Radio Install DIY add-on
01-19-12, 11:44 PM
#61
I have a 2000 gs400 with factory navi ....i want to keep the head unit and change all 4 door speakers and add a box and a 5 channel amp to push the system ..how do i do this ? helppppppp please
03-30-12, 06:16 PM
#63
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Hey guys, I saw on here that a lot people seemed to have questions about the GS300 after market radio installation. So I just put a radio in my wife's car and thought I'd take some pictures during the install that might help you guys out. I was an Assistant Car Stereo sales and installation manager at Circuit City for 3 years so I have a lot of experience doing installs. So here we go:
I started by making a harness that was about 36 inches long to reach from behind the radio to the factory amplifier:
I left a quick disconnect harness on, like the ones at circuit city, incase I change out the radio later, this way I won't have to wire anything else up.
Next I dropped the glove box and located the factory amp and the output wires from the factory amp (an met 80 or 70 1761 from BB or CC will fit this harness).
Here's a close up of the harness and where it was unplugged from:
Factory Amp location on right:
Next I got 12 volt switched (accesory) from the harness behind the factory radio (not the factory amp) it is a gray wire:
Now I decided I wanted to try and keep the factory sub-woofer. To do this I wired in the sub-woofer wires (green w/red & green w/black on the small harness coming off the factory amp) to the driver's side rear speaker. The downside to this is that the factory sub and rear driver's side speaker are lowered to 2 ohms. It did not sound like any highs were getting through but it is difficult to tell since I can't fade the driver's rear off or it gets no signal. Here is a picture of the wires off the factory harness with the wires jumped from the driver's side rear speaker spliced and soldered on:
Next I grounded the radio to the gold colored bracket to the right of the glove box:
Here's a close up:
Last, I ran the wires along the same path as the factor wires and zip tied them in place:
And that was it. I soldered everything and I would recommend that you do the same. Time will tell if leaving the factory sub hooked up is a bad idea or not, but it definitely needed some bass when disconnected from the factory amp.
Justin
I started by making a harness that was about 36 inches long to reach from behind the radio to the factory amplifier:
I left a quick disconnect harness on, like the ones at circuit city, incase I change out the radio later, this way I won't have to wire anything else up.
Next I dropped the glove box and located the factory amp and the output wires from the factory amp (an met 80 or 70 1761 from BB or CC will fit this harness).
Here's a close up of the harness and where it was unplugged from:
Factory Amp location on right:
Next I got 12 volt switched (accesory) from the harness behind the factory radio (not the factory amp) it is a gray wire:
Now I decided I wanted to try and keep the factory sub-woofer. To do this I wired in the sub-woofer wires (green w/red & green w/black on the small harness coming off the factory amp) to the driver's side rear speaker. The downside to this is that the factory sub and rear driver's side speaker are lowered to 2 ohms. It did not sound like any highs were getting through but it is difficult to tell since I can't fade the driver's rear off or it gets no signal. Here is a picture of the wires off the factory harness with the wires jumped from the driver's side rear speaker spliced and soldered on:
Next I grounded the radio to the gold colored bracket to the right of the glove box:
Here's a close up:
Last, I ran the wires along the same path as the factor wires and zip tied them in place:
And that was it. I soldered everything and I would recommend that you do the same. Time will tell if leaving the factory sub hooked up is a bad idea or not, but it definitely needed some bass when disconnected from the factory amp.
Justin
after we ran the wires to the 2 harness in the glove compartment, do we plug those 2 plugs back in or leave them unplugged? I have external sub, if this helps
06-30-12, 11:26 PM
#64
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Just a informative note on the sub. I just did it today temporally just for the hell of it. Connect the positive subwoofer wire to the + rearl left speaker output from your new radio and the - to the - rear right output. I won't say that it is in anyway good for the radio but I have a 150x4 jl amp and if the radio amp fried it wouldn't have really mattered. But it didn't. And it sounds great. I doesn't make your rear right or left speaker louder than the others. In response to the way you said to wire in the sub!! I you have your factory speakers installed also. I'm 95% positive (will check tis also tomorrow) that factory speakers are not 4 ohms they are 2 and wiring them in parallel like you did by adding another speaker to 1 output made them 1 ohm. I worked for circuit city as a installer for four years also. FYI. It's not safe to wire a 5th speaker. Especially a 10" one to a factory radio any way you do it. But if you want to don't simply attach it to one speaker output. You should know better. Maybe that's why they went out of business.
07-10-12, 12:32 PM
#65
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If you want to completely replace everything. HU, speakers, amp, sub. You run your speaker wire from new multi-ch. amp directly to speakers in doors, then sub powered of another amp. Would you even need an aftermarket wire harness as it seems none are plug and play? I would just have to hardwire the power ACC and Ground? Right or wrong?
