2002 Stereo install question

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WallyWest

New member
For the front speakers I have those two little tweeters mounted up on the door frame, with the main speakers down below in the usual place. And two in the rear doors as well.

So, for those who have replaced the stock stereo, is this a four channel or six channel system? I'm assuming the front speakers with that tweeter sitting up high on the door is actually a single speaker. They just relocated the tweeter, but it's a single channel as far as the head unit is concerned.

But I don't want to order a new head unit and then find out I need six channels.

Thanks.
 
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It's a 4 channel system. The front tweeters are on the same circuit as the front speakers.
You'll only need to worry about that if your running an amp. All car head units come with 4 speaker wires from the deck harness.

If your running an amp just make sure the head unit you buy has both front and rear RCA hookups.
 
If you haven't already, look a Crutchfield.com

I just bought a stereo for my daughter's car, and it came with a free wire harness for her specific car -- in this case a Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix. It was complete plug & play. ... not a single factory wire needed to be cut for the install.

It also came with a free mounting plate for her specific car, and very detailed instructions with great photos.
 
Also keep in mind that you'll have to yank your factory amp too. It's located down towards the ground behind the stereo. You can follow the factory harness to it.
 
Hepar said:
Also keep in mind that you'll have to yank your factory amp too. It's located down towards the ground behind the stereo. You can follow the factory harness to it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, good to know.

tvpierce said:
If you haven't already, look a Crutchfield.com
Click to expand...

I looked there, but prices are pretty high. I know, all the stuff comes with it, but even still. I got started thinking about this because of the Memorial Day sale at Newegg. Quite a few popular head units with deep discounts.

But that does bring up another question. If I get a double DIN unit, like the factory stereo, can I re-use whatever mounting bracket is in there, or is that wishful thinking?
 
Hepar said:
Also keep in mind that you'll have to yank your factory amp too. It's located down towards the ground behind the stereo. You can follow the factory harness to it.
Click to expand...
Why yank the factory amp? Thinking of an install too real soon, and new at stereo installs.
 
There is a audio section here too.

I retro fitted a Scion T1819. 200w clear sounding, Bluetooth hands free calling, and found for 50 on Craig's list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
heat said:
Adapters for new HUs bypass the factory amp.
Click to expand...

My daughter's Vibe has a factory amp, and it didn't require a bypass.

The sole reason for replacing my daughter's HU was for BT hands-free phone connectivity. BT connectivity for music is nice too since she streams most of her music. She doesn't own a single CD, so having a CD player was irrelevant.
The two features that were non-negotable were: 1) Bluetooth compatable 2) Had to have its own external/wired mic for BT. (this helps a lot to improve sound quality because the mic can be positioned near the driver's head, rather than 3' away on the dash.)

I got the JVC KD-X255BT. It was shipped to my door for $79.99 including the wiring harness that did not require bypassing the amp, mounting bracket -- which includes a small storage compartment under the HU, and vehicle-specific instructions with great pics.
Sure there are better HUs out there, but by the time you add shipping, harness and mounting, I don't see how you can beat that for value.

As I said, the goal of this purchase/install was for convenience/safety, not to improve sound quality. But the sound quality was definately improved upon -- and I'm somewhat of an audiophile.
 
Rancho5 said:
Why yank the factory amp? Thinking of an install too real soon, and new at stereo installs.
Click to expand...

You'll end up wiring your new stereo from the wires that go into the amp, not the ones that go into the stereo. So, it will become useless and be just taking up space. It might sound a little confusing at first, but it will make more sense when you're staring at it in person.
 
WallyWest said:
For the front speakers I have those two little tweeters mounted up on the door frame, with the main speakers down below in the usual place. And two in the rear doors as well.

So, for those who have replaced the stock stereo, is this a four channel or six channel system? I'm assuming the front speakers with that tweeter sitting up high on the door is actually a single speaker. They just relocated the tweeter, but it's a single channel as far as the head unit is concerned.

But I don't want to order a new head unit and then find out I need six channels.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The rear speakers are 2-way speakers, meaning there's a little tweeter right in the middle of the woofer cone. The front speakers are what are called component speakers, meaning the woofer and tweeter are separate and connected via a crossover (the factory ones are pretty lame), which is why it looks like there's 4 speakers up front but not really. The crossover separates the mids from the highs and provides better sound clarity. You can install 2-way speakers up front if you are looking to upgrade on the cheap, but for best quality replace the front speakers with a set of components.
 
Factory amp

Any aftermarket head unit you might install with have its own built in amp. That amp will be better quality and power than the factory amp by far. So, pull it and throw it away.
 
FYI, for anyone doing searches on this topic.

Replaced the stock system with this.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIACPN6D77466

Memorial day sale, $89.99 and another 5% off for the sale.

Install is easy. Videos out there on removing the dash to get at the head unit. I used a floor scraper, about a 6 inch flat blade, and just took it easy. Too much force and you'll mess up the plastic. It resists at first but keep at it, once one of the clips comes loose the rest are easy.

Got this wiring harness.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BEQJ8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not sure if it's the same for all 3rd gens, but it worked for my 2002. Just splice those wires to the harness that comes with your new head unit. It's all color coded.

The amp sits a bit below and behind the head unit. Two bolts and it comes out. The harness you want to hook your new unit into are plugged into the back of the amp.

Take the brackets off the sides of the factory head unit and use them on your new one. Mine had a several different sets of holes it would fit in, depending on what depth you want it at. I ended up having mine stick out from the dash a bit, but it was possible to get it flush if that's what you want.

Sound is MUCH improved. I mostly did it for the bluetooth phone integration, and because my CD player was skipping a lot. But man, I wish I had done it sooner just for the sound. Factory speakers are actually ok. It could use more bass of course, but otherwise they do a good job.
 
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