Pre-03 nav delete how-to (19 Viewers)

[Beto Cruiser]

Thanx for that info!

I am getting ready to do mine. Hoe much did you get for the old parts? Did you sell them here or Fleabay?

Listed here, but sold most on on eBay. Amp sold quick. I think around $200-300. Priced based on recently sold amps. The amp fits multiple lexus vehicles, which is probably why it sold quick. Sold a speaker here, but it wasn't for much. Main items are the amp, radio/nav unit, and bezel. The others won't fetch much, but it's worth listing to pay off the smaller items of the nav-delete.

 

[lesgarten]

Listed here, but sold most on on eBay. Amp sold quick. I think around $200-300. Priced based on recently sold amps. The amp fits multiple lexus vehicles, which is probably why it sold quick. Sold a speaker here, but it wasn't for much. Main items are the amp, radio/nav unit, and bezel. The others won't fetch much, but it's worth listing to pay off the smaller items of the nav-delete.

Thanx!

 

[1gr8FoSemty]

Does anyone have the LX and replaced the woodgrain bezel to match the rest of the trim? I have been trying to source a wood burl bezel the color of LX to fit LC manual, but no luck.

 

[primeral]

So I did the nav delete last December. I can't say enough about how helpful this thread was. Special shout outs to @TXSunDevil and @primeral for their detailed write ups. Extra thanks to TXSunDevil for answering my questions while I was working through it. Many thanks.

Glad I can help!

I'm actually redoing part of my setup because the Pyle sub I bought turned out to be a pyle of junk. I had bought a 10" sub thinking I'd be able to finesse it with a little trimming, but it's a job I'm not ready for so it's going back for a refund. What sub setup did you end up using, so I can be inspired? I'm in San Antonio, originally from Houston ... hope to run into you one of these days.

 

[primeral]

Does anyone have the LX and replaced the woodgrain bezel to match the rest of the trim? I have been trying to source a wood burl bezel the color of LX to fit LC manual, but no luck.

All black looks neat, but good luck with your search!

I'm actually looking for a RHD center bezel with the hazard and center diff switch on the right hand side, if anyone knows how to source one. The blank on the right hand is where I have my magnetic phone mount and I'd like my phone closer to me.

 

[Beto Cruiser]

Glad I can help!

I'm actually redoing part of my setup because the Pyle sub I bought turned out to be a pyle of junk. I had bought a 10" sub thinking I'd be able to finesse it with a little trimming, but it's a job I'm not ready for so it's going back for a refund. What sub setup did you end up using, so I can be inspired? I'm in San Antonio, originally from Houston ... hope to run into you one of these days.

I used @chogunn 's set up.

$140	Sound Ordnance B-8PTD Subwoofer	Sound Ordnance B-8PTD 125-watt compact powered subwoofer at Crutchfield
$75	Rockford Fosgate R165-S Front speakers	Rockford Fosgate R165-S Prime Series 6-1/2" component speaker system at Crutchfield
$40	Rockford Fosgate R14X2 Rear speakers	Rockford Fosgate R14X2 Prime Series 4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield

The sound quality isn't great. After reviewing some of @suprarx7nut 's posts, it seems that quality sound requires speakers in the ~$500 range, not the sub-$100 range like I am using. I am also using the head unit as an amp, so that could be one reason why my sound is not great.

One particular thing I found is that the OEM speakers have a more rich, bass-full sound than the Fosgate ones. The Fosgate sound cheap and have zero bass. And when I use the sub it doesn't have the rich bass that the old system had, it sounds cheap and sharp. It may be that I need to tune the system. I don't really know anything about sound systems....Maybe if you come to Houston you can show me haha.

 

[primeral]

One particular thing I found is that the OEM speakers have a more rich, bass-full sound than the Fosgate ones. The Fosgate sound cheap and have zero bass. And when I use the sub it doesn't have the rich bass that the old system had, it sounds cheap and sharp. It may be that I need to tune the system. I don't really know anything about sound systems....Maybe if you come to Houston you can show me haha.

Aftermarket systems have more potential, but easier to get wrong. I'm in the middle of my audio renovation so I hope to have something nice to show, but disclaimer I'm not a real audiophile

I just ordered two 6.5" Skar Audio subs and I still don't know how to get enough enclosure volume for them. I think I will need to relocate the spare tire tools and bottle jack.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I used @chogunn 's set up.

