Stereo help!!!
- Thread starter jay00
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Mgyver1
Member
There are 2 antennas that plug in to the factory stereo. The bigger plug is for the power antenna on the passenger fender and the smaller is for the antenna built in to the rear passenger cargo window. Did you unplug the cables out of just the back of the stereo, or did you also unplug the factory amplifier (which needs to come out)?
Beer.runner4
Banned
Its tough to say. Do you have any pics?
TheDurk
Elite Member
Uhh, what do you mean it's tough to say? It's common for people to come on here and say they can't match up harness plugs because they have not pulled the factory amp. The amp won't plug up to an aftermarket HU harness adapter. The only way it can be a problem if you actually have hooked up the aftermarket HU is if someone did a butcher job and spliced the new HU wire-to-wire to the existing amp instead of using a plug harness. So instead of making us guess, please tell us how you hooked up your HU.
diverscale
Member
ok first: you need this for the smaller cable:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009UHRI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
then you need this to convert the two antennas into the single plug:
Amazon.com: Metra 40-UV43 Male to Female Motorola Antenna Cable: Car Electronics
This is what I used. Only have to raise the main antenna when the FM reception is bad, but most of the time I can leave it down.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009UHRI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
then you need this to convert the two antennas into the single plug:
Amazon.com: Metra 40-UV43 Male to Female Motorola Antenna Cable: Car Electronics
This is what I used. Only have to raise the main antenna when the FM reception is bad, but most of the time I can leave it down.
jay00
New member
I didn't butcher anything, I bought the adapter that goes from the factory harness to jvc hu. This has Jacks that plug behind the jvc for the factory speakers. I don't think I would but do I need to buy those adapters for both antennas or can I just use the big one? The amp thing is confusing me, what do I need to do with that, is this not allowing me to get sound.
jay00
New member
I just unplugged the cables from behind the stereo, do I need to unplug the amp and how if so.
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JRZEE2000TR4LTD
Senior Member
Follow the harness from the back of the stereo to the next component, which is the amp, It's an aluminum colored thing with cooling fins. You need to remove this along with the harness going from the amp to the stereo. You wont use them. The other harness plugged into the amp from the truck is what you splice your aftermarket adapter into.
SilverRidgeRunner1
Member
I just did this last week the amp is the random metal box in the dash that was plugged into the factory stereo .... it held in with two screw pull it out and set it aside...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbdoAcwrbJ8 Try watching this for a visual
this box pictured comes out
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whiskytango
New member
To answer your question about the antenna plug, yes you can just use the big one and leave the little one unplugged. Some people get those adapters to bridge both antennas but it's not necessary. I didn't use the adapters on mine and only used the big plug for antenna directly into the head unit and my reception is fine.
Additionally, on my brother-in-law's 4runner, his main antenna was broken so we got the adapter and only used the small antenna jack (the one for the antenna built into the rear window) and even that netted him decent reception. He said he didn't care about FM anyway.
If you search this, some people say bridging the two antennas is a good idea, others say it's not. The factory radio is designed to use one antenna or the other depending on signal conditions, but I don't believe it used both at the same time. This is what I gathered from my research doing the same install.
What everyone is suggesting you do is to bypass the factory amp and use the amp built into your head unit. To do this, you need to connect the harness from your head unit to the vehicle wiring BEFORE it reaches the factory amp. This is why you need to look below the factory head unit, find the amp, and find the connection from the back of the amp out to the speakers. This is where you plug in the adapter harness if you got one. I used this: http://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-1761-Wiring-Harness-Speaker/dp/B0002BEQJ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458485202&sr=8-1&keywords=toyota+harness+metra
You need to wire that harness into the one that came with your head unit. Then you'll have a harness which on one end plugs into your JVC head unit and on the other end plugs into the vehicle's wiring (the vehicle end of the harness plugs in at two different places I believe). Also, make sure your using the amplified outputs from your JVC and not the red/white RCA plugs which are not amplified.
Now if your trying to keep and use the factory amp with your aftermarket head unit, I can't help you there. Not sure how or if that would work.
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TheDurk
Elite Member
Yes, the factory amp goes away. You plug your new harness into the truck where the amp was plugged in to the truck.
You can use just the big antenna plug. I tried both ways, and I got more static with using both. I live in a region of strong signals so it may be different for me but just the big one alone worked better.
I still don't get how you could hook up to the factory amp from the JVC as those plugs are different.
jay00
New member
Ok guys sooo, turns out I had all the right parts just had to read the wiring instructions a little closer. So the jvc harness only has one wire (blue & white) that is the amp & antenna while the adapter harness had 2, one blue & white which was the amp and a solid blue which was the antenna. After looking at the wiring diagrams again it said to combine both blues from adapter and connect to single blue & white on the jvc harness shown on the picture below where the pink arrow is. After that I had sound. The other thing that will interest you guys is the adapter I bought does go to the factory amp so I wasn't able to bypass it like you all suggested. Not sure if it would sound better with the factory amp or without it but sounds pretty dam good, alot better than the factory. I also hooked up an amplified bazooka bass tube and it brought it all to life. I will post a pic of the package to that adapter in case anyone needs it in the future. Thanks to all who gave me direction, I really appreciate it, hopefully this will help some one else.
Here is the packet to that adapter harness
This shows how everything is hooked up
The bass tube
Here is the packet to that adapter harness
This shows how everything is hooked up
The bass tube
Attachments
jay00
New member
And now that I have all this apart I'm going to send my climate control unit to JRZEE2000TR4LTD to give it some love. John, I will be shipping it out tomorow morning. I'll pm you to set up payment.
SilverRidgeRunner1
Member
Well I be dam... Welp good deal. I stand corrected. 
hwell::doh:
hwell::doh:
jay00
New member
Well I be dam... Welp good deal. I stand corrected.
Thanks for trying to help me anyway, doesn't seem like too many use this method or know of this type of adapter, this was all new to me, just so happened that that's what they sold me,lol.
whiskytango
New member
That's awesome you got it working and good info on that factory amp integration harness. Someone down the road may stumble on this thread and find that info useful.
Cygnus
New member
I mean this is an OLDDDDDD thread but...how are they selectively raising their AM/FM antenna?
On my '99 it's either ON+UP or OFF+DOWN. I can only assume they put a switch on the power lead for the antenna motor.
Also, I've had 3rd Gens since 2010 and just finding out there's an antenna in the back window lol.
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diverscale
Member
installed an inline switch with I think the blue wire (antenna wire power), below the ignition key receptacle.
After much testing though, and years, I have disconnected the rear antenna and only left the main one connected to the aftermarket radio.
The aftermarket radio did receive better with only the main antenna connected, rear disconnected. So I have to raise it when using the radio. The stock radio is probably built differently for that.
reason for the switch is to be sure that antenna is only up when I want it up, so no badlucks like going into a car wash or whatever.
I oil the antenna yearly. Before winter, I apply oil to the mast and make it raise and go down a few times.