How-To component & coaxial install for dummies... 4th Gen

[SamNavy]

Trying to do a full system on a budget. I've got a Scion T1809 HU that I'm waiting on RCA cables to install. Yesterday I got my speaker adapters so I decided to install those.​

MBQuart FSA216 components & FKA116 coaxials. Both are 6.5" and MB's budget line. I paid $105 shipped from Amazon for both.​

The adapters were from Car-Speaker-Adapters.com through eBay for $60. I had a few minor easily fixed issues with the adapters. Overall they're a good product. The company however is for shit. I left 3 emails, 3 phone messages, contacted them through eBay and through website feedback with no response... tried for over a week. Finally I just ordered and hoped for the best. They showed up a few days later on time, but to me no communication means negative feedback.​

REAR DOORS: Piece of cake.
1. Pull off door panel (see my step-by-step other thread on this). http://www.toyota-4runner.org/audio-electronics/67142-idiots-guide-door-panel-removal-4th-gen.html​

2. Disconnect wire and unbolt stock speaker​

3. Cut wire, install connectors onto wire.
**I knew I would never reinstall the factor speakers, so I cut right at the connector to give me as much wire as possible. If you cut the wire a few inches up to that there's
enough room to splice the factory connector back on, be sure you don't cut so far that it won't reach the back of the speaker... Or you could just buy the eBay connector harness extenders.**​

4. OPTIONAL: Drill hole in door to pass wire through... means about 1" less run of wire needed. Be sure to file smooth the hole and insulate the wire with shrink wrap or electrical tape. Now the adapter will fit flush with the door.​

5. Install speaker into new adapter using screws supplied with the adapters.​

6. Plug wires onto speaker terminals.​

7. Install assembled/connected speaker & adapter into door using original 3 bolts from OEM speaker.​

8. Turn on radio and use fade/balance to isolate that speaker and listen… crank up the bass and listen for a minute for rattles and integrity.​

9. If all is good… THEN reinstall door panel.​

Of course, there were a few issues. The adapters were just a pinch too narrow in diameter for the speaker to fit flush. Good thing a Dremel sanding drum goes through PVC like buttah. Route a few mm's on either side and good to go. The front adapters were the same situation… had to Dremel a little off. Tweeter adapters same way, see pics.​

FRONT DOORS: Piece of cake’ish.
1. Pull off door panel.​

2. Unclip woofer, tuck connector back into door somewhere.​

3. Unbolt tweeter… and cut the single red/black wires soldered to the tweeter as close to the tweeter as you can.
** LOOK AT THE THIRD PICTURE IN THE 2ND POST OF THIS THREAD. Coming out of the door, there are 4 colored wires going to the tweeter. At the point where the 4 colored wires (pink/purple/etc…) plug into a white connector, coming out the other side are 2 red and 2 black wires. Those wires are fused together to become 1 red and 1 black… which plug into the tweeter. If that white connector is not connected, the 2 wires that plug into the woofer have no signal. So unless you want to do some re-wiring of the wiring harness, just use the single red/black for the tweeter as the input for your crossover. If you cut those wires right at the tweeter, there shold be enough slack to reach wherever you end up mounting the x-over without adding in a splice.**​

4. Install new tweeter onto tweeter adapter. Again, I needed the Dremel… no big deal.​

5. Install assembled tweeter/adapter into door and let wire hang down.​

6. Decide where you’re going to mount your x-over. I had just enough room on my adapter to mount it there making this step easy. There’s plenty of room inside the door where the window sits to mount just about any sized x-over and not interfere with the window… just make sure none of yoru wires are slack and can interfere with window operation… then mount the crossover.​

7. Mount the woofer onto the adapter.​

8. STEPS IN ORDER? Now you need to install the wires onto the crossover and mount the woofer in it’s hole. How you do that depends on where you’re mounting the x-over. You just don’t want to install the woofer and then realize you need to get back there for some wiring… so plan it out.​

9. Turn on radio, crank bass, listen for rattles… once satisfied, reinstall door panel.​

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[SamNavy]

More...