$140	Sound Ordnance B-8PTD Subwoofer	Sound Ordnance B-8PTD 125-watt compact powered subwoofer at Crutchfield
$75	Rockford Fosgate R165-S Front speakers	Rockford Fosgate R165-S Prime Series 6-1/2" component speaker system at Crutchfield
$40	Rockford Fosgate R14X2 Rear speakers	Rockford Fosgate R14X2 Prime Series 4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield

The sound quality isn't great. After reviewing some of @suprarx7nut 's posts, it seems that quality sound requires speakers in the ~$500 range, not the sub-$100 range like I am using. I am also using the head unit as an amp, so that could be one reason why my sound is not great.

One particular thing I found is that the OEM speakers have a more rich, bass-full sound than the Fosgate ones. The Fosgate sound cheap and have zero bass. And when I use the sub it doesn't have the rich bass that the old system had, it sounds cheap and sharp. It may be that I need to tune the system. I don't really know anything about sound systems....Maybe if you come to Houston you can show me haha.

The stuff that will make you go "oh my god, listen to that cymbal! And those vocals, it's like they're speaking in front of me!" is probably ~$400+, but you can still get the ~$100 stuff to sound decent.

The bass issue is typical of aftermarket speakers in an OEM situation. They'll normally be clearer than the ultra-cheap OEM stuff, but aftermarket speakers are not setup to provide the low bass that many factory speakers do. The factory speakers do it poorly, but they do fill in a bit more of the frequency range on the low end. The reason is generally because the aftermarket stuff assumes you will have a decent subwoofer if you care about sound quality in the low range. Doing a day's worth of sound treatment on the doors can make a big difference in low mid-bass or bass (I think that's what you're not hearing much of with the new speakers), but to get that 30~120hz range a proper subwoofer will make a world of difference. I can't comment on that Sound Ordinance thing. 125W is pretty low for a sub, but if the box is made right it might be ok. Better than nothing for sure!

Using the head unit as the amp should be fine, but I suppose it depends on which head unit you have. Some head units do have very little power (less than 20W per channel RMS is pretty weak). As with the subwoofer situation, most head units assume you'll use an exterior amp if you care about audio quality and volume.

 

[Beto Cruiser]

The stuff that will make you go "oh my god, listen to that cymbal! And those vocals, it's like they're speaking in front of me!" is probably ~$400+, but you can still get the ~$100 stuff to sound decent.

The bass issue is typical of aftermarket speakers in an OEM situation. They'll normally be clearer than the ultra-cheap OEM stuff, but aftermarket speakers are not setup to provide the low bass that many factory speakers do. The factory speakers do it poorly, but they do fill in a bit more of the frequency range on the low end. The reason is generally because the aftermarket stuff assumes you will have a decent subwoofer if you care about sound quality in the low range. Doing a day's worth of sound treatment on the doors can make a big difference in low mid-bass or bass (I think that's what you're not hearing much of with the new speakers), but to get that 30~120hz range a proper subwoofer will make a world of difference. I can't comment on that Sound Ordinance thing. 125W is pretty low for a sub, but if the box is made right it might be ok. Better than nothing for sure!

Using the head unit as the amp should be fine, but I suppose it depends on which head unit you have. Some head units do have very little power (less than 20W per channel RMS is pretty weak). As with the subwoofer situation, most head units assume you'll use an exterior amp if you care about audio quality and volume.

Yup, it's a 20 W per channel head unit! Fail..

 

[BuckWild]

Completed the swap yesterday. Thanks to all that have contributed to this in the past. The documents with what to order, the pinning diagrams, and the videos were a huge help. Going to do some cable management today and install the head unit. Thanks again!

 

[1gr8FoSemty]

Completed the swap yesterday. Thanks to all that have contributed to this in the past. The documents with what to order, the pinning diagrams, and the videos were a huge help. Going to do some cable management today and install the head unit. Thanks again!

View attachment 2329261

View attachment 2329262

Is the last wiring diagram with the arrows pointing to GRD connections to one you used? Starting this the weekend hopefully.

 

[BuckWild]

Is the last wiring diagram with the arrows pointing to GRD connections to one you used? Starting this the weekend hopefully.

I used the excel sheet linked earlier, but I think they are similar. You need to be careful of the grounds, because the excel version doesn't specifically call out all the attachments where the grounds are used (you have to make sure you see where the end points are shared). I believe the pdf with arrows you referenced fixes this though. I wanted to use the excel version so I could mark what was done as I completed it. Good luck and feel free to reach out with any questions.

 

[dsweeney]

First off, thanks to everyone for this thread. Incredible how much I have learned. I have an 02 cruiser with nav. I have a 3 knob control in the way and have a pretty good grasp on how to Wier that up.
My question is, if I just want to add a factory head unit, like the picture I have attached, would I simply unplug the antenna and current unit and plug it into this? I know I would need the mounting bracket, but was hoping this could be a simple fix until I was able to upgrade the stereo. Seller of the three knob threw this in with my a/c controls.

