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HOW-TO: SC300/SC400 Install Aftermarket Head Unit, OEM Speakers and Sub Working!
#77
1. Run amp power cable from battery to trunk (or wherever you'll have the aftermarket amp); for ground, you can ground the amp in the trunk somewhere (like a strut tower bolt or a fuel tank bolt)
2. Since The D-plug had D1 and D5 (which is where the line-level signal travels from the head unit to the to sub amp) you could splice in a speaker wire to RCA cable into D1 and D5 like shown, except on the head unit side - not the harness side... so you'd actually be taking the subwoofer signal as it comes out from the factory head unit and sending it to the RCA's - which in turn, you can plug into your aftermarket amp directly.
Does that make sense?
Oh and BTW as an experiment (that turned permanent) I squeezed in an Audio Control Epicenter (that I had from a previous install) in-line between the head unit and the OEM sub amp, and it's like night and day. $99 makes it sound like an aftermarket sub/amp setup. So for those counting, $21 for the parts used in the tutorial + $99 for the Epicenter = $120. Still less cost compared to an aftermarket sub, sub box, amp, and wiring kit. The sub output is much, much louder, the bump is a lot harder (makes it easier to find rattles in the car LOL)... but on occassion depending on what song I play you hear the OEM sub reach its limits - usually with songs that have tight, quick bass drums (example off the top of my head, BEP "Boom Boom Pow", most Drum-N-Bass, etc.). On the slower rolling-type bass (example off the top of my head: Lil' Wayne "Wayne's World/Planet Rock" and Pitbull "Hotel Room Service", ) the OEM sub hits hard and sounds great!
**BONUS** I have my OEM volume **** in the dash rewired as a subwoofer output control =D
Last edited by raine; 01-08-10 at 11:17 AM.
#78
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
Nifty DIY, good job. Question though......... Why are all you still cutting your plugs?
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/572458-post18.html
I posted 7 years ago to use the Eclipse plugs to avoid cutting your factory plugs. One day you'll be sorry you did it. Never cut factory wires, use the reverse plugs. This uh....... does tend to make it plug and play as well. (Don't go by wire color though when wiring the eclipse plug to the aftermarket head)
For a little more irony raine, read post 21 of that thread from 03. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/574128-post21.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/572458-post18.html
I posted 7 years ago to use the Eclipse plugs to avoid cutting your factory plugs. One day you'll be sorry you did it. Never cut factory wires, use the reverse plugs. This uh....... does tend to make it plug and play as well. (Don't go by wire color though when wiring the eclipse plug to the aftermarket head)
For a little more irony raine, read post 21 of that thread from 03. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/574128-post21.html
Oh and BTW as an experiment (that turned permanent) I squeezed in an Audio Control Epicenter (that I had from a previous install) in-line between the head unit and the OEM sub amp, and it's like night and day. $99 makes it sound like an aftermarket sub/amp setup. So for those counting, $21 for the parts used in the tutorial + $99 for the Epicenter = $120. Still less cost compared to an aftermarket sub, sub box, amp, and wiring kit. The sub output is much, much louder, the bump is a lot harder (makes it easier to find rattles in the car LOL)... but on occassion depending on what song I play you hear the OEM sub reach its limits - usually with songs that have tight, quick bass drums (example off the top of my head, BEP "Boom Boom Pow", most Drum-N-Bass, etc.). On the slower rolling-type bass (example off the top of my head: Lil' Wayne "Wayne's World/Planet Rock" and Pitbull "Hotel Room Service", ) the OEM sub hits hard and sounds great!
**BONUS** I have my OEM volume **** in the dash rewired as a subwoofer output control =D
**BONUS** I have my OEM volume **** in the dash rewired as a subwoofer output control =D
Last edited by O. L. T.; 01-08-10 at 04:26 PM.
#79
Nifty DIY, good job. Question though......... Why are all you still cutting your plugs?
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/572458-post18.html
I posted 7 years ago to use the Eclipse plugs to avoid cutting your factory plugs. One day you'll be sorry you did it. Never cut factory wires, use the reverse plugs. This uh....... does tend to make it plug and play as well. (Don't go by wire color though when wiring the eclipse plug to the aftermarket head)[/QUOTE]
My car's a 15 year old Toyota, if it was a 2010 GT-R or some 60's vintage I'd be more hesitant =P
Hahaha awesome
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/572458-post18.html
I posted 7 years ago to use the Eclipse plugs to avoid cutting your factory plugs. One day you'll be sorry you did it. Never cut factory wires, use the reverse plugs. This uh....... does tend to make it plug and play as well. (Don't go by wire color though when wiring the eclipse plug to the aftermarket head)[/QUOTE]
My car's a 15 year old Toyota, if it was a 2010 GT-R or some 60's vintage I'd be more hesitant =P
Originally Posted by Killa-Hz
For a little more irony raine, read post 21 of that thread from 03. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/574128-post21.html
#80
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
G.M.T.A.
