Install Problems with '04 Sport w/ JBL System

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rgmiami

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I took my 04 4runner sport with the JBL system (10 spkr, single cd) into a local car stereo place that is supposed to be good here in miami to put in an alpine 9830. After waiting 2 hours after they called me to come pick it up they finally told me they couldnt make it work becasue they couldnt figure out how to get the factory amp to turn on with the new head unit.

Are they total idiots or is it a complicated install?
All i'm trying to do for now is replace the head unit itself. The guys at the place told me my only option was to buy a new amplifier (which i think is a lot of crap)

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

*edit: anybody know a good place in so. florida who is not too incompetent in stereo installs?
 
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Thanks

Thanks for the info. Only problem is that i just want a new head unit, and not replace the amp, is that possible? The guys at the shop said i had to buy an amp and replace the factory one.

True or B.S.?
 
That should not be true. I have not changed out my HU, but most likely will be. I spoke with the guys at an audio shop at length and they will be able to use the factory amp. I have had the same issue in the past as you when I had a VW with the Monsoon system. They kept telling me I wouldn't be able to use the factory amp. However, you just need to find a shop that is a little more interested in getting it to work or is a little more talented. Calling JBL as stated before is also an option. Another option would also be that depending upon what HU you having installed it may have an internal amp itself that is strong enough to run your OEM system and then they would just bypass the amp entirely.
 
The shop may have been too lazy. If you were to use the Alpine's power to run the front and rear speakers, you would have to re-run new speaker wire to the front and rear doors. It would have meant extra work to the shop. (2 to 3 hours).

To get the sub to work ,you should get a small mono block amp from Apline and control it with your Alpine 9333's subwoofer contoller. That way you can control everything separately. You even get to control the level and frequencies of the sub!

As opposed to directly using the stock amp, how does one hook it up directly to an after market head unit? I assume it does not have any RCA or speaker inputs?How would you get fader control to work?
 
Thanks for all the info

I think i've decided to buy an 1 channel amp and a small sub. I plan on putting the amp under the passenger seat, and i would like to hide the sub where the original factory amp and sub are in the rear quarter panel. Anyone ever tried this? Is is possible?
 
So i just visited my local CC who is running a great sale on all alpine stuff. (free install for HU and Amps) but they are trying to charge me around $250 extra for the install even though the stuff I'm buying has free "standard install."

They are trying to charge me for all the wiring, hardwiring the HU (they say there is no harness available for my radio) and the factory amp bypass.

Here is the total breakdown:
Alpine 9827: $219.99
ALpine 4 CHannel Amp: $179.99
Hardwire HU:$21.99
Amp Bypass: $69.99
RCA Cables:$49.99
Double Din Kit: $14.99
Amp Power Kit: $49.99
Speaker Wire: $35.99

THey are also telling me i lose the center speaker and factory sub.
Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else?
 
When I got my AMP and subs installed, the center channel still works as well as the old sub. Not sure what will happen replacing the stock radio.
 
How are you hooking up the sub? Are you using the 4 channel amp to power the front and rear speakers? You will need another amp ( I suggest a monoBlock) to run the stock sub, if this is the case.

You would only need the amp bybass kit, if you were keeping the stock deck. These guys just don't want to wire the speakers directly to your amp or the Alpine HU, its more work for them.

Just to let you know, you are going to the lose the center channel with this set up. Maybe you can use the stock power of the deck to run the center?

Check my earlier post its cheaper and simpler route to go. That deck you were previously looking at has a lot of power for stock speakers.

rgmiami said:
So i just visited my local CC who is running a great sale on all alpine stuff. (free install for HU and Amps) but they are trying to charge me around $250 extra for the install even though the stuff I'm buying has free "standard install."

They are trying to charge me for all the wiring, hardwiring the HU (they say there is no harness available for my radio) and the factory amp bypass.

Here is the total breakdown:
Alpine 9827: $219.99
ALpine 4 CHannel Amp: $179.99
Hardwire HU:$21.99
Amp Bypass: $69.99
RCA Cables:$49.99
Double Din Kit: $14.99
Amp Power Kit: $49.99
Speaker Wire: $35.99

THey are also telling me i lose the center speaker and factory sub.
Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else?
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like one way out of it, the only problem with that to my knowledge is that with the jbl system, the factory amp supplies all the power to the speakers, controls the volume, etc so they would still have to re-run the speaker wires from the new HU to the speakers.

Has anybody out there replaced the factory JBL HU without going through this mess?
 
JBL system was a waste of money

The JBL system is wayyy more trouble than necessary. I'm going to have to spend at least 700 dollars more to get a decent stereo i can plug my ipod into.

I strongly suggest anyone looking into a new 4runner with jbl to think twice.

Getting a new head unit installed correctly without losing use of all the speakers is nearly impossible it seems.

Its looking like i will need to gut the whole system to get the results i want.

Definitely the last time i get a factory "premium" sound system.
 
Why not go in a different direction with the stereo? Instead of a new head unit, why not spend money on upgrading the speakers instead? Then you could get a PAC or some other aux-in adapter, still use your iPod, and have significantly better sound.

With the JBL system, if you want a new head unit, your options are basically two upgrades:

A] Get a Solara NAV radio, live with the so-so sound quality, but gain NAV and the option for satilite tuner addition. (I have XM in one of my other cars, and it is well worth the effort to get this.)

