Montero SR head unit?

[meelaud]

so i replaced all the cracked/blown speakers in my montero a few weeks ago. I couldn't find 6 ohm replacement speakers that didn't cost an arm and a leg, so i just went with 4 ohm all the way around - thinking that the stock head unit would handle it without issue. And it did - for about 5 days. Then all of a sudden, no sound what so ever. i checked the connections for all the speakers - all were intact. i pulled the #2 fuse for "radio" and it was still good. The head unit still turns on and functions - but there is no sound at all - not even static.

This led me to believe that i blew the amp on the head unit.

i noticed that a double DIN won't fit (oddly), so i ordered a single DIN with a mounting kit and vehicle specific wiring harness.

this seems like a pretty straight forward job, but i heard there's an issue with the illumination wire (apparently when you turn on the lights, the dash lights won't illuminate). does anyone have a remedy for this?

 

[off-roader]

Sure a double din fits. IIRC cap510 has/had one in his.

 

[meelaud]

crutchfield tricked me! oh well, i'll make do with a single DIN.

 

[eurosonic]

double din fits fine. I just installed a aftermarket head unit in mine. No problems with lights or anything.

 

[redbugz007]

double din fits fine. I just installed a aftermarket head unit in mine. No problems with lights or anything.

Can you post any pictures of the new Kenwood head-unit?

 

[meelaud]

double din fits fine. I just installed a aftermarket head unit in mine. No problems with lights or anything.

Which wiring harness did you use? did you have any unused wires?

 

[eurosonic]

Install was very easy. I only hooked up the black ground wire, red power wire, orange constant. I didn't have illumination wire in my deck do didn't hook that up. As far as speaker wires, I by passed the factory amp and tapped into the circuit by the rear right passenger footwell. The system cost me under $150 and sounds absolutely amazing.

 

[eurosonic]

check out my build thread for some more pics.

 

[nwoods]

Does the SR have a seperate amp in the tub/well behind the right rear passenger like the Gen 2.5 does?

Also, I thought the factory Infinity system was 2 ohm, not 6. I was told by the stereo shop that running 4 ohm speakers will cut your effective amp output by half, but otherwise no negative effects?

 

[meelaud]

Hmm not sure what impedance the stock head unit pumps out. the speakers in the door are 6 ohm, the ones in the dash are 12 ohm. i don't recall what the rears were.

i ran into a hiccup while installing the new head unit. apparently i got the wrong dash kit sent to me from ebay, so i just replaced the blown 15a fuse in the back of the stock head unit until i get the correct mounting kit. to be honest, im thinking about just keeping the stock head unit in. i just like the aesthetics a lot more than an aftermarket unit. im also hesitant having an aftermarket head unit on the montero since i park it on the street (too tall to fit in my garage), live within walking distance to a bar and have no window tint. seems like a bad recipe to me.


edit: one of the front dash speakers did in fact have a loose connection which i found when i was tinkering with the head unit yesterday- which may have blown the amp fuse. if i go a week without the fuse blowing again, ill just keep the stock system in and not turn it up to 11

also it doesn't seem like crutchfield's t/s knows much about our vehicles - they were saying that there are no fuses on the head unit and that fuse 4 (transmission) and 20 (spare fuses?) in the cabin were all for the stereo.

 

[All-Terrain]

Anyone have a pin-out for the stock head unit on a '97 SR? I want to order a new head unit and keep the wiring as stock as possible.

 

[off-roader]

Just buy an adapter. They should be available. I did when i got my deck.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Just buy an adapter. They should be available. I did when i got my deck.

What he said. Easiest and cleanest way to go!

 

[All-Terrain]

Just buy an adapter. They should be available. I did when i got my deck.

Sure... Crutchfield provides some sort of wiring harness with the head unit, but it looks pretty generic. Did you guys just cut the stock head unit plug off and attach the new wiring harness, matching colored wires to the same colors on the stock harness?

 

[off-roader]

No cutting of the OEM plug. You plug the harness into that plug then solder the wires to the new deck's plug wires.