 

[ronsta]

Very nice writeup! were the speaker upgrades enough to hear a difference in the sound? Do you think you need an amp also? Dynamat type material?

 

[SamNavy]

Very nice writeup! were the speaker upgrades enough to hear a difference in the sound? Do you think you need an amp also? Dynamat type material?

The high's are vastly improved but the entire low-end is gone... and the speakers play at about half the volume of the stockers. I'm 99% sure it's due to the limitations of the stock HU. I'll be able to give a better report when I get the T1809 installed.

But to be even clearer, I don't see any reason based on my current experience to swap any of the speakers out unless you're going with an aftermarket HU. The stock ones do a decent job.

I've also got a Soundsplinter RLi8" sub and Eclipse XA1200 600watt rms amp coming... so I won't lack for bass.

 

[rdrunner]

The high's are vastly improved but the entire low-end is gone... and the speakers play at about half the volume of the stockers. I'm 99% sure it's due to the limitations of the stock HU. I'll be able to give a better report when I get the T1809 installed.

I had similar thoughts while I had only had the front speakers swapped out. I had the JBL setup - the tweeters by far were the worst part of the entire system. However once you tune those speakers so they're not driving the lower bass and you swap your amplification you'll hear a lot more of a difference. Finally, as you continue to get your tuning set up right it really starts to come together. Enjoy!:guitar2:

 

[riceandpho]

i think u should remake some spacers, those plastic spacers have whole outside the edge, also u see the grommet next to the speaker, poke a hole and feed the wire there instead of drillings holes in the door, take the plastic spacers out and trace it over the mdf , use 3/4 thick and carefully cut and it should be more solid than the plastics u have, also u might get the low end back. dynamat will also help.

 

[4Runner8]

nice write up this should be a sticky!

 

[olsen_karl]

Bumping, as I'm getting around to installing speakers in my 4R.

Sam - how did your installation turn out after installing the new head unit? Also, how did you determine that the wires to the stock tweeters should be used as the connection point to the aftermarket crossover?

I'm trying to match up your instructions with this wiring diagram:

 

[Ddub410]

