Installing Alpine, from stock

[LucyLTD]

Apologies if my answer is already somewhere on here, this is my first posting.

Anyways, I had a '99 SR5, came with an Alpine unit already installed.
I soon put in an upgraded model using just the wires which were already in the car, not the new units wires.
But sadly I wrecked and lost that car, I now have just bought a '01 Limited, and it has the stock head unit in it.
I made up this picture of everything that I'm working with. Now I hadn't needed to do anything technical when I upgraded the first time, but now the cord connecting to this stock system doesn't plug into what I have.
(I'm not very knowledgeable about car stereos and wires so if you'd care to explain the pieces it would be nice to learn some)
So pic 1 is the head unit I want to install.
pic 2 is what plugs it has on the back. (What is the blue plug for?)
pic 3 is the black plug that plugs into the back of my Alpine unit and the bigger piece had connected to the car in the old 4runner.
pic 4 is the plug that came with the new head unit, though i never had to use it.
pic 5 is the antennae I believe but what is the other one for?
pic 6 is what plugs into the back of the current stock system from the car, but not into this Alpine unit.

So what do I need to do/get to get this unit plugged in without paying for an install? Thanks

 

[Elton H]

the blue plug on the apline is probably for a cd changer or something wont need it now the antenna's the big one goes to the radio the little one dont worry about it is just for the antenna in the back side window and pic #6 thats the plug for the amp you dont want that one theres 2 plugs that go into that amp those are what you wanna connect to the harness in pic #3


look for these two plugs its gonna be plugged into the factory amp

 

[LucyLTD]

Thanks, what a simple thing, I got all the wires plugged in right and than I attached the unit to a little black drawer type piece and mounted them in, but now when i try to put the panel back on that covers the front it will not lock into place. The problem is with the middle clip that goes in right next the stereo. I'm currently working on it so if anyone has tips on how to lock that piece back in it would really help.

 

[midibias]

^^^ Yep.

I had the same problem when I went to put my new hu in. There are two plugs going to the bottom side of the amp that you want to use. They are almost impossible to unhook without taking the screws out that hold the amp in place.

 

[LucyLTD]

Well i got it all back in place, just barely, i don't have quite enough room to put that black rim piece that goes around the unit but I am satisfied.

 

[jonwilly2]

It took me half a day till I realized the box the connected to the radio had the plugs i was looking for.

 

[MTDewX8]

I just did the same thing and had the same problem.

sure happy i figured it out as it sounds way better.

now i dont have to change out CD's as I have a USB port that has mucho music

 

[BrianSD_42]

FYI:

I suggest you run your own 14G speaker wire next.

Also consider getting the Alpine mini-alplifier for $99. It will give you 45W RMS of quality sound. This is an amazing way to get great sound for cheap and you can only do it if you have an alpine.

See the link below.

Amazon.com: Alpine KTP-445 Head Unit Power Pack - Amplifier - 4-channel: Electronics


Another tip, next time use detachable clips on the wiring that way you can remove the wiring harness very easily for a different head unit.

Run a separate 12G wire for power and ground for the Head Unit with a 25A fuse. Do not use the stock power source.

Lastly upgrade to quality door speakers (if you haven't already) such as Alpine, JL, Polk or Infinity.

==> After all this take a moment and listen to the Amazing sound quality of the system.

 

[NickF]

Yeah I remember finding out there was a factory amp. I called crutch field and the guy laughed at me.
Anyway, I highly suggest eventually putting new speakers and an amp in that bi0tch. The headunit really DOES clean that crap up pretty nicely but the factory tweeters suck and those paper cones don't last very long if you play the music pretty loud.
This will literally make it sound 10x better at mid-high volume levels even with the stock cones.
Alpine KTP-445 (ktp445) Plug and Play Head Unit Power Pack for

I had also thrown these in there
Front:
Alpine SPS-610C (SPS610C)6.5" 2-Way Type-S Component Car Speakers
(I modded the factory tweeter brackets to fir those)

and I put these in the back, you have to mod the bracket a little but it'll work fine.
Alpine SPS-510 (SPS510) 5.25" 2-Way Type-S Coaxial Car Speakers

 

[MTDewX8]

FYI:

Run a separate 12G wire for power and ground for the Head Unit with a 25A fuse. Do not use the stock power source.

Lastly upgrade to quality door speakers (if you haven't already) such as Alpine, JL, Polk or Infinity.

curious what is wrong with the wire for the head unit? need more power so I presume going from the Battery with fuse in line.

also do after market tweeters fit in the little plastic covers to keep the stock look?

 

[BrianSD_42]

curious what is wrong with the wire for the head unit? need more power so I presume going from the Battery with fuse in line.

It used to be recommended by Alpine that you install a separate higher gauge power wire for the head unit. You can still use the ignition ACC on wire to turn the head unit on but you should run separate power. But then again that was then ... Alpine head units made after 2004 really took a dump in quality so I don't know if they changed their specs (IMO).

If you are going to power that $105 Alpine amp I mentioned above, you should actually run 10-12G to it or 8 to a distribution block that powers multiple things in your cab. Just because an AMP powers on with a lower gauge cable does not mean that it is working at its full potential. You always want to run higher gauge power cables so that the amp is not stressed often and always on the edge of heating up or clipping.

also do after market tweeters fit in the little plastic covers to keep the stock look?

Yes. You will need to be creative though. I removed the factory tweeters and put in Infinity References around 2005. You can mount the tweeters in the black stock tweeter housing, all you need is to use something to position it correctly. You will also need to remove the housing on the tweeter and then mount it at the correct angle. I mounted mine using 3M grey mounting tape that had been folded and cut enough times to fill the gap. You can use anything, just think of it as a school project.


Let me state again though ....

if you are going to get higher quality speakers running 40+ W RMS then upgrade the wiring. It is not just enough to have produce sounded. You want quality sound and in order to do that you will want low resistance (good wiring) between the speakers and the amp. The factory speaker wiring was designed for a current flow of 10W (guessing here) and any decent 4-Channel amp will produce 40+ W RMS.

Wiki "Ohm's Law" if you want to learn more about resistance and power.
Ohm's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


That is my 2 cents. I am not an audio pro just an amateur. If you want to talk with a pro I suggest you visit these sites:
1. DIYMA.com - Car Audio Forum & 12 volt Community Board
2. AVS Forum


This is also a really good T4R thread to check out:

LINK: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/94843-do-i-have-ty-sound-system.html

:bat: