Amp/nav/climate confusion

[MACKSDAD]

Alright so I know there’s a few threads about this but it’s just confusing me more. None of the speakers in my Lc work so I’m assuming the amp took a s*** and everything in reading is sounding like if I put a new aftermarket one it will mess up the climate control systems. What is there to know before attempting to swap a new amp in ? Do I need some special wiring harness? My head unit is fine so I wanted to keep the original but until I change the amp no music for me only done basic installs of audio systems so this whole thing is scaring me . Any words of advise?

 

[JunkCrzr89]

What model year?

 

[MACKSDAD]

What model year?

2001 landcruiser

 

[JunkCrzr89]

2001 landcruiser

Your concerns over the climate control stuff don’t apply to your Cruiser. If I recall correctly, that stuff is only a concern for 2003-2007 model years.

 

[MACKSDAD]

Your concerns over the climate control stuff don’t apply to your Cruiser. If I recall correctly, that stuff is only a concern for 2003-2007 model years.

Thankyou!

 

[kgrove]

Alright so I know there’s a few threads about this but it’s just confusing me more. None of the speakers in my Lc work so I’m assuming the amp took a s*** and everything in reading is sounding like if I put a new aftermarket one it will mess up the climate control systems. What is there to know before attempting to swap a new amp in ? Do I need some special wiring harness? My head unit is fine so I wanted to keep the original but until I change the amp no music for me only done basic installs of audio systems so this whole thing is scaring me . Any words of advise?

Navigation system or non-nav 2001? Non nav cars have a standard double din size stereo in the dash that connects to an amp under the passenger seat, and from there wires go to all 4 speakers and the sub. No sound could be either no signal from your head unit or a bad amp. Nav equipped units are trickier as the nav system is integrated with the stereo and some other controls. It still has an amp under the passenger seat, but also has the nav system cd or dvd there too.

 

[MACKSDAD]

Navigation system or non-nav 2001? Non nav cars have a standard double din size stereo in the dash that connects to an amp under the passenger seat, and from there wires go to all 4 speakers and the sub. No sound could be either no signal from your head unit or a bad amp. Nav equipped units are trickier as the nav system is integrated with the stereo and some other controls. It still has an amp under the passenger seat, but also has the nav system cd or dvd there too.

Navigation system or non-nav 2001? Non nav cars have a standard double din size stereo in the dash that connects to an amp under the passenger seat, and from there wires go to all 4 speakers and the sub. No sound could be either no signal from your head unit or a bad amp. Nav equipped units are trickier as the nav system is integrated with the stereo and some other controls. It still has an amp under the passenger seat, but also has the nav system cd or dvd there too.

I have a jvc head unit and what looks like a little DVD player under the seat. It has navigation controls I think but the climate controls are below the head unit separately. From what I’ve heard the amp works the climate control, if that’s the case and mine still works the only things that were not operating were the speakers and the backup cam. Could it be something other than a bad amp?

 

[kgrove]

Does this look like your dash? If so, the top 2/3 of the center stack is a single unit that is the nav system, stereo head unit, and climate controls. Below that are some other buttons for defrost wires and rear ac.

Is this your dash? If so, then you have a non-nav LC where the top of the center stack is a standard size double din head unit and the lower half is the climate controls, plus a few other pieces like defrosters and a button to turn on/off the rear ac system.

If you've read some of the stereo and nav conversion threads, it's possible you're getting confused on some of the terminology as there is a part in the climate control system called an amp that is integrated in with the dashboard control panel, but it is not a sound amplifier and has no relationship to the stereo. Both the nav and non-nav LCs have a stereo / sound amplifier under the passenger seat (smallish silver box a little more than double the size of a pack of cigarettes) that receives sound signals from the head unit and output to the speaker wire harness. The nav equipped LCs also have a larger black box that is the nav system itself.

If you're getting no sound, it could either be your amp is bad or your amp is functioning but your head unit is not sending a signal to the amp. Theoretically they could both be working, but all your speakers have cut wires... very unlikely unless the wire harness near the amp was pulled out or cut.

