80 series head unit replacement

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fj40crusher

fj40crusher

Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Messages
528
Location
Pacific NorthWest
With all the new head units out these days, curious what you guys have replaced the old double din unit with? Recommendations on what you would install if you haven't yet. I just bent over at the dealer for a replacement antenna (again) so next up is a stereo.

I also read on mud somewhere about a wire harness adaptor for after market unit installs. Trying to find that thread again.
 
I just bought a generic cheap unit from ebay, direct from China. Here's the one I got:
www.ebay.com.au

7in 2Din BT Car Multimedia Radios Player Audio MP5 Player + Rear View Camera au | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 7in 2Din BT Car Multimedia Radios Player Audio MP5 Player + Rear View Camera au at the best online prices at eBay!
www.ebay.com.au
At the time the price was $63AUD, a steal. Came with an inbuilt GPS function too. I got this ISO adapter harness:
www.ebay.com.au

For Toyota ISO WIRING HARNESS stereo radio lead wire loom connector adaptor | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for For Toyota ISO WIRING HARNESS stereo radio lead wire loom connector adaptor at the best online prices at eBay!
www.ebay.com.au
So around $70AUD all up. Here's it installed:
20210504_104224_resized.jpg

Gives me AM/FM radio, bluetooth from my phone, offline maps navigation (handy for remote places without cell signal, which are very common here in Australia), and it's hooked up to the reverse camera, which is the main reason I wanted a 2-din fullscreen unit like this. I hooked the camera up with that rear heater button you see on the bottom right. The "LO" position is "Auto", which means the camera will come on automatically (within 1s) as soon as I pop the car into reverse, and turn off when I go out of it. The "HI" position turns the camera on manually regardless of which gear I'm in, and center position is off. When I get a label maker which can print white on clear, I'll re-label the button.
 
Here's the same model I got, currently available on ebay for $84.48, free shipping to the US:
www.ebay.com

7'' 2 DIN Bluetooth Auto Multimedia Stereo MP5 Player GPS Navigation AM FM RDS | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 7'' 2 DIN Bluetooth Auto Multimedia Stereo MP5 Player GPS Navigation AM FM RDS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
If you're after cheap and cheerful, I'd give this one a look.
 
I'm leaning towards cheap but I want a decent unit also. I don't want to entice anyone to break into my rig. These tweekers will steal anything!
 
I did a head unit install this weekend. I decided to go for a bigger screen 10.1 inch that has built in CarPlay/android auto as well as support for front and rear cameras. That was all I was looking for. Some of the android head units have too many features and without an internet connection don't give you much. I have an android unit in my other car and I just use it for CarPlay.

Links to what I put in.
Head Unit Wire Harness $5
Head Unit (Linux based, supports CarPlay) $219
Camera $39 x2 (front and rear)

Happy to answer any questions.

IMG_0202.jpeg
 
fj40crusher said:
With all the new head units out these days, curious what you guys have replaced the old double din unit with? Recommendations on what you would install if you haven't yet. I just bent over at the dealer for a replacement antenna (again) so next up is a stereo.

I also read on mud somewhere about a wire harness adaptor for after market unit installs. Trying to find that thread again.
Click to expand...
Several years ago, the LCD on my OEM radio/CD/cassette unit bit the dust. Oh everything else worked - I just couldn't see or verify what was playing or radio station was on. So I replaced it with an Eclipse head unit with a removable Tom Tom GPS unit:
IMG_1683 (2)a.JPG


I mounted the USB connector so I could change thumb drives with one hand. Also remove the Tom Tom/display unit when the temp drops below freezing to help it last longer. But recently, I need to replace the radio/CD player in my 1998 Ford Ranger, that is also double Din - very similar to the 80, which is why your thread caught my interest. So, I've been wearing my eyes out looking on Amazon & Crutchfield the last week or so. I decided on a Boss BV9386NV unit for several reasons. The reviews on Amazon show that even the higher priced units($300-$600) have occasional problems and dissatisfied customers - so you just make the best pick that you can with the features that you want. Some of the newer ones have dropped the CD drive and I like having it as a back up, although CDs suck off road, due to the bouncing around. A larger screen would be nice for running Gaia if you're able to put the app on the head unit and run it on your phone. I run Gaia on my iPad and have a holder for it, but a large screen on a head unit would be better - for off road bouncing.
 
VivaToy said:
I didn't want a touch screen because I live in a neighborhood where people go through cars. Went with this: Kenwood DPX504BT CD receiver at Crutchfield - https://www.crutchfield.com/S-OXhjICpdacm/p_113DPX504B/Kenwood-DPX504BT.html
Click to expand...
While I like "dumb" headunits (especially in cars where the radio is mounted too low for the display to be useful for anything), the one thing I find REALLY annoying with newer units is the lack of input buttons. I.e. there's ONE button to cycle through ALL the various inputs. Which wouldn't be so bad if all you had was AM/FM/CD/Aux, but now you have, for example, AM/FM/CD/Aux/USB Front/USB Rear/Bluetooth/Memory Card/Satellite Radio/Pandora/Spotify/etc/etc. So, I often end up hitting input one too many times and then have to cycle through all the choices again. Any why my radio needs separate options for Pandora/Spotify/etc which just run through the phone, I have no idea. I haven't seen a replacement radio with direct button access to all those inputs, so I might end up replacing it with a simple touchscreen model just to have direct access icons.
 