....but still there are people out there buying these cars that do care when you sell it. I can't count how many times I've heard "yeah the guy before hacked the damn dash all up".
PS- if it were 60's vintage it wouldn't have a plug...... It WOULD be hardwired.
....but still there are people out there buying these cars that do care when you sell it. I can't count how many times I've heard "yeah the guy before hacked the damn dash all up".
PS- if it were 60's vintage it wouldn't have a plug...... It WOULD be hardwired.
#81
Pole Position
iTrader: (1)
Guessing you missed the part in the first post about:
Some people just want to update the old 90's tape player OEM head unit to something that plays current media - like me - and this method only costs about $21 and some labor. Replacing speakers and adding amps is easy - pretty general to any car really - but in our case the main problem was swapping just the head unit by itself - thanks to the lack of plug-n-play options and the way the OEM audio system is configured (with the external amps)
Some people just want to update the old 90's tape player OEM head unit to something that plays current media - like me - and this method only costs about $21 and some labor. Replacing speakers and adding amps is easy - pretty general to any car really - but in our case the main problem was swapping just the head unit by itself - thanks to the lack of plug-n-play options and the way the OEM audio system is configured (with the external amps)
#82
I didn't miss your point. And I completely understand it too. My point is, if one can afford to drive a Lexus, buy an aftermarket head unit, spend times do all the wiring like that, then, why can't he put out a couple more hundreds to buy the amp(s) to get it done right and have better sound?
media
#83
Driver
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: ny
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helP!!
I Have a question.. No offense but me and a Chinese friend of mine attempted to change my head-unit and stock o.e.m amp... so we changed the deck and detached the amp we finally got the new head-unit(deck) in the car after splicing and cutting and all but no sound..(the amp) so what i wanted to do it hook up the amp to power up the interior speakers with this amp but cant seem to find out which wires are the proper ones to splice with speaker wire and run to the amp need help a.s.a.p car in sitting in the drive way with noo sound!!!
BTW IM SPANISH I NEED MUSIC!!!!!!!!
BTW IM SPANISH I NEED MUSIC!!!!!!!!
#86
From page 1:
IS THIS THREAD FOR YOU?
For reference, this thread is for SC300/SC400 owners who wish to:
1. Replace their factory head unit with an aftermarket one.
2. DO use your factory speakers.
3. DO use your factory subwoofer.
4. DO use your factory amplifiers (main amp and sub amp)
4. Do NOT want to install a separate amp for the main speakers.
5. Do NOT install a separate amp for the subwoofer.
IS THIS THREAD FOR YOU?
For reference, this thread is for SC300/SC400 owners who wish to:
1. Replace their factory head unit with an aftermarket one.
2. DO use your factory speakers.
3. DO use your factory subwoofer.
4. DO use your factory amplifiers (main amp and sub amp)
4. Do NOT want to install a separate amp for the main speakers.
5. Do NOT install a separate amp for the subwoofer.
#87
So I'm on day two of my own new head unit install - following your directions as it's exactly what i wanted to do... but I've run into a snag. At the end of step B when we do our first power up tests, I get the head unit to power on and operate in what seems like normal, and when I change my source to FM radio the antenna goes up, and goes back down when I change source away from FM/Radio, but here is where the trouble starts. If I change source to anything other than Radio the amp turns off.
The new Head Unit turns on NOT in Radio source mode, it's in like some internal featured mode, but whatever it actually helped me determine that the amp was turning on by the radio's doing because: when I select Radio as the source I can hear the amp turn on with that little audible pop in the speakers you get just like when you turn on the OEM head unit for the first time. But when I change sources to anything other than Radio the amp turns off and I have no sound.
And here is what's doing my nut in, I noticed that the "remote" wire that comes out of the back of my head unit isn't mentioned anywhere in your write up. I assumed that since the factory wiring is in place to power the amps in the rear of the car those components don't need my head units *remote* line connected to anything in order to turn on because the key wiring somehow must do it..... but why is it that they are off on ACC and ON mode (they being the amps in the trunk), but even though my head unit's remote wire isn't hooked up to anything when I select the radio source all of a sudden the amp and antenna activate?
I'm actually more than confused now after typing all this up :/
I don't know if this matters or helps or not but I'm using a "KW-AVX810" Double-Din 7" touchscreen head unit - data and schematics here:
http://www.bhi.co.za/docs/409/KW-AVX...n%20Manual.pdf
Wiring info you want is on the very last page - page 88.
The new Head Unit turns on NOT in Radio source mode, it's in like some internal featured mode, but whatever it actually helped me determine that the amp was turning on by the radio's doing because: when I select Radio as the source I can hear the amp turn on with that little audible pop in the speakers you get just like when you turn on the OEM head unit for the first time. But when I change sources to anything other than Radio the amp turns off and I have no sound.