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07-21-14, 05:00 PM
#67
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how did u get the 12volts constant the yellow wire , and the factory amp still wok with the after market radio , if you do how you turn it on r connect the factory amp . i want to put a double din in my friend lexus gs300
02-07-16, 01:23 AM
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I know this is an old thread but I also want to know how you got 12 volts constant to the yellow wire. You mention the gray wire for accessory and grounded it behind the glove box but did not mention the constant wire. It's been a long time since I replaced a Head unit so if I remember correctly all you need is the yellow, red, and ground to power it on. And your running the speaker wires from the after market head unit plug to a Toyota wiring harness and connecting it to the plugs the come off the factory amp. Is this correct? And is the speaker part of the set up plug and play with the harness coming from the amp or do I have to move wires around. And the meta kit comes with a 2 piece harness, do I only use the square one for the speakers and discard the rectangular one? I'm only trying to install a new head unit with the stock speakers and don't mind bypassing the stock amp. If anybody can answer this I would appreciate it. Thanks
03-14-16, 12:25 AM
#69
Driver School Candidate
Did you guys figure where to get the constant 12v yet? From what I researched its a blue/yellow wire behind the radio, possible near the switched gray wire if not need to look near the factory amp for the wire color.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/....asp?tid=77179
I'm also getting ready to put in my stereo and had a question about the antenna. There is a two antenna outputs on the factory radio, so I believe I would use only one of them to plug into the aftermarket radio? Also I think the antenna is also amplified, which wire do I tap the power antenna wire from the aftermarket radio to?
Thanks!
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/....asp?tid=77179
I'm also getting ready to put in my stereo and had a question about the antenna. There is a two antenna outputs on the factory radio, so I believe I would use only one of them to plug into the aftermarket radio? Also I think the antenna is also amplified, which wire do I tap the power antenna wire from the aftermarket radio to?
Thanks!
04-14-17, 01:44 PM
#70
Driver School Candidate
Challenge accepted
well the way I figure it, if they got the stock deck to do it, you can get anything else to do it. Just me. I'm not dissing you at all with your certification, but there are some master wire'ers (I know not a real word 
) out there that can do some crazy ****. You know how it goes, you might try it a million times, but only takes one time to get it right. Its not a million times of failure, just a million times of how not do it 
If someone really wants to get it done, it has to be possible; someone just needs to make a call to Toyota in Japan itself and ask them what they do to get that sucker on and a device can be made.
Hell off the top of my head in these last few seconds, heres what I've got, its ghetto, but works. Pull factory deck out, stuff it somewhere behind the dash somewhere, disconnect all wires to speakers and run them to deck with modified hi/low converter. That keeps factory deck still 'half' installed to power amp. Car turns on, amp turns on but speakers runs off aftermarket deck. HELLA ghetto, but we're not talking practical at the moment, just mythbusting
) out there that can do some crazy ****. You know how it goes, you might try it a million times, but only takes one time to get it right. Its not a million times of failure, just a million times of how not do it If someone really wants to get it done, it has to be possible; someone just needs to make a call to Toyota in Japan itself and ask them what they do to get that sucker on and a device can be made.Hell off the top of my head in these last few seconds, heres what I've got, its ghetto, but works. Pull factory deck out, stuff it somewhere behind the dash somewhere, disconnect all wires to speakers and run them to deck with modified hi/low converter. That keeps factory deck still 'half' installed to power amp. Car turns on, amp turns on but speakers runs off aftermarket deck. HELLA ghetto, but we're not talking practical at the moment, just mythbusting
If it's a DCV signal, maybe you could measure each wire with a multimeter and pull one by one until you have the only one or two wires that are signaling the amp to turn on. If it's a crazy AC signal (doubtful though) measuring the wires with an O scope could help determine what's turning the amp on.
as far ghetto goes, I'm not using my disc changer so I'm considering taking that out to put the factory HU in it's place just to power the amp as that might be easier than finding the mystery signal from it lol.
06-24-17, 06:02 AM
#71
Driver School Candidate
GS 400 w navi
I have a 2000 GS W/ navi... but the navi screen broke. I want to put an aftermarket double din... but the A/C controls are intergraded into the screen. I was able to get my hands on separate A/C controls, however the plugs don't match up. Do you have any ideas on how to get around this issue?
06-26-17, 06:40 AM
#72
iModerate
I have a 2000 GS W/ navi... but the navi screen broke. I want to put an aftermarket double din... but the A/C controls are intergraded into the screen. I was able to get my hands on separate A/C controls, however the plugs don't match up. Do you have any ideas on how to get around this issue?
06-26-17, 10:31 AM
#73
Driver School Candidate
06-26-17, 11:55 AM
#74
iModerate
07-31-18, 01:25 PM
#75
I should change my name to ThreadNecro.
Anyways....
I have the Metra 70-8113. I have it hooked up as instructed.
Pioneer deck.
I checked each connection for continuity and confirmed there is audio coming out of the front and rear pre-amp outs.
Deck works fine except it is not telling the amp to turn on.
I removed the changer and put Infinity 6.5s in the doors. I do not see how those would affect anything, but...
Anyways....
I have the Metra 70-8113. I have it hooked up as instructed.
Pioneer deck.
I checked each connection for continuity and confirmed there is audio coming out of the front and rear pre-amp outs.
Deck works fine except it is not telling the amp to turn on.
I removed the changer and put Infinity 6.5s in the doors. I do not see how those would affect anything, but...
Last edited by AmanO; 08-19-18 at 03:56 PM.
