C Anderson

I have a '99 LX470 with the Nakamichi system. The CD player is toast.
I want to put in a new head unit, probably a JVC or Kenwood. Nothing fancy, just something I can play CD's on and plug in my iPod when I want. I have searched high and low to find information about hooking up a new head unit to the existing amp - I need just the electrical hook-ups, I can take care of the physical mounting and trim piece fabrication. Unfortunately, I cannot find information on our vehicles and I am looking for some help in identifying the wires and any information to hook the head unit into the stock amplifier. Any help would be great.

Thanks,

kingomar

here ya go

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...tail/1290.html

C Anderson

Thanks!

HAVOCK

C Anderson: Kingomar
You much also Jumper the ignition wire to the amp remote on wire Black/Red. This wire would be in the radio harness top end run.
These wires are accurate http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...tail/1290.html ,but most people just don't find the amp remote. So NOW when the installer tell you, " We must replace all your wiring." Tell him I said if you do it as I mentioned you can keep all the factory speakers and use the Nakamichi Amp and listen to how much better it sounds. I was determine to figure this out after the installer told me I could not do it. I installed my old AVN 5453 with EFX Amp and EFX 15" picture will follow soon and maybe on Car Domain. Any problems e-mail me.

HAVOCK

Here you everyone or for those that want it:
ceiver connector

Pin Color Name


01 WHT +B
02 BLU/YEL +B2
03 n/c
04 GRN ILL
05 BLK/RED ANT+
06 PNK FL+
07 n/c
08 RED RR+
09 BLK RL+
10 GRY ACC
11 BRN E
12 n/c
13 WHT/GRN ILL
14 BLK/RED AMP+
15 ORG MUTE
16 GRN BEEP
17 BLU FR-
18 LT GRN FR+
19 VIO FL-
20 n/c
21 WHT RR-
22 YEL RL-

foridcl

I am having an issue where the sound stops and then all of a sudden starts playing again. This would help me troubleshoot.

Thanks.

kingomar

check your speaker and amp connections. one of them might be grounding out.

HAVOCK

Foridcl--Kingomar is correct is appears you may have a wire crossed or loose connection, but did the wiring work for the most part? I love it when a plan comes together! If that do not fix it, you must retrace your steps and correct the connections. If you have any questions let me know

foridcl

Thank you for the suggestions. I thought the same and a couple of weeks ago, after ignoring the problem for a couple of months, I dismounted the radio and the amp. The problem was so bad I wouldn't even bother to turn on the radio. After checking it over, I could not find anything amiss with the cabling. However, after I put them back, the problem is not as bad as before, but it still happens. This fact might give credence to the fact that it is a grounding issue because by moving the cables around I might have shuffled something. At this point I do not know if it is the radio or the amp, although I am leaning more towards the amp being the issue. I wanted to find out the wiring pinout because I would like to test a different radio and amp to try to pinpoint the source of the problem. If it is the radio, it would give me an excuse to get an aftermarket unit to be able to connect my Creative Zen, although that seems to be an issue all in itself since it does not seem there is much out there for mounting kits, cable connectors. I wanted something simple like what Crutchfield offers for my 06 Camry. I guess the LX will take some more work.

Anyway, the vehicle has a Mark Levinson radio and amp which I forgot to mention before. Thanks for the help and I'll look at the cable connectors again to see if I find that elusive ground.

makulaf

thank you havock, I am getting ready to junk my nakimichi too and this really helps.

ryan1db

what have you guys done for mounting it into the dash? i really want to upgrade to a 2 DIN head unit with nav and ipod integration, but now that i've gotten the wiring pinout here, i want to know about the actual mounting into the nonstandard opening.

Seven77

I have done many stereo installs in these trucks, including the one in my LX450. The best sound has been achieved when you bypass the factory amplifier by unplugging both the input and output harness plugs from the amplifier and putting them together taking the amp out of the loop. You than buy an adaptor harness for the plug that you remove from the back of the radio (commonly available) which has the labeled pigtail to attach the aftermarket headunit. Buying a double din headunit allows you to forego the use of an adaptor trim bezel, and instead just using the factory radio metal brackets for installing the new headunit. Most higher end double dins have substantial power amplifiers built in, plus units like the Pioneer D3 has navigation as well. At that point, I would only upgrade the subwoofer using a external amp at a later time. If you would like to have the entire procedure done, and you are in the Southern California area ~ I would love to do the work for you. Visit me at: www.myspace.com/ibuildit to see install pictures.

Good Luck on your install!

Thanks,
~Ryan

ryan1db

i should have been more specific, i have an lx470, so it does not have a standard 2 din shape. is the nakamichi amp not worth using?

celia

The factory amp is great. You've been satisfied with it while the factory stereo was working, right?

Installing an aftermarket head unit in your LX470 is not impossible but not easy either. You will not be able to use any of the pre-fabricated wire harness or trim kits sold by many vendors (e.g. Crutchfield). You need to cut into some wires and do a little plastic surgery, but it's not like disarming a bomb - take your time.

ryan1db

i've been very happy with the sound of the nakamichi amp, so i was hoping to use it if possible, and apparently it is possible. wiring it all as long as i've got the wiring diagrams of the OEM setup doesn't bother me too much, i'm just concerned about how to get it to fit into the dash and look good. i don't know where to get a custom piece of plastic surround and i don't know how to go about fabricating one that looks acceptable.