 

[BuckWild]

And here it is!

First off, thanks to everyone for this thread. Incredible how much I have learned. I have an 02 cruiser with nav. I have a 3 knob control in the way and have a pretty good grasp on how to Wier that up.
My question is, if I just want to add a factory head unit, like the picture I have attached, would I simply unplug the antenna and current unit and plug it into this? I know I would need the mounting bracket, but was hoping this could be a simple fix until I was able to upgrade the stereo. Seller of the three knob threw this in with my a/c controls.

View attachment 2330351

View attachment 2330352

I'm not sure, but before you do all the rewiring, you could pull the amp pigtail (see pwillards video), and try to plug it into the factory stereo to see if it needs a harness adaptor etc. You don't clip the amp harness during the retrofit, so if it works now, it will work when its done.

If this sounds incorrect, someone feel free to step in.

 

[1gr8FoSemty]

Has anyone hooked up one of these parking brake bypasses? I am currently working on my nav-delete and complete audio system replacement and bought this but have no clue what to wire to. Head unit is an Alpine ilx-w650.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Yes. I have one in both of my vehicles. Be sure to get the bypass that works for your vehicle. Wiring instructions should come with the package. Very easy

 

[1gr8FoSemty]

Yes. I have one in both of my vehicles. Be sure to get the bypass that works for your vehicle. Wiring instructions should come with the package. Very easy

The bypass that I got was specific to the head unit manufacturer only, not vehicle. There is a wire on the HU harness is highlighted in the pic.
I know, black to ground, blue to remote turn on, I assume Green to Yellow/Blue, but black/yellow on bypass says something like brake pedal.

 

[TXSunDevil]

I have installed two of them. Mine only had 3 wires. You can find a brake pedal wire in the kick rail but I do not know why it would be needed. I would leave the Yellow wire taped off.

 

[1gr8FoSemty]

I have installed two of them. Mine only had 3 wires. You can find a brake pedal wire in the kick rail but I do not know why it would be needed. I would leave the Yellow wire taped off.

Ok. I will tape it off. So, technically, the bypass only connects to the HU? Easy enough.

 

[brauski]

Aight guys, I finally crossed the finish line today. Thanks everyone for this amazing thread, and especially to @TXSunDevil and @BillZ260 for helping me with my troubleshooting. For those of you who were following along, I ended up rewiring the mag clutch wires, and cleaned the contacts on the controls. Pretty sure my controls just had bad contacts the whole time.

Here are my lessons learned:
1. "Cleaning" the HVAC controls isn't a soap and water or even air duster type deal. I initially decided mine were good after disassembling, as it looked brand new inside. However, it turns out these old controls have issues with oxidation/corrosion on the button contacts - causing them to be finicky. I would strongly recommend that you clean your secondhand controls prior to testing them. I used CAIG's Deoxit D100L with the needle tip and it worked wonders. I had no visible oxidation or corrosion from the start, but got 69% of my inop buttons back after one application, and a second application on two stubborn ones. They now all work. Some guy did a great writeup on FB on how to do it. If he hasn't posted it on MUD, I'm gonna get his permission and post that here so future guys can use it.
2. Don't remove ANY of your labels on the wires until you're 100% done and have checked every button. Even if you solder wire by wire like I did, not having labels to look back at seriously hampers your troubleshooting ability
3. I went with an Alpine ILX-w650 and a refurbished Kenwood X802-5. When I first installed them, I grounded the headunit to an extra ground wire on one of the old harnesses. That gave me a serious ground loop and lots of humming. In trouble shooting I realized that my battery to chassis cable was like 16ga, so my first move was to upgrade that. Got a premade 4ga cable from O'Reilly's for like $6.90 and slapped that bad boy on. Next did some research on why it happens. That drove me to take some 12ga wire and ground the headunit to the same chassis ground as the amp. Bam. Humming gone. Sanding down the paint where I ground it probably helped it be more conductive too.
4. When using the solder seals, I used the smallest sleeves possible to try and save room back there. Some of these connections were so tight that the wires only had room to be slid next to each other. That mostly worked fine. But I'd definitely recommend sizing up the sleeve if it allows you to wrap the wires around each other for a more solid connection. Also, I found my hot air rework station work great for melting the sleeves. Kinda like a nano-sized heat gun.
5. PowerProbes are lifechanging for electrical trouble shooting. If you plan on working on a lot of cars or doing electrical stuff in your future I can't recommend it enough.

Link to Deoxit: Amazon product ASIN B0000YH6F8