B] Get a new head unit and new amp(s). If you are going to do this, you may as well go for the full 5.1 set up, as we already have a center channel speaker. This means 6 channels of amplification are going to be needed, and there are tons of head units that can dish this out. And this will not be the "stereo morphed into fake surround sound" BS we have now. This will be real theatre style surround. May as well get a dash unit that plays DVD's, as it would be a shame to have this without the ability to play a movie. The sky is the limit if you choose this option. You can have AM, FM, FMHD, Nav, Satilite, (Sirius or XM), DVD, MP3, Aux-in for the iPOD, or even a car computer. In a few weeks you can have satilite-nav.
 
I understand where u r coming from, only a couple problems.

a: factory HU and amp setup sucks

b: I'm not rich...yet, so i cant afford to spend thousands on my system.

What i think i may do is get a decent head unit and amp to start (for which they will have to re-wire everything, meaning it will be relatively easy to do upgrades later) and then a little ways down the road go for the dvd navi unit, subs, etc.

Do you have any suggestions on a setup that will make use of all of my speakers (except the factory sub which i understand will have to be removed with the factory amp).

I am leaning toward alpine because it supports both sirius and XM. I understand that these alpine HU's are all 4 channels.

Do i need a true 5.1 HU or amp or can i get away with a 6 channel to use for everything?

Last question, what are the two rear pillar speakers? Tweeters only or both?

Thanks
 
The only reason I suggested doing the speakers instead of the head unit, is that you would really be amazed at the sound improvement. It will make much more improvement than changing head unit and amp. The JBL amp has a decent amount of power and can drive some nice speakers. If you got some high end 6.5 components for the front doors, (with converters to drop down the 6X9 shape) and a pair of coaxials for the rear doors, you would make a huge improvement. Take a look at Focals, or MB Quarts. Morels are also fantastic, but pretty ridiculous pricewise. Listen to a few different high end component sets to see what you like. If you decide later to do the amp and head unit, the change of speakers will not have been a waste. The stock speakers probably can't take a whole lot more power anyway, but a set of good components can take all you can throw at them. About $800 for a set (all 4 doors) of top end components for the front and coaxials for the rear.

And changing speakers will be pretty minimum labor wise. No complicated wiring. You can probably DIY. Another idea...Dynamat the inside of the outer door panels when you have them apart to do speakers. That will minimize outside noise, and give the speakers more punch; kind of like getting a bigger amp. A case of Dynamat Extreme will cost about $130. It is very time consuming and expensive to have installed....but at the same time, it is so easy to do, you can do it yourself.

I know one thing I find anoying about the stock set up is the amount of power sent to the crappiest driver of them all, which is on the dash. Even if you can find a suitable replacement for this, I would think toning this driver down a bit with an in line resistor or volume control would help if the stock amp is to be retained.

If you want true 5.1, you will either need a 5.1 head unit, or a signal processor, (or both, depending on the manufacturer). Some people use a stereo head unit, and a seperate DVD player for a 5.1 source. I have a 5.1 DVD player in my upper glove box cubby and it fits quite nicely, (although it just runs headphones now.) You can use a 6 channel amp; but keep in mind that you really need a lot more power for the sub; so a 5 channel amp, plus a 1 channel amp is probably a better combination.
 
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I hate to post with out reading but i have a solution, but not sure if it is what every body is looking for. I would post everything that needs to be done, but everytime i have done that in the past on the celica forums i have been bombarded with questions and/or bitching that I am wrong when they messed up.

If you go to this thread and download the file,

http://toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6816

you can read the scamatic (hope you are good with wiring diagrams) and rewire the system to do what ever you want.

there is only one L and R output from the HU there is no F & R

If anyone has specific questions just post them and i will do what i can. I am very good with the EWD's being I am a Lexus Technician and understand the Toyota manuals.
 
you can read the scamatic (hope you are good with wiring diagrams) and rewire the system to do what ever you want.

there is only one L and R output from the HU there is no F & R
Click to expand...

That means that if you use an aftermarket deck with the JBL amp you will not have fade control, which to me would be pretty hard to live with. I don't see how this information help's rgmiami's cause. It was my understanding that, to make matters worse, the L and R outputs are constant level, with the volume controled on the the unique JBL "bus" line. If this is true then it really becomes unworkable.

The only solution that comes to mind with a two-channel-only set up, is many true SQL systems eliminate the rear fill completely to achieve a better staging of the sound up front. Not my favorite way to do things, but it is very popular.
 
Harness

Anybody know if their is a harness for the JBL system?

Im going to get my stereo put in today.

thanks

ryan
 
any more info on how this stuff all works out? i am doing a carpc install and want to use existing speakers with new amp

i figure since i have the schematics i can just splice/cut whatever the old stuff into the new setup?
 
Since the factory HU has only a 2 channel output, a harness is not going to help too much. This is not going to be a plug and play operation. It really does not make a whole lot of difference to a pro anyway. There are only a few connections to make behind the dash. If you replace amp and HU, you will have to run two pairs of RCA cables (plus another pair more for 5.1) from the HU to AMP, and probably an amp turn-on lead as well. Some installers like to ground the radio and amp in the same place, (to avoid ground loop interference), so a ground lead (16 Gauge) going from the HU to the amp ground could be added. Add to this, it will probably be necessary to run at least a 4 Gauge cable from the battery (fused as close to the battery as possible) to the amp. Another 4 Gauge cable for a ground, (running to a point as close as possible to the amp). Beyond about 700 watts, you will need thicker than 4 Gauge cable for the amp(s).

Chances are, your installer will put the aftermarket amp(s) in the same location, or close to the stock amp, and splice into the factory speaker wires.
 
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