And here is what's doing my nut in, I noticed that the "remote" wire that comes out of the back of my head unit isn't mentioned anywhere in your write up. I assumed that since the factory wiring is in place to power the amps in the rear of the car those components don't need my head units *remote* line connected to anything in order to turn on because the key wiring somehow must do it..... but why is it that they are off on ACC and ON mode (they being the amps in the trunk), but even though my head unit's remote wire isn't hooked up to anything when I select the radio source all of a sudden the amp and antenna activate?
I'm actually more than confused now after typing all this up :/
I don't know if this matters or helps or not but I'm using a "KW-AVX810" Double-Din 7" touchscreen head unit - data and schematics here:
http://www.bhi.co.za/docs/409/KW-AVX...n%20Manual.pdf
Wiring info you want is on the very last page - page 88.
Last edited by CLRH2O; 01-24-10 at 07:07 PM.
#88
So I'm on day two of my own new head unit install - following your directions as it's exactly what i wanted to do... but I've run into a snag. At the end of step B when we do our first power up tests, I get the head unit to power on and operate in what seems like normal, and when I change my source to FM radio the antenna goes up, and goes back down when I change source away from FM/Radio, but here is where the trouble starts. If I change source to anything other than Radio the amp turns off.
The new Head Unit turns on NOT in Radio source mode, it's in like some internal featured mode, but whatever it actually helped me determine that the amp was turning on by the radio's doing because: when I select Radio as the source I can hear the amp turn on with that little audible pop in the speakers you get just like when you turn on the OEM head unit for the first time. But when I change sources to anything other than Radio the amp turns off and I have no sound.
And here is what's doing my nut in, I noticed that the "remote" wire that comes out of the back of my head unit isn't mentioned anywhere in your write up. I assumed that since the factory wiring is in place to power the amps in the rear of the car those components don't need my head units *remote* line connected to anything in order to turn on because the key wiring somehow must do it..... but why is it that they are off on ACC and ON mode (they being the amps in the trunk), but even though my head unit's remote wire isn't hooked up to anything when I select the radio source all of a sudden the amp and antenna activate?
I'm actually more than confused now after typing all this up :/
I don't know if this matters or helps or not but I'm using a "KW-AVX810" Double-Din 7" touchscreen head unit - data and schematics here:
http://www.bhi.co.za/docs/409/KW-AVX...n%20Manual.pdf
Wiring info you want is on the very last page - page 88.
The new Head Unit turns on NOT in Radio source mode, it's in like some internal featured mode, but whatever it actually helped me determine that the amp was turning on by the radio's doing because: when I select Radio as the source I can hear the amp turn on with that little audible pop in the speakers you get just like when you turn on the OEM head unit for the first time. But when I change sources to anything other than Radio the amp turns off and I have no sound.
And here is what's doing my nut in, I noticed that the "remote" wire that comes out of the back of my head unit isn't mentioned anywhere in your write up. I assumed that since the factory wiring is in place to power the amps in the rear of the car those components don't need my head units *remote* line connected to anything in order to turn on because the key wiring somehow must do it..... but why is it that they are off on ACC and ON mode (they being the amps in the trunk), but even though my head unit's remote wire isn't hooked up to anything when I select the radio source all of a sudden the amp and antenna activate?
I'm actually more than confused now after typing all this up :/
I don't know if this matters or helps or not but I'm using a "KW-AVX810" Double-Din 7" touchscreen head unit - data and schematics here:
http://www.bhi.co.za/docs/409/KW-AVX...n%20Manual.pdf
Wiring info you want is on the very last page - page 88.
#89
Actually, I'm talking about the regular OEM main amp... I get no sound what so ever when I changes source away from radio. (Although the sub amp may likely turn off too, but that's not what really bothers me at this stage).... Ahh, but I guess I should explain a little bit more about the wiring setup. I'd used the Metra Harness (what is it 8112 or something.. amp integration version with the RCA tails too) and not created the speaker wire connections yet. So maybe it's a line level issue with how I had it hooked up at the time.
So, once I complete the rewiring with the speaker wire to the back of the car where you tie in to the harness back there before/at the OEM harness to bypass it and use the new Head Unit's built in amp I'm guessing this wont be an issue any longer. Silly me for thinking I'd be able to use that Metra harness's integration feature and the RCA out tail from my head unit to avoid rewiring the whole car. I thought I'd be slick and use the parts of your tutorial that I needed and skip the parts I didn't but we see where that got me LOL!
So, once I complete the rewiring with the speaker wire to the back of the car where you tie in to the harness back there before/at the OEM harness to bypass it and use the new Head Unit's built in amp I'm guessing this wont be an issue any longer. Silly me for thinking I'd be able to use that Metra harness's integration feature and the RCA out tail from my head unit to avoid rewiring the whole car. I thought I'd be slick and use the parts of your tutorial that I needed and skip the parts I didn't but we see where that got me LOL!
Last edited by CLRH2O; 01-26-10 at 07:30 PM.
#90
Silly me for thinking I'd be able to use that Metra harness's integration feature and the RCA out tail from my head unit to avoid rewiring the whole car. I thought I'd be slick and use the parts of your tutorial that I needed and skip the parts I didn't but we see where that got me LOL!