I've got an Alpine CDEw265BT which they don't sell new anymore. You can find used though on ebay. It's got modern features like bluetooth, USB and Ipod connectivity but is not touch screen (which I don't care for in these trucks) and allows you to adjust the lighting color to one that matches the factory green. I think it looks like it belongs... could just be me though.

Head Unit.jpg
 
sswong98 said:
I recently installed an Alpine ILX-w650 with KTA 450 power pack. Great unit with Apple Airplay. Added a USB to one of the blank cut out on the dash (Next to the lighter).View attachment 2666458
Click to expand...

I've got one of these that I started to install in my LX450. It looks to me like the mounting bracket alignment isn't in the right place for my existing mounting holes. Were you able to reuse your existing factory brackets, or did you do something else?

Thanks!
 
Anyone have any idea why my aftermarket headunit does not turn on and off with power, but rather just its own power button? I've confirmed the wiring is correct.
 
bski90 said:
Anyone have any idea why my aftermarket headunit does not turn on and off with power, but rather just its own power button? I've confirmed the wiring is correct.
Click to expand...
Only time I have seen this happen is when the yellow(constant 12+) from the headunit is hooked up to the Red (switched 12+) on the adapter harness. But if the wiring is correct it may be a programming issue in the new headunit. What's the make/model?
 
I was given a double din touchscreen for free (Pioneer AVH-Z5250BT) and I think I know why; touch screens absolutely suck for any car unless they have a) steering wheel controls and b) a knob for volume, station changes or list scrolling. They are straight up dangerous to use while driving for simple things like turning the volume up.

Not to turn down a freebie though I installed it anyway. The harness you need is listed above, I would also recommend the brackets that extend the USB to the front if your head unit only has it at the back. I used these, and the stock plastic face needed some hand filing to get it to fit nicely.
1644910385301.png


To solve the 'no tactile feedback' issue, I bought the IR remote control for my unit from ebay. It was like $20 and I can't live without it. It just sits in the little cup holder opposite the transfer case stick and I can switch songs, change volume, etc. without looking because it has REAL buttons haha. Problem solved, on the cheap too.

If you're going to faff about pulling your dash apart to install a double din head unit, I would recommend also running the RCA cables as well so you don't have to do it again in the future if you ever upgrade your speakers/install an amp. I did it all at once; I put an alpine 4 channel AMP behind the mid-seats (screwed into the hidden face of the cargo drawers) and spent an afternoon or two swearing my head off as I ran the audio cables to each of the doors. So glad I did, the sound is incredible even for an old cruiser and no subwoofer.

Also can't live without android auto, its so nice to have. Will flip to night mode and dim the screen when you turn on headlights too, thanks to that harness.

I'll grab a photo when im home next.
 
I put a Sony XAV205Db double din in mine & used aeropro harness's - very simple install. does the night mode diming when headlights turned on, CD (yeah im old school but have hundreds of cd's), digital radio (good in major cities only) apple carplay android etc and can run 3 cameras and has a remote which i havent really used. i mounted my reverse camera inside under the LED stoplight and works well from there.
 
fresnoLC said:
Only time I have seen this happen is when the yellow(constant 12+) from the headunit is hooked up to the Red (switched 12+) on the adapter harness. But if the wiring is correct it may be a programming issue in the new headunit. What's the make/model?
Click to expand...
Sorry for hi-jacking!

I will triple check the wiring when I have time, tho I am confident I did not mix up colors haha.

I have a Jensen MPR2110 using a Metra 70-1761 Receiver Wiring Harness.
 
Also, generic info you can google anywhere but probably nice to have in this thread for completeness sake: What all the coloured wires do on the conversion harness you buy to go from modern head unit to toyota wiring. Once you plug in the conversion harness, you can see what the colours convert into on the Toyota end. ie. from memory the orange/white which is used to detect whether or not headlights are on is actually a yellow cable on the toyota side. The conversion harness sorts it all out for you though.

1644981197403.png
 
Pascoscout said:
I've got an Alpine CDEw265BT which they don't sell new anymore. You can find used though on ebay. It's got modern features like bluetooth, USB and Ipod connectivity but is not touch screen (which I don't care for in these trucks) and allows you to adjust the lighting color to one that matches the factory green. I think it looks like it belongs... could just be me though.

View attachment 2666523
Click to expand...
Can you tell me where you found the temp sticker with the numbers? I've been searching all over and can't find those!

Thanks!
 
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