 

[MACKSDAD]

Does this look like your dash? If so, the top 2/3 of the center stack is a single unit that is the nav system, stereo head unit, and climate controls. Below that are some other buttons for defrost wires and rear ac.
View attachment 2547369

Is this your dash? If so, then you have a non-nav LC where the top of the center stack is a standard size double din head unit and the lower half is the climate controls, plus a few other pieces like defrosters and a button to turn on/off the rear ac system.
View attachment 2547370

If you've read some of the stereo and nav conversion threads, it's possible you're getting confused on some of the terminology as there is a part in the climate control system called an amp that is integrated in with the dashboard control panel, but it is not a sound amplifier and has no relationship to the stereo. Both the nav and non-nav LCs have a stereo / sound amplifier under the passenger seat (smallish silver box a little more than double the size of a pack of cigarettes) that receives sound signals from the head unit and output to the speaker wire harness. The nav equipped LCs also have a larger black box that is the nav system itself.

If you're getting no sound, it could either be your amp is bad or your amp is functioning but your head unit is not sending a signal to the amp. Theoretically they could both be working, but all your speakers have cut wires... very unlikely unless the wire harness near the amp was pulled out or cut.

Thankyou for clarifying this! I have been so lost. I have the second one (non nav) so could I theoretically put any sound amplifier in the lc? Correct? And are there any other reasons that it might have issues I saw some people having issues with a fuse under passenger dash?

 

[MACKSDAD]

Thankyou for clarifying this! I have been so lost. I have the second one (non nav) so could I theoretically put any sound amplifier in the lc? Correct? And are there any other reasons that it might have issues I saw some people having issues with a fuse under passenger

Also is it possible for me to swap any head unit in aswell?

 

[fblainen11]

If you have the second photo without navigation congratulations, you can fairly easily customize your amp and your head unit with relative ease, similar to any double din aftermarket upgrade on any other vehicle out there.

 

[kgrove]

Thankyou for clarifying this! I have been so lost. I have the second one (non nav) so could I theoretically put any sound amplifier in the lc? Correct? And are there any other reasons that it might have issues I saw some people having issues with a fuse under passenger dash?

You're lucky - non-nav cars are much easier to work with and upgrade. Check fuses first for sure. It could either be a fuse for the amp or a fuse for the head unit (unless they share one - not sure). Of course if it is a fuse, the natural question is why did the fuse blow?

Assuming your fuses are all OK, you'd then have to figure out whether the failure is your head unit or your amp. Maybe there's an easier way, but I'd imagine it would be accessing the wire harnesses at the amplifier and testing the wires coming into the amp and out of the amp while the stereo is on to see which side is failing. If there is no signal reaching the amp, the failure point is likely your head unit (could also be the wires between your head unit and amp are cut). If there is a signal reaching the amp but none leaving the amp, the failure point is your amp. If all of those test ok, it would likely mean the wire harness from the amp leading towards you speakers is cut (since it's unlikely every speaker failed simultaneously). I'm sure a good stereo installer could help you figure this out if this sounds like greek to you.

The most desirable solution is to take the opportunity to upgrade the whole system - new head unit, new speakers, and maybe a new amplifier (you could instead use the head unit's amplifier - perfectly fine for many people). If you can do the work yourself, you could do a CarPlay / Android capable head unit (hands free calling, google maps, Spotify, etc), 4 new speakers, plus a few of the little bits and bobs needed to make all the connections for maybe $6-700ish. If you want to go a little further and have a separate amp, add maybe $200 in parts and it's a bit more complex installation. You can also add a backup camera for another $150 and yet another bump on the difficulty level due to the number of interior panels you need to remove and the requirement to find and tap reverse and power wires. If you have a stereo installer do the work for you, maybe double all those costs. If you're not into CarPlay and improved sound, etc you can get a much more basic stereo and keep the factory speakers for maybe $150 in parts and about the same in installation labor. These are all just ballpark numbers, especially my guesses on installation.