Well it depends on of you're an audiophile and also which system you have to modify. If you have the Jbl synthesis its a major pain. You can do a number of options. The system runs off an amp so if u don't adjust the amp after doing just speakers say and a HU it may sound very quiet and you will be unhappy. There is a knob you adjust and any good installer will catch on and you figure out how to juice the amp back up. The jbl is not premium they are paper junk speakers. The sub is a joke. Some like the center channel and you can put a 3.5 or 4 inch Speaker there I disabled it and did components up front with an amp and then matching coax for the back seat with an amp for those as well then disable the sub in the cargo area and cut out that amp. You can do the sub as a vehicle specific enclosure. jl, mtx and a few other companies make one for the 4runner and you need to power that with its own amp. Those are shallow subs though so not much bump for my taste. I disabled it and put dynamat in there as it rattles from the 2200 rms watts my subs run off. I have the Kenwood DDX 370 touch with the Sirius XM adapter simple install with metra adapter. If you like clean music with mid and lows you need amps for speakers. I run a JL 360/2 2 channel that does 180 rms for each pair of speakers to Polk Db6501 6.5 comps with crossover and tweeter upfront and the coaxial 6.5 for backseat they have their own JL 360/2 as well. The comps are 110 rms 200 peak always overpower as u damage speakers under powering them. No HU will power good speakers. I have a custom vented box just enough for good deep hits but its a SQ BOX. I had JL W7 subs always and swore by them. They are a fortune though and my buddy got the new Alpine SWR 10D4 running single at 1000rms I thought he had two 15s it was so loud I fell in love. They were always junk now they beat jl IMO and are a steal. Crutch field had all alpine buy one get one half off and they only go for 220-250 anyways as opposed to the JL W7 which is 699 a sub in its JL power wedge enclosure. Retired my JL subs to the wife's car. The comps I have are the highest Polk they are the liquid metal Db series that are water proof and can be used for marine so they are water proof but I chose them due to their very clean sound and low hz for mids. They are incredible speakers for the money. I am an audiophile and I go by my ear the Polks ate the hertz $700 6.5s for lunch and they run about 189 for the comps and 129 for coax I think. They are the same construction just no crossover on the coaxial but the tweeter is the same and adjusts. Bang for buck speakers and best SQ IMO. Fosgate has some great bang for buck 6.5s as well. I got the JL amps at half price and one free because I buy so much from crutchfield. They'll walk you thru installing everything 24/7 and stand behind their stuff. Only use them. Had a local guy I know do the sub box and run those off the Alpine MRX 2400 rms at 2ohms class D mono amp digital and super clean and the birth shirt actually was 2532 watts on it so they underrate their amps which I love. Clarion backup cam was 99 and a cinch for my installer when he did my Sirius XM and radar hardwire as well as HID and Led headlights. Beautiful 12k violet/blue lows take about 25 seconds to light up. Highs I did LED so there is no delay to warm up. I never meed them tho with the lows blinding most others on the road. Phillips LED bar for the DRL. Same lights as the Audi and Porsche come with. Fogs are 3k yellow for those nasty rainy and foggy Midwest times. Escort Redline, Escort 8500 x50 black and about 5 other escort and bel radars. Pm me if you want help doing a system I can point you in the right way budget or high end. You can get away spending about 1200 I would say and still have a great touch double din, a good 4 channel, polk dxi 6.5 still great but much cheaper, a nice sub and amp. Or you can go crazy like me. Don't get taken for a ride there is great stuff for not bad and you only need two pairs of speakers a sub and a head unit don't do the center and start spending extra on something so miniscule. Kenwood DDX like mine is now replaced so you can find them super bargain on crutchfield and they tell you what fits in our car and call if you think they're wrong I did with my fronts and we made it work they talked me thru it and I had never done a thing like that. Keep it stock or add just a sub and disable the other one and get a new HU. Don't get new speakers and not power them with an amp they won't sound good with the jbl amp.

Bumping, as I'm getting around to installing speakers in my 4R.

Sam - how did your installation turn out after installing the new head unit? Also, how did you determine that the wires to the stock tweeters should be used as the connection point to the aftermarket crossover?

I'm trying to match up your instructions with this wiring diagram:

 

[ddnww]

The high's are vastly improved but the entire low-end is gone... and the speakers play at about half the volume of the stockers. I'm 99% sure it's due to the limitations of the stock HU. I'll be able to give a better report when I get the T1809 installed.

But to be even clearer, I don't see any reason based on my current experience to swap any of the speakers out unless you're going with an aftermarket HU. The stock ones do a decent job.

I've also got a Soundsplinter RLi8" sub and Eclipse XA1200 600watt rms amp coming... so I won't lack for bass.

Really nice write up. I didn't Read everything after your post, but i believe your low end was cut because your crossover has a high pass filter that cuts anything below a certain frequency .

 

[MeatbaII]

Bumping, as I'm getting around to installing speakers in my 4R.

Sam - how did your installation turn out after installing the new head unit? Also, how did you determine that the wires to the stock tweeters should be used as the connection point to the aftermarket crossover?

I'm trying to match up your instructions with this wiring diagram:

I know this thread is old but it has some really good info. I want to know why you have to use the tweeter wires for input of the crossover. I installed a component set this weekend and i ran the woofer leads as input and ran wires to each speaker, it didn't work and I plugged in the clipped tweeter connector and boom, everything worked.

So now I'm wondering if I should open the door again to rewire. I'm sure it has something to do with the ohm load but if someone could explain this, that would be great.

Thanks!

 

[riceandpho]

The tweeter input act like a loop. It has a built in passive capacitor and such. You might get some information from tacotunes.