I need help with my Radio installation...

[Climber]

Hey everyone I need some help... I ordered a new radio off of cruthfeild and they sent me everything I needed to install it. Ive done this before so I thought I could do it myself so when the radio arrived I threw the wiring harness together(didn't check fittings first, I know I know) and then I removed my stock radio and bam...the harness didn't fit, so I was mad at crutchfield at first but upon researching I realized it is the right harness my 4runner is just different. while the harness they sent had two plugins my factory stereo only had one. its a 1999 sr5. so my question is where can I find the right harness and why is mine different? ill post some pics to show you what I mean.

 

[khann]

dig deeper. there is amplifier You got to remove as well (harness from amp will fit to Toy haness U got)

 

[Crashnrondo]

The one picture looks like you have 2 plugs into the back of the stock radio, those don't fit? The other thing you could check is to follow the plugs down and see if they go into a small amp, my old Toyota truck had that amp but I'm not sure if the 4Runners were ever like that.

 

[SweetWaterSurprise]

Once you find the small amp, remove that and you will find the 2 plugs for power and speaker you're looking for

 

[Climber]

The one picture looks like you have 2 plugs into the back of the stock radio, those don't fit? The other thing you could check is to follow the plugs down and see if they go into a small amp, my old Toyota truck had that amp but I'm not sure if the 4Runners were ever like that.

no the one plug is for the cd player that goes into the radio and the radio only has 1 plug

 

[AlpineCoder]

Yeah you have to remove the amplifier as well (not sure why it's an external box, but it is). Trace the harness from the back of the stock head unit. It goes to a small metal box right behind. That's the amplifier, remove it and your harness will fit the plugs that go into the amp.

 

[Climber]

Once you find the small amp, remove that and you will find the 2 plugs for power and speaker you're looking for

wow it was right in front of my eyes the whole time... I feel like a moron haha anyone know where I can find a writeup of running a mic through the a pillar and too the radio without it being noticeable?

 

[NachoPitt]

I had a mic on the A-pillar and ended up with a ton of road/wind noise. It is much easier and quieter to put it on the steering column. People you talk to will thank you.

 

[Nervo19]

Yeah, you would think Crutchfield would point that out to people because I had a few moments of panic when I installed my stereo. I think I found the answer through google. Climber, when I did mine the dash/rear lights fuse burned out and replacements kept blowing after about two weeks of enjoying the new stereo. I ended up putting a dedicated ground on the radio and that fixed it. Just a heads up if you experience a similar problem.

 

[AntiVenom]

hahaha, i see i wasn't the only one that got stumped by this. i was effin pissed for about an hour, searching for an 02 specific adapter, etc. glad you got it sorted.

 

[Climber]

I had a mic on the A-pillar and ended up with a ton of road/wind noise. It is much easier and quieter to put it on the steering column. People you talk to will thank you.

I was going for right under the mirror, isn't it far enough away from the window to cancel out the wind noise?

 

[cstraface]

Crutchfield also doesn't tell you that you need an antenna Y adapter and size adapter to get both antennas hooked up. I don't know if every model has both antenna, but if you do, FYI.

 

[hrt4me]

Crutchfield also doesn't tell you that you need an antenna Y adapter and size adapter to get both antennas hooked up. I don't know if every model has both antenna, but if you do, FYI.

good to know, thanks

any chance you have specific part numbers for both the Y-adapter and the size adapter?

I'm planning to install my new Alpine H/U (from Crutchfield) this weekend...

 

[Millerad1651]

good to know, thanks

any chance you have specific part numbers for both the Y-adapter and the size adapter?

I'm planning to install my new Alpine H/U (from Crutchfield) this weekend...

Here is a link on the antenna adapter. The parts can be found on Amazon pretty cheap. Its not always needed however. I'm going on two years with the HU and only using the one antenna, and haven't had any problems...just depends on where you live I guess.

Guide on How to Combine Both Front & Rear Antennas into One on an Aftermarket Stereo - YotaTech Forums

And I'm not sure about everyone else, but the instructions I got from Crutchfield told me to remove the amp. It may be dependent on how you answer the questions about your stock setup when ordering the new HU...

 

[NachoPitt]

I was going for right under the mirror, isn't it far enough away from the window to cancel out the wind noise?

It might be - I didn't try it there. I know when mine was up in by the visor it was horrific. The column is easy to run a mic to and offers good performance. I was happy enough with how the mic worked to leave it alone on the column. No sense in making extra work.

 

[cstraface]

good to know, thanks

any chance you have specific part numbers for both the Y-adapter and the size adapter?

I'm planning to install my new Alpine H/U (from Crutchfield) this weekend...

Here's what I got from Amazon:

 

[kxyoung]

15 pin Radio Wiring Harness for Toyota Amp Integration

Wow! I'm replacing my 96 4runner's radio as well (mainly for the bluetooth & iphone connectivity), and I'm in the same situation. I thought that I got the wrong harness and is now waiting for the the 15 pin harness (Metra 70-8112 Radio Wiring Harness for Toyota Amp Integration) that I ordered to arrive.

I'm curious if with this 15 pin hardness, I'm able to connect the JVC KW-R800BT unit to the existing OEM amplifier and to get extra sound?

 

[Millerad1651]

Wow! I'm replacing my 96 4runner's radio as well (mainly for the bluetooth & iphone connectivity), and I'm in the same situation. I thought that I got the wrong harness and is now waiting for the the 15 pin harness (Metra 70-8112 Radio Wiring Harness for Toyota Amp Integration) that I ordered to arrive.

I'm curious if with this 15 pin hardness, I'm able to connect the JVC KW-R800BT unit to the existing OEM amplifier and to get extra sound?

There is no need to connect to the stock amp, you will not get extra power. The stock unit is not powered, hence the amp. Most aftermarket units are internally amplified, and by more than what the stock amp produces.

 

[hrt4me]

Here's what I got from Amazon:

thanks!

 

[kxyoung]

Millerad1651 is right about the stock amp. I got the 15-pin harness but I couldn't connect the new stereo to the stock amp. I can't get power and maybe the security feature of the OEM stereo is playing trick with me. Worst, I get horrible pops or whines whenever I operate other electrical accessories (windows, turn-signals, etc.).

I ended up yanking out the stock amp and use the two-piece Toyota harness straight to the JVC stereo, and it works extremely well! New life to the original speakers! Plenty of clean, clear, and powerful output that I am not used to not hearing the outside noise. If not careful, I'm actually having trouble shifting the gears now because I can't hear the feedback from the engine.