How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

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jseabolt
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How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

Post by jseabolt »

Years ago I made a plate to replace the 6 disc CD changer and cubby hole to mount a Sirius radio:

Image

I was piggybacking off my Dad's subscription (was actually a yearly birthday present). One day he said they wanted to raise the subscription and asked if I wanted to keep it. I decided it wasn't worth paying for. I'd rather get something for free and listen to commercials to be honest.

So I'm going to be removing it and installing this system in my 2003 for this unit:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Android-8-1-Ca ... 2749.l2649

My Baja has the bass cannon under the seat and door tweeters. I have not found anything concerning whether this wiring harness adapter will work on my car:

Wiring adapter:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CAR-STEREO ... 2749.l2649

I don't think I actually removed the radio. I removed the CD changer and cubby hole. I think the CD changer just plugs into the back of the radio. But that's not my concern. I was wondering if this wiring harness will work with the premium sound system or just a regular stereo.

Also will my bass cannon work?
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
w.rohr
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Re: How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

Post by w.rohr »

Mine had the premium and I looked at one yesterday with the non premium (no changer/tweeters) and the connector looks the same. Mine system is... very custom, so not a lot of wires left from stock. I don't think it matters though because the stock tweeters wire to the door speakers and the sub is its own custom piggyback off the stock connector. So, I would say you should be fine.
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jseabolt
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Re: How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

Post by jseabolt »

w.rohr wrote: Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:01 pm Mine had the premium and I looked at one yesterday with the non premium (no changer/tweeters) and the connector looks the same. Mine system is... very custom, so not a lot of wires left from stock. I don't think it matters though because the stock tweeters wire to the door speakers and the sub is its own custom piggyback off the stock connector. So, I would say you should be fine.
Thanks. I got all the stuff but haven't installed it yet. Hopefully this week.

I ordered an adapter to mount the radio but I don't think I'm going to need it. This one comes with some brackets and it fills the entire housing (radio, CD changer and cubby hole).

Did you look at the link to the radio I bought? What do you think?
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
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anarchy1024
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Re: How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

Post by anarchy1024 »

Do you have an amplifier for the speakers? It looks like the Android Car Stereo in the Ebay link does not have a built-in amp. They don't have any useful images, like a wiring diagram or even a close-up of the wiring harness, so can't say for sure. The ad doesn't mention anything related to speaker power output, impedance, etc., which further supports the idea that there isn't a built-in amp. There are a lot of wires on that harness, though, so...maybe?

Either way, you may want to consider getting a separate amp; even if there is one built-in, I doubt it would be any good (based on the small size of the unit and the relatively low cost).
EDIT: That is, unless you're just going to use the stock head unit and run the audio out from the Android unit into it. Looks like you already have something like that set up, based on your sat radio photo.

Also, 1GB of RAM should be....enough... but software nowadays is so bloated that the recommended minimum is 2GB.
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jseabolt
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Re: How is the stereo wired up in a 2003 model?

Post by jseabolt »

Sorry for the late reply. Kind of forgot about it.

I got the radio installed. I couldn't use a 2DIN adapter I ordered I thought I would need. I had to drill holes in the factory bracket to mount the radio.

The harness adapter works but I'm not hearing any bass from the bass cannon so it's dead. There were two identical connectors on the car. I think one went to the 6 disc CD changer. If I plug the radio into one of them nothing happens but the radio works when plugged into the other one.

My only complaint is when I turn the ignition on, the radio defaults to a present volume which is too loud. So I have to manually turn it down when I start the car. There is also no AM but there is nothing on AM radio these days anyway. Reception seems to be weak in the boonies but I was so far out in the county between mountains I lost mobile cell data and had one bar.

The GPS and Bluetooth seems to work great otherwise. I have not checked the USB function to see if it reads mp3s.

I had to shave some of the fins off the cubby hole in order to get it to fit and it looks a bit squashed in the center.

I got this radio for about $60 but I've seen the same radio for $20 if you order directly from China.

For what I paid for the radio is not bad. I paid allot more for the flip out radio I installed in my 98 Chevy van and it's horrible and I'm going to replace it. Too many glitches.
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http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
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