Ok guys, I need some input please. I just got my vert back from the shop and my stereo is out and I think my mechanic totally screw up my stereo wiring harness. I want to put in an aftermarket unit and re-run the wires for the whole setup to ditch the factory speaker amps and put some 6x9 behind my seats. How difficult is the job? Do I just have to run new speaker wires from all four speakers, wire from battery for power and connect the power antanna? Or should I just take it into a shop and have them do it? Thanks.

 

I do what you are talking about for a living, some people are inclined enough to do it and some just think they are, ive gotten other people headaches many times because they thought they could, just make sure you know what you are doing and its never as simple as you might think.

 

Depends how much you know... It isn't that hard, I installed my whole system myself. Just if you do it yourself, take the time to hide the wires nice. The less wires you see the better.

 

I have installed stereo and speakers on other cars before, but they were very straight forward. The only thing I had to do was take the stereo/speakers out and plug in the wire harness. How hard is it to run new wires and not use any of the stock harness? Can anyone give me some idea of the work involved? Also for those professionals out there, can you give me a rough estimate on the time and $$ it'll cost me to get it done at a shop. I'm just looking to get a average system so I have music while I'm on the road. Thanks.

 

Hm, not using the harness. I originally bought a harness, but as I updated my stereo, I cut more of it away (to make more room for two head units--one's an EQ)... so now I have no wiring harness. Basically, the purpose of the wiring harness for me was to show me what wires were which... You can find the twelve volt supply with a voltage tester. There is no ground, so lead a ground wire from a place in the frame to the stereo. The RX audio compartment has an ignition wire, so hook that up too. Then if you want to bypass all your speak wires (which I suggest doing, since your stock RX speaker wires run through some really cruddy stock amps that are buried in the car), you simply get four pairs of speaker wire and solder them to the speaker wiring on the back of the stereo, then lead it wherever you want in the car. Hide that wiring nicely, and it will seem as if you just plug and played your stereo, when in fact you really didn't. Haynes manual has a diagram of the wiring for these car stereos, and you can find the manual at most autoshops. Or have them order it.

Another solution for bypassing the stock speaker wire is to do what I did. I installed a head unit, then also an EQ. The EQ has three pairs of RCAs that go out to three amps. Front, Rear, and subs. Hide those RCAs and trail them to where you want to put your amps. Then run speaker wire from the amps to your speakers, and hide that wire too.

If you want to include an amp on your stereo, that is, any amp, do the following (I'm assuming you may consider a subwoofer amp here, most people supplement a CD head with one of these): Pass a power wire from the positive terminal of your battery through the engine wiring harness on the driver's side of the firewall, and lead it back to where you're decided to keep your amp (Storage compartments, hatch, etc). Lead a pair of RCAs from your CD head to the amp as well. Then run a conceiled ground wire from the amp to the frame of our lovely RX-7. (In this car, you'll find lots of "stock grounds", where wires are bolted to the frame. Just unbolt anyone of those, and slide your ground along side the stock ground with an eye terminal, and screw the bolt back on). Now, run your speaker wire from the amp to your sub. If you have two subs, you can do a mono bridge or stereo set up, if you have four, you can do a mono bridge or a stereo bridge. Uh. What else. You want to add a fuse here and there on any amp power wire. You want to make sure your ground wire is as big or bigger than your power wire.

Oh god, that is windy.

 

When I worked in shops, we charged $50 an hour unless we were fixing your mistakes... then it went to $75 an hour with a 2 hour min.

So in other words if you are not the type to do all your own oil/plugs/gear lube/filter changes then I might try it. But if you are the type that doesn't normally work on your car... save your money and take it to a pro

 

Most shops in my area pretty much do free installation when you buy their head units, amps, speakers etc. I would get a good head unit and ask for a free installation that includes changing the wires for a small fee. Do go to a competent shop though. The shop that I went to cross wired my speakers so they were out of phase. I took it back to another guy and they found the problem and fixed it. He even put some baffles on the speakers. So, the installer does make a big difference. If you know what you are doing, it's always better to do it on your own to ensure the job is done right. Crutchfield is a great place to find out what fits and what doesn't if you want to do it yourself.

 

Thanks guys for all the replies. I think I'm going to drop by a couple of shops in town and get some estimates and compare it to how how it would cost me if I get the stuff from Crutchfield and do it myself. If it's not that much differences, I'm going to just have a shop do it. I love working on my car and I'm sure I can do it myself, but it might take me all weekend.

 

You get what you pay for...Free installation is worth exactly that much

 

Icemark, that's true but sometimes you get lucky. The moron that first touched my car didn't know how to even wire speakers. I am surprised that he got the door panels off. The second guy knows his snietz. He had good ears too. He balanced the sound by putting baffle on some of the speakers. Both work for the same company but different stores.

Rotarymaz, if you decide to have someone do the work, check out what type of work they are doing and ask the manager how long he's been at the store. Some shops are really messed up and sometimes even give you used/refurbished parts. I got a Clarion CD changer in my Buick and it broke in 8 months bc it was a used one I suspect. Warranty covered it and the store guy told me it was new. Didn't look like it was new when first installed. That was only $200 installed so I didn't expect much.

Bottom line, price isn't everything so do consider experience and skill when shopping around.

 

Im in the car stereo biz myself, have been for over 12 years. And I know exactly what you mean... Remember if you wanna DIY then do it, if you dont have a clue or not absolutely sure. Then let someone else do it, remember most shops (including mine) WILL charge you more to get in there and decipher just what the hell you have done. Its easier to start from a car that hasnt been modified, cuz that way we know exactly what to do, and there wont be what does this do and what does that do stuff. Personally when I get one that someone has worked on, I rip it all out and do it my way, that way IF it comes back with problems, I know where to look and what to do Good luck

 

Well, the reason why my stereo doesn't work is because when I did the turbo conversion, we put in the wiring harness from a 88 Turbo. The stereo harness for my 91 vert and the 88 turbo are different. So, the guy that did the wiring never hooked the stereo up.

Will this be a problem when I take it to a shop? I know if I get the 88 harness from Crutchfield, it'll be straight forward, plug and play.(well, not actually) But I'm just not sure on the rewiring of the speakers and amps.

 

Hey rotarymaz,

Consider this,

Proper installation is crucial to achieve soundstage width, depth, and good imaging. Even the most expensive components poory installed , will sound like ****.

Conversely, reasonably priced components, properly selected for your car, installed correctly, will sound awesome.

Listen to the guys on this site that do this for a living.

You DO get what you pay for, especially in car audio.

Good luck,

Gregg