99 LX470 Aftermarket Stereo with Factory AMP replaced

[bryce470]

I recently replaced the factory Nakamichi Amp and Head unit for a 99 LX470 with the Nakamichi sound system. There are so many long threads and dead ends or don't replace the AMP. Hopefully this helps someone.

New Setup:
Alpine Alpine iLX-W650 ($320 goes for $430 now) - Head unit with CarPlay. So far I like it.
Soundstream PN5.640D ($170) - a nice inexpensive 5 channel amp. Ample power and fits with little modification where stock amp sits.
Panel Mount USB ($9) - It doesn't break the connection CarPlay so it's a winner.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078LRSZDB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
OEM Apple USB cable - Other USB cable wouldn't work with car play.
MicroBypass ($15) ESSENTIAL. Parking Brake Override Bypass for Alpine so you can use all features while driving. Makes for a useful front camera. Also, lets you avoid connecting up the parking brake and reverse which is huge.
Kicker CS Series 6-1/2" ($50 open box) - These sound way better than stock. They carry a lot more detail. With the seats out I was able to AB test them with head unit.
8AWG Wire Kit ($80) for new power cable to amp. The wire seems to be of good quality with good insulation. I didn't use the RCA that came with but used the remote wire.
Skar Audio EVL-65 ($60) Replacement subwoofer. I kept the box stock. It can handle the power the new amp throws at it. It went in stock position with a little modification.
KILMAT 80 mil ($60) Not sure I'd recommend or would recommend just buying enough for the doors. The LX470 has decent sound deadening stock. Without measurements or doing a side by side comparison I couldn't tell you if it did anything.
RCA Cables 10' x 3 ($45)
Metra 70-8112 DO NOT BUY. This doesn't work with the Nakamichi sound system.
Double 2 Din Radio Install Mount Dash Kit Satin Black Fits LEXUS LX470 1998-2002 ($20) from ebay seller autoware302 - Highly recommend
eRapta ERT11 Backup Camera ($38)- good enough camera. I'm not of fan of the license plate placement. When reversing at night its useless because of the glare from the reverse lights or license plate lights.
RAAYOO L002 (20) - Front mount camera. The camera is very inconspicuous. I have it low on the front bumper. I figure it could act as a spotter. I haven't used it for that yet.
All In cost is around $1000.

Resources Used:
TLC FAQ - Stereo Wiring Land Cruiser / LX470 (1998-2002) Essential wiring information
Flawless Fitment (archive) - The images were useful. I had a difficult time finding which wires needed altering at the amp. The AUX power and BATT power need to be bypassed.
ih8mud post LX470 Stereo Upgrade with Nakamichi - Head unit change only post, still helpful for stereo wiring.
Youtube Video This was very helpful overview


Things I wish I had:
Cable Tracker ($27)I wanted to get the reverse trigger from the center console. I saw a post on getting that wire on a post and spent hours trying to find it again. I would have been way better off just going to Harbor Freight and picking this up.
I wish I had any crimper and quality butt connectors. I soldered and shrink wrapped all connections and it took forever.


Things I wish I knew/did:
Check the battery condition before starting. Go to you parts store and get it tested.
Check the current draw before starting. It's crucial to know if you have a short or not.
Know that the vehicle when off will draw a lot of current at first. All doors have to be closed for the ECU to go to sleep. Sleep happens like 30 minutes after everything is off.

My battery was on it's way out before I started the project. One night that I was working on the stereo I left the lights on and drained the battery. After that the battery was toast, as in it never put out the right voltage again. This led me to rechecking and rechecking the wiring when the audio would skip. Then I was sure I had a short somewhere because the battery would be dead if I left the car on for a short period of time. I didn't know that a high current was expected when hooking up the battery and it drops off over a while when the ECU goes to sleep. This wasted may hours.

Wiring:
This is the part exclusive to the Nakamichi sound system
To bypass the amp the AUX power and BATT power need to be bypassed (maybe you can use the Batt+ wire instead of bypassing?)
To bypass the AUX power, on the orange connector, clip and connect the two gray wires.
To bypass the BATT power, on the orange connector, clip and connect the Blue/Yellow wire with the White wire

Power to new AMP:
I went from the battery terminal around to the passenger side, through the boot, past the ECU behind the glovebox.

AMP mount modifications:
I pulled the amp mount and made a few tweaks. This amp is longer than the stock amp. I flattened out the ends and cut one end off.

I'll post more later.

 

[jay3253]

Great write up thank you.

 

[Africaster]

You’re the man Bryce … can’t wait for the rest of the pics and details … this will be my B/Day present to myself!

 

[Agent T]

Awesome write up. Can you post a picture of the Alpine iLX-650 mounted in the dash with the double din trim kit you purchased? I have the entire interior removed from my 2000 LX470 and I'm thinking now would be a good time to upgrade.

 

[bryce470]

Agent T, here is a photo of it mounted. I'd recommend getting some thin weather stripping and glueing it around the deck. The trim kit leaves a gap.

I didn't stick the weather stripping down enough on the left side so you can see the gap better there.

Also the weather stripping helps push the trim piece against the center console. I tried gluing the trim piece to the center console but it didn't hold.

