'01 LX 470 Radio wiring assistance

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I appreciate all of the suggestions and input!!

I ordered this kit as recommended by Sonic: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_40525_NVX-XKIT44.html

Looks like the power wire for me would just be one 4#. I am going to look today to see if I can outline the best route - likely through the firewall factory grommet.

For me half of the fun of getting a new sound system is doing the install myself - that way you have a better understanding of your system components and how everything works. I just want to be confident I am doing it correctly!
 
You'd be fine with 6' or 10' RCAs, and you don't need the speaker wire since you'll be reusing the OEM stuff, but otherwise that's a nice kit. Hopefully one of the guys above will post and let you know which grommet they pushed through from the photo I posted. When I was looking in the PS footwell I couldn't easily identify where those OEM grommets were coming through.
 
RobRed said:
Alternatively you can use the factory grommet in the firewall and bring the power in to the amp via the passenger door sill channel.
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RobRed - Is this the factory grommet you used? If so what is the best method to pull the wire through?

If that's not the grommet you were referring to then where is it?

gromettsm.webp
 
What do you have to remove to access the wire once punched through the firewall? Looking up under the PS footwell area you've got a few ECUs, AC stuff, etc. I couldn't get a visual on where either of those grommets/wires came through the firewall.
 
fireball said:
What do you have to remove to access the wire once punched through the firewall? Looking up under the PS footwell area you've got a few ECUs, AC stuff, etc. I couldn't get a visual on where either of those grommets/wires came through the firewall.
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It comes in behind the ecu etc fairly high up the dash. Use a 36" zip tie or similar to fish. I removed the glove box for more access and crawled under the dash. You can see it come through.
 
GA470, when I wanted to upgrade my radio I went to the Lexus stealership and explained what I wanted to do.
He gave me a wiring diagram for my car and it was spot one with pin #s and colors. And it was free.
No guessing for me.
The new head unit works great, but as said in another topic I had to bypass the factory amplifier.
 
RobRed said:
This is for a premium type radio - notice the +/- for each signal connection. This is the 22 pin connection shown on my website.
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RobRed - Yes - after a closer look you are correct - no positive and negative for each speaker - just one positive wire. A question - you list the green wire as Beep - what is Beep?

Also - I just figured out your the guy with the tlcfaq.com website. Many thanks for your work there - I have read several of the articles and found them very helpful, especially when I was purchasing my LX.

I saw you added a pic of my wiring to your LC/LX wiring page. I'm sure that will help others down the road. One item I wanted to bring to your attention is that on this web page your R36 sample connector and your actual color picture conflict each other with the pin numbering. You show a blank connector R36 which has the pin numbers starting with #1 on the top left and #20 on the bottom right. Then if you look at the color picture next to the sample R36 you start your wire listing with #1 on the top right - which is #10 on the sample R36 connector. I figured it it out anyway but it is confusing!
 
Wilsil said:
GA470, when I wanted to upgrade my radio I went to the Lexus stealership and explained what I wanted to do.
He gave me a wiring diagram for my car and it was spot one with pin #s and colors. And it was free.
No guessing for me.
The new head unit works great, but as said in another topic I had to bypass the factory amplifier.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention that - Friday I went to a local stealership and the guy looked on his computer and said they didn't have that information available!! So I guess it depends on the intelligence of the parts person you ask!

Anyway - maybe tomorrow I will call first and see if I can get a hold of someone who can provide me the pin #'s and wire color designations.
 
gholsie said:
I highly suggest you go with a double-din headunit. Although many stereo fitting sites say they won't fit, I found there is only one real good solution. It's called a BeatSonic trim kit. Here's a link to the install I did. https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/727605-installed-double-din-2000-lx470.html

Anyway, good luck with your install.

Mike
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gholsie - I did order the trim kit - found the same kit on amazon for $78. You can also just get the fascia trim plate without the brackets on ebay for $28. At first I just ordered the trim plate but I cancelled that order to get the kit including the brackets.

Here is a link for the fascia plate on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/1998-2002-Install-Aftermarket-Installation-Brackets/dp/B00881Q67O?tag=ihco-20
 
You guys are sharing some great audio and wiring info here!

Via my Samsung Galaxy S4 for Tapatalk
 
So I ran a power cable through the firewall yesterday. Wasn't too difficult since I used the recommended existing grommet under the glove compartment. I will place the new amp under the passenger seat. It will fit well, but I had to make a small platform out of mdf to get it to sit securely.


I decided to wait for the new Pioneer Avic NEX navigation HU due out early February so I am trying to set everything up so the install will be easy. My amp wiring kit has 16 gauge speaker wire - thought I would go ahead and run new speaker wire instead of using existing speaker wire. First though is this worth the effort?

If anyone has run new speaker wire do you have any suggestions on how to make the job easier? - especially on getting the speaker wire through the rubber grommet on the door.
 
If you are upgrading from a factory head unit, the gains from an aftermarket head unit and amplifier will be great. I would upgrade the speakers before the speaker wire. Decent aftermarket head units will produce relatively good sound through OEM equipment.
 
TXLX100 said:
If you are upgrading from a factory head unit, the gains from an aftermarket head unit and amplifier will be great. I would upgrade the speakers before the speaker wire. Decent aftermarket head units will produce relatively good sound through OEM equipment.
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Speakers already replaced with Alpine SPR 50C in the front and Alpine SPR 50 in the rear. Speakers are rated at 90 RMS and my amp is the Alpine PDX4 which is rated for 100 RMS.
 
I think OEM is 18# so your 16# won't be much of an improvement. With those speakers I'm not sure new wires are a worthwhile upgrade. Did you already install the speakers? Pretty sure you could've gone with 6.5"s up front.

If you do run new wires you can pretty easily get them through the existing door grommets. Just requires a little time and patience fishing them through. Here's photos of the driver side:

I used 1/2" ply for the mounting board for the amp and cross-overs. The fit is pretty tight! I think 3/4" would've been too thick.

IMG_0518.webp


IMG_0519.webp


IMG_0531.webp


IMG_0529.webp
 
fireball said:
I think OEM is 18# so your 16# won't be much of an improvement. With those speakers I'm not sure new wires are a worthwhile upgrade. Did you already install the speakers? Pretty sure you could've gone with 6.5"s up front.

If you do run new wires you can pretty easily get them through the existing door grommets. Just requires a little time and patience fishing them through. Here's photos of the driver side:

I used 1/2" ply for the mounting board for the amp and cross-overs. The fit is pretty tight! I think 3/4" would've been too thick.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pics fireball. I did already put the speakers in, with my '01 LX there were plastic enclosures that held the speakers and the oem speakers were 5.25. The easiest route was to just replace with upgraded 5.25's. I had the basic Lexus stereo - not sure if other '01 LX's had 6.5" speakers.

I think I will just keep the existing speaker wires for now. I also cut a piece of 1/2 inch thick pdf to place the amp onto. It will be mounted onto vehicle body with some self taping screws.

For now though it's just wait wait and more waiting since I decided to wait for the new Pioneer NEX headunits to come out in early February. It's kind of like your ready to upgrade your smartphone but new smartphones are coming out next month that are way better! Patience will pay off in the long run, then in a year or two though my new unit will be outdated anyway! That's electronics!
 
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