LX450 - Alpine install Q's (1 Viewer)

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Put an Alpine 9884 into a '97 LX tonight. Used crutchfield's harness to continue using the stock amp. Got everything put back together and at high volume, all the speakers are giving some nasty feedback. Popping and scratching, etc.

Any help?


I did buy the standard wiring harness too, if I wanted to bypass the factory amp. Might end up using it, but at this point, the thought of pulling everything apart again isnt fun.

Thanks
 
Stock speakers?

Here's a pic of the LF speaker in my LX. The diaphragm(s) had separated from its mount = distortion in a direct ratio to volume.


LX450 speaker

As for the stock AMP, I'm still running it in my LX. Consensus on Mud has been to remove. I'd guess your Alpine would put out cleaner sound.

I just removed the OEM Pioneer CD changer & AMP in my 2000 Tundra. The OEM speakers sound much better with the Scion T1808 replacement, which has ~ 18 W power. I have another T1808 to put in the Lexus.
 
Sounds like it could still be a wiring issue. MIKE
 
I put in a Kenwood using the Lexus harness from Crutchfield. I thought it was good to go but have noticed feedback at very low volumes. Once I get a little road noise or turn the volume up I can't hear the humming noise. I will eventually unplug and bypass the factory amps once I replace my LX450 center console with a LC model. I'm not sure if the Alpine is making your amp noise worse or if something is wired wrong.
 
Why, when that radio has the ability to pump out 18W, did you decide to use the factory external amp?
Are you connected through the preamp outputs? Otherwise you are probably clipping the external amp. In reality even if you are using the preamp outputs - you are probably still clipping it - it is not the best engineered piece of electronics.
 
Put an Alpine 9884 into a '97 LX tonight. Used crutchfield's harness to continue using the stock amp. Got everything put back together and at high volume, all the speakers are giving some nasty feedback. Popping and scratching, etc.

Any help?


I did buy the standard wiring harness too, if I wanted to bypass the factory amp. Might end up using it, but at this point, the thought of pulling everything apart again isnt fun.

Thanks

I would pull the amp.

I've got the Alpine CDA9883 in my truck, only using the door speakers, and IMO, it sounds MUCH better than the OEM deck w/amp ever did.
 
I have a pioneer that was installed with a crutchfiled harness to the amp, the humming sound was terrible.

I ended up bypassing the factory amp as others have suggested and it sounds much better. I know it sucks but it is probably worth tearing the dash apart again to bypass it.
 
Why, when that radio has the ability to pump out 18W, did you decide to use the factory external amp?
Are you connected through the preamp outputs? Otherwise you are probably clipping the external amp. In reality even if you are using the preamp outputs - you are probably still clipping it - it is not the best engineered piece of electronics.

X2

I did have the identical alpine HU installed with the facrtory amp BUT i had to install a inline device to individually control the amount of output from the hu to the factory amp. I cant remember the correct name for the device, but its was something like a line conditioner. I ended removing it and bypassing the factory amp and have way better sound, even with just using the stick speaker.

I would bypass for sure.
 
Just confirming what others are saying..

I just went thru this multi-day installation of a Kenwood unit in my LX450. The humming noise is definitely a grounding problem as I was able to change it with various grounding scenarios I tried - direct to the battery, all at the factory amp, etc.

In the end I determined that the factory amp must have a partially isolated ground or something as I was never able to defeat it. I removed the factory amp and had to cut and extend the Toyota wiring harness - problem solved. I expected a normal 1 hour installation of a new radio, and I wound up with a 3 night ordeal with trips to 3 different stores.

Of course, you'll be without your subwoofer if you remove the factory amp, but the new headunit will sound nice and clean - just without much bass (not that the factory woofer generated much bass anyway).

Good luck -
 
look at my pioneer bt headunit install pics, it's got the wiring harness you need from crutchfield and details.
 
Is their any way to leave the stock amp hooked up so that the rear 3 speakers work without all the popping, noise, & heat associated with it? Maybe disconect some wires from the wiring harness input? Any thoughts?
 
Follow up.

This morning I got up and used the other wiring harness I had gotten from Crutchfield to bypass the factory. I am well aware he factory is not tha great, but it was late lastnight and I was just trying to get things up and running with the 1st harness.

I extended the new harness to reach the factory plugs behind the passenger side dash. Powered up the head unit and still got a ton of feedback at high volumes; confirming that is was not the factory amp causing the problem. I did notice though, that if the rear speakers were unplugged, the front would work perfect (no feedback).

I opened up the rear driver side door panel and found hat the connection for the rear speaker was pretty wet. Disconnected this speaker only, and the rest of the system works fine. Im going to assume there is something with this connection that is causing the entire issue. Crutchfield wants me to play around with my harness and switch the speaker wiring aroun to confirm it IS infact that one speakers that causing it, and not just a faulty head unit.

Conclusion: it looks like the rear driver speaker is the culprit, or a lemon head unit. Feel free to object if you had any other ideas. Atleast for now evrything else is working.
 
I was going to suggest that you had a grounded out speaker wire but the water would do the same. Sounds like your Alpine is good and you solved the problem.
 
Follow up.


Conclusion: it looks like the rear driver speaker is the culprit, or a lemon head unit. Feel free to object if you had any other ideas. Atleast for now evrything else is working.

Have you unplugged the rear driver speaker and hooked the amp back up? Or are you going to leave the amp out?

Are you happy with the 9884?
 
Factory amp is gone, removed it.

Right now the head unit is powering the speakers (minus that one rear door one thats unplugged) and they sound fantastic! The stock lexus impressed me alot. I may upgrade them later, but for now they'll stay. The 9884 is a nice head unit. I've always used the alpines and like the ipod controls.

I did install a JL 250/1 mono amp to power a 10" sealed JL sub.

The stereo is sounding awesome for my needs.
 
Sounds like you solved your issues. I finally fixed my ground issue. About 2 years ago, I had installed a JVC headunit to replace the stock one, and the harness I got, used the factory amp. I had hissing from a ground issue that would not resolve no matter what I did with the ground or a ground loop isolator. I finally installed the headunit chassis using plastic bolts, so there was no part of the headunit chassis that contacted any metal on the truck. Then I only heard faint hissing at idle.

One of my front speakers recently blew, and I took advantage of Circuit City's liquidation and picked up some 6.5" Polks for the front and 5.25" for the rear. I decided to try to bypass the amp, to do the job right. Well, lo and behold, once I located the factory amp, I figured out where that Walmart harness connected (I had bought it when I originally installed the headunit, but couldn't figure out where it was supposed to hook up.)

Moral of the story... BYPASS THE FACTORY AMP. Absolutely no ground issues now, and I did nothing special during re-installation, other than ditch the amp integration harness and instead, used the bypass adapter harness. I did extend the harness by ~22". Now the console sub is disconnected, and with any decent set of speakers and an aftermarket headunit, you will not miss it at all. In fact, the bass is better without it, since it began to distort at a lower sound level than the aftermarket speakers do.
 

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