 

[manik1770]

Thanks for letting me know the Skar fits in the stock sub location - I used two of them in my 1st Gen Tacoma and really liked them for the price. Going to upgrade my HU soon as well, appreciate the write up.

 

[bryce470]

I had to mod where the speaker cover with a Dremmel. I get rattle too with it when I turn the volume up and I'm not sure where it's coming from. There are still a few things I need to fix with it. You can see the piece I cut in the picture. It includes a mount for the cloth cover.

 

[Dagtwo]

I had to mod where the speaker cover with a Dremmel. I get rattle too with it when I turn the volume up and I'm not sure where it's coming from. There are still a few things I need to fix with it. You can see the piece I cut in the picture. It includes a mount for the cloth cover.

View attachment 2883297

I can't really tell from the picture, but did you cut down the supports on the grill itself? I put in the same speaker. Flush mounted on the box so it sticks out a bit more from stock. I didn't have to cut any of the "gray" part of the grill cover. I did trim down the reinforcements on the "black" part of the the grill cover. used a piece of 3/16" stock and a dremel multimax with a flat blade. laid the stock against the grill and trimmed down those supports. No rattle. Maybe the speaker excursion is hitting that and causing the rattle in yours?

 

[bryce470]

Thanks for the tip and good to know you don't have to cut through. If you zoom in on the photo you could see where the plastic is chewed up from cutting. In this photo I didn't remove the cut piece yet.

 

[Agent T]

Agent T, here is a photo of it mounted. I'd recommend getting some thin weather stripping and glueing it around the deck. The trim kit leaves a gap.

I didn't stick the weather stripping down enough on the left side so you can see the gap better there.

Also the weather stripping helps push the trim piece against the center console. I tried gluing the trim piece to the center console but it didn't hold

Hey Bryce470. Thanks for the photos. I've purchased the same Alpine iLX-W650 head unit and will start the install this weekend. I'm going to retain the stock speakers and amp as the Nakamichi is plenty sound for me. I had a Kenwood unit using the same factory Nakamichi amp set-up in a 1999 LX470 and it worked good. Just need to get RCA to Speaker Wire adaptors and tap the speaker wires

I also found a similar but somewhat different trim piece on Amazon. I'll let you know how it works out. Amazon product ASIN B08XQK4PFN
One question, did you install a diode on the reverse signal tap? I see TLC FAX is recommended on this connection to prevent current feedback from your head unit to the ECU. I'm thinking "no" as you installed the MicroBypass unit. It that's case, does the unit still automatically activate the back-up camera when in reverse?

Thank you again for such a great resource. Your write up is very complete, but if you have any final thoughts, I'll take all the tips I can get.

 

[bryce470]

I made an error in my original post and wish I could edit it out. MycroBybass doesn't bypass the reverse trigger. I don't think it even connects to the reverse wire at all. Only the parking brake wire is bypassed which was super nice. I didn't read the instructions and searched for that wire for hours on forum and trying to chase the wire.. For the reverse trigger I tapped in the driver kick panel. I wish I had that harbor freight wire finder so I could have tapped into a wire in the center console instead. I didn't like the way I routed that wire under the dash.

I didn't install a diode on the reverse signal tap. It seems to be working fine without it.

 

[YezusLX]

Does anyone with this Alpine unit have condensation trapped inside the screen? I find that most mornings if humidity is high that I see this 2" by 3" round condensation circle in the center of my screen. No other condensation is found inside the vehicle. Also, OP how do you like the sound deadening? Any improvement thus far?

 

[777300er]

Hey Bryce470. Thanks for the photos. I've purchased the same Alpine iLX-W650 head unit and will start the install this weekend. I'm going to retain the stock speakers and amp as the Nakamichi is plenty sound for me. I had a Kenwood unit using the same factory Nakamichi amp set-up in a 1999 LX470 and it worked good. Just need to get RCA to Speaker Wire adaptors and tap the speaker wires

I also found a similar but somewhat different trim piece on Amazon. I'll let you know how it works out. Amazon product ASIN B08XQK4PFN
One question, did you install a diode on the reverse signal tap? I see TLC FAX is recommended on this connection to prevent current feedback from your head unit to the ECU. I'm thinking "no" as you installed the MicroBypass unit. It that's case, does the unit still automatically activate the back-up camera when in reverse?

Thank you again for such a great resource. Your write up is very complete, but if you have any final thoughts, I'll take all the tips I can get.

I have used that trim panel, just glue it to the main radio bezel. I used epoxy, just make sure you get it centered and then modify the position of your radio to fit.

 

[bryce470]

YezusLX, I don't how much the sound deadening made much of a difference. I think doing the doors had to do something, other than the back of the plastic panel there wasn't much there. They say the 80/20 rule works for this where 20% of area sound deadened for 80% of the effect and most of the LX has some sort of sound deadening on it. If it doesn't fit the budget, I'd leave it out. I figured I'd do if I already had the panels and carpet off. It wasn't a night and day difference before and probably would be money better spent on higher quality speakers.

777300er, thanks for the tip. I have a big gap on one side, I didn't think about adjusting the mount to center. Did the epoxy bleed through small gap between the bezel and trim?