instead of the standard 3.3V which should result in a cleaner signal. And I would do that with the battery except for the fact is I have 16 wires and none marked. So testing that way might not be a great idea. Does anybody have a haynes or stock LR wiring diagram for a 99 Disco 1. The haynes page I have is WAY off. Shows 8 black speaker leads, which are not even in my harness... | ||
| D. Chapman (1hank1) Senior Member Username: 1hank1 Post Number: 369 Registered: 02-2003 |
They are in the harness at the amp.  You get 4 peices of 16 ga. wire about 5' long and run it to the stock amp. 30 minutes of work and you are done. |
