Converting LX450 6 disc changer input to auxiliary port for ipod?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

C

Conundrum

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Aug 4, 2009
Threads
21
Messages
238
Location
Boise, Idaho
TOY-AUX2 | TSS-Radio

Saw this from google but it says only 1998+. Mine is a '97. I like the stock look of the dash and will probably never play CDs in my car. Is there an adapter that will allow me to plug my ipod into the disc changer input?

I know I could put a Scion unit in but not really wanting to.
 
I saw one on ebay a while back that someone had put an aux. port on. Not sure how they did it, but it can be done.
 
There's a way to disconnect your stock changer and run an iPod hookup. My buddy has it in his GS300. He said it was real easy to do. Search on the Lexus forums that's where he found it.
 
thats for the 100 series

The connectors and wiring on the LX450 and the Toyota are different

Many of us installed radios from a SCION and modified the wiring per this thread. Note that the SCION Radio will plug directly into the Toyota LC with no modifications

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/218369-how-i-installed-scion-1808-hu-into-my-lx-450-a.html

You can find some with ipod interfaces allready or add one like I did. You can get a SCION radio for around $50 used and its a far superior unit to the current stock radio. The one I got holds 6 CDs that can be MP3's. Thats a tremendous amount of music right there
 
Yeah, saw that link was for a 100 (98+) and don't want to put a Scion radio in. I was asking if anyone has seen something similar for a 450.

I'm not an audiophile so don't really care about volume or quality that much so stock is fine.

Hoping someone had an easy way to use the changer input. I'll check some Lexus forums. If I don't find a solution, I'll keep truckin' with my FM transmitter/charger for my iPod.
 
When I had the stock radio, the cassette adapter was much better than the FM transmitter for sound. Think they are about $15 at Radio Shack
 
So it's time to revive an old thread. For many years I have been happily using the LX450 CD changer. There was a random CD inside and the audio cables going to the head unit were cut and my phone was used as the audio source. Simple and reliable fix.

Unfortunately my kids (one is 3 y.o.) were playing (probably pushing with their feet) with the changer and it no longer loads the CD cartridge. So the head unit doesn't want to switch to CD mode and I simply cannot use my phone any more.

Is there a way to cheat the HU so that it thinks there is a CD inside the changer? is there a simple cable which needs to be powered or not? The changer is already out if the truck and I simply woule like to know which cables I should short to make it work. Many, many thanks :-)
 
Yes, I know this thing. But the fact that I want to keep the stock head unit doesn't mean that I am deaf. I don't like the quality of those cassette adapters, not to mention the fact that I have some cables dangling from the front of the unit. I would rather prefer to hack the head unit to changer communication method.
 
Contact John at factoryradioservice AT gmail DOT com
While I don't see the LX450 radio on his website (factoryradioservice DOT com), he does this modification on so many models, I have a feeling it wouldn't be beyond him to do the mod on our radios.

I had the mod performed on the factory radio on my '94 LS400, and now use it with a Kinovo Bluetooth adapter for cable-free connection to my iPhone. Works great!
 
thread revival.. again.

Anyone figured this out? specifically how to make it all come together with a non-functioning cd changer?

hooking up the audio part seems easy enough, but tricking the head unit into thinking the cd changer is obeying commands/communicating seems like the tough part.
 
Have a look at this thread, although it is for an IPhone. I got my iPad to work functionally, but there was an issue with volume control. Had to have the volume knob on the head unit cranked just to get moderate sound.

Adding Iphone to OE Stereo
 
Interesting.. thanks for the info.

Sounds like you need a functioning cd changer for it to work though.. I can't help but think the communication between the head unit and changer is really simple

Since I haven't owned a cassette tape in about 20 years at this point I'm considering hacking an AUX cable into the audio output for the tape player internal to the head unit. Ive read about this being done in other stock head units and it seems really simple.. aside from figuring out which wires are the audio out.

Will try to keep this thread posted with what I come up with.
 
Yes, keep us posted. I have been using a tape adapter for a few years now, and mine is finished.
 
This may not be of much help, but.... I would find where the changer connects to first... if it's the amp, then that could be easier to manipulate. My guess is that it's in the back of the deck itself....

I know when I modified the radio in my old IS300 I was able to open the amp and solder directly into the pre-outs and provide my own preouts. With that radio (a 2004) there was a lot more entailed to get a AUX to work. You may want to Google that mod (I believe it required a certain switch) but it hijacked the tape signal instead....

With that said, for about $100 I put in a double dexk Pioneer stereo with cd, aux, bluetooth (dual, will also run iPhone and/or droid... which is what we have it do now) microphone and more. I litteraly get in the vehicle and will play via any app I want. Even has a separate Pandora control. It was a direct fit without the need of trim pieces. It also can have the back light colors changed to anything you want to get that stock look. Is it stock? Absolutely not. But the Toyota cd deck is in a box and I can throw in the vehicle if I ever plan to sell.
 
The cd changer communicates with the head unit directly.. there is a ground and two wires specifically for communication/control.. I'm assuming start, stop, disc selection, etc. the audio signal is sent over 4 separate wires.

Aftermarket stereo cons:
having a neon carnival ride installed in your dash
usually not as high-quality/durable as factory
a screen big enough for legit ipod control and list display usually isn't removable (theft)
said stereo with a large screen is also usually very expensive
theft
on an LX having to rewire everything due to amp control/unique LX wiring

I bought the parts I'll need to hijack the tape deck in the factory unit for $4 on amazon. Fortunately I can solder. it'll look and sound factory aside from a 3.5mm headphone cable coming out of the console. Looks like googling the markings on any chips will help me find the preamp chip and find a data sheet to tell me where to solder the three wires from the headphone cable. Clip the wires from the tape head, and I haven't tested yet but possibly clip the tape reel motor wires so it doesn't make any noise (some tape decks need both hubs spinning to operate)

This is loosely what I plan to try out:
Boom Box Aux In Mod

Will be a couple weeks before I get it figured out..
 
Is there any reason you cannot just solder the R+/R-/L+/L- coming from the cd changer directly to rca's or a 3.5 mm jack? This is assuming that the CD changer is operational of course.

Thats what I planned on trying when the time came.
 
Turbophil did a write up about a year ago. You have to give a voltage signal back to the head unit for it to think the cd changer is working properly
 
cjmoon said:
Turbophil did a write up about a year ago. You have to give a voltage signal back to the head unit for it to think the cd changer is working properly
Click to expand...

My cd changer is working properly. I just want to hijack the audio from the changer to the headunit and replace with a 3.5mm aux.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom