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Quick stereo question

bigalpha

Moderator
Location
Tucson, AZ
88 MJ.

Aftermarket stereo: Panasonic CQ-RX100U.

For some reason, there is no metal boxing inside the dash for the stereo to slide into and lock into place. The PO folded two cigarette boxes in half and just wedged it in. Can I add the metal framing?

PO did an ugly hack job wiring it up, and I'm not sure all the wires are connected properly. He added some extra speakers behind the seats, so he put extra wiring in. I would like my b-pillar speakers to work again.

I found a wiring diagram that lists the wires for the MJ.
I found the wiring diagram for the stereo.

A few wires for the MJ don't have a mate on the stereo:
Dimmer
Illumination
Antenna Trigger

Can I just ignore these wires or can I 'force' them to hook up?
 
there is nothing for the sleeve that most DIN style radios fit into to mount on.

antenna trigger (im assuming on the radio side) should be a blue wire. that is to activate a power antenna, or you can use it as the "remote" wire to turn on your amp if you are using one. otherwise leave it disconnected. tape it up, its +12v when the radio is turned on.

dimmer is used to dim the lights on the face of the radio along with the dash lights in the vehicle (turning the headlight knob) ive never seen one that worked right, i wouldnt bother with it.

illumination is used to have the lights in the face of the radio dim slightly when the headlights are on, so they dont blind you in a dark vehicle at night. i've always left mine disconnected, but look for a wire in the jeep side plug that goes + when the headlight switch is pulled, and thats your illumination wire. im not sure if the jeep turns the wire hot when the headlights are on or off when the headlights are on.... the main reason why i left it unhooked ;) if you are referring to the jeep side of the plug having this wire, dont bother with it unless you have an illumination wire on the radio side.


remember to tape the ends of every wire coming out of the radio that isnt hooked to something, even speaker wires since its an MJ and you are probably not using the rear speaker outs. you dont want anything shorting out back there behind the dash where you cant reach in a hurry if it starts smoking :D

hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Grimm,

That helps immensely.
Yes, the wires I all mentioned are on the Jeep side; I forgot to mention that. There's no hookup for those wires anyways, so I'll just cap 'em off and let 'em be. I don't have anything fancy (no amps or subs) and don't plan on it, so it makes it pretty simple for me.

Is there any way to get a DIN sleeve to mount in there; or would that require a stupid amount of work?

I'm going to connect the wires that will be used with some of those wire connectors that you just clamp on the wire. Don't want anything catching on fire. I probably wouldn't have time to get it out before it burned me up.

I actually have door speakers and B-pillar speakers, so I'm trying to get them working again, since the PO did something crazy with it all.

Thanks again, I hope to get it all finished this weekend.
 
ahhh noooo not these!

Mid_Way_Wire_Connector.jpg


you'd be better off using electrical tape and twisting the ends together. most of the time those connectors cut all but the center strands of the wires, which causes heat build up and loss of voltage, not to mention its not a very sturdy connection. im not saying solder and heat shrink every wire, but at least use some proper butt connectors and tape the wires together on both sides of the connector bunch so they dont vibrate and come apart.
 
oh and since all the wires are on the jeep side:

antenna: runs to a power antenna hookup, aka dead lead dont worry about it.
dimmer: as i said above
illumination: used to power the face and knob lights on the stock radio only, leave it disconnected but cap it off. its of no use on an aftermarket radio, but it IS a +12v lead.


and if you ever wanted to dig further into the realm of 12v wiring.... check out www.the12volt.com , its a site completely devoted to 12v automotive wiring :cheers:
 
The connectors I was planning on using are these:
IMGP6190.jpg


The last two stereos I installed I just twisted the wires and securely fastened them with e-tape. I figure I'd try to do it 'right' this time.

I'll go ahead and ixnay those extra wires and cap 'em off.

I don't know why I'm on crack?
 
that will work just fine, those wire clamps scare me, especially behind the dash ;)

looks like you're good to go.
 
that will work just fine, those wire clamps scare me, especially behind the dash ;)

looks like you're good to go.

How come? Is it possible for them to short out?


ECKS - I used to do things the fast (wrong) way. But I know I'll get flamed mercelessly here if I do that.
 
How come? Is it possible for them to short out?
for the reasons i stated above. im talking about the connectors i posted the pic of. the ones you are going to use are fine.

ECKS - I used to do things the fast (wrong) way. But I know I'll get flamed mercelessly here if I do that.

usually by him :conceited:


:D
 
Shoot, I have a problem.

I have no brown/white wire from the Jeep end. However, I have a green/white one.

If I connect green/white to the green/black (stereo for rear left (-)), I get sound. Treble only, no bass.

I also get no sound from the rear right speaker. Can I test the speaker wiring at the speaker to see if it's getting signal? How?
 
What I'd do is at each end of the wire use a DMM to check continuity of the wires to make sure there's no breaks or shorts or anything. You can also check the speakers resistance to make sure they're not blown, stock speakers should measure ~8 ohms and aftermarket should be ~4 ohms. When you have treble but no bass makes it sound like the speaker might be blown but the tweeter in it still works. Remember these aren't to big so they're not going to put out alot of bass.
 
Alright, so the speaker tested out at the proper ohms printed on the magnet (4).

I tested the continuity between the brown wire (Jeep side) and the two terminals on the speaker. One terminal came back as 'shorted'. I assume this means there is a discontinuity between the stereo and where the wire hits the speaker.

Are there some intermediate connectors I can test to narrow down where the problem is?
 
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