I'm still trying to decide which aftermarket head unit to put in my new 01 Lightning. Stopped by a local chain stereo shop to see what they had. Not a great selection but the sales guys said something interesting. Said that it would cost me an extra $35 for installation as the techs would have to rewire the speaker because of the stock amp. Wiring directly in would cause the HU to fry. Is that true? I haven't been able to find anything about the premium stereo having an amp. Anyone else just plug in a new HU and go? Was he feeding me a line of BS?

Bob

PS. I told myself I wouldn't go to this chain as they usually suck, but couldn't help myself.

 

Yes and No.

The new head unit will not fry.

But depending on the voltage sent to the factory amplifier, the amp could.

Does that $35 include a wiring harness? If so, go for it, as it usually costs around 20-25 to get one anyway. If no, don't give them your business. Make sure they aren't just going to cut your factory wiring harness though. That would cause big problems if you ever wanted to put the factory deck back in.

 

Not sure if that included a harness or not. After I had heard that from the sales guy, I pretty much had decided that I wouldn't buy from them. Actually, I made that decision a long time ago, but sometimes, you just don't learn. I told myself I'd never go back into that store again.

Any idea where the amp is located? I've not done a inch by inch search of my truck, but I haven't seen it yet.

Bob

 

Hello Chainsaw13, to answer your question. since youve gotten nowhere with our so called "professional" shops in the area. No, your truck does not have an external amplifier all amplification occurs at the factory deck. Wondering which shop you went to possibly Truck Trends since your in Southgate? Anyhow, its a common practice to charge you for something you do not need at all (either that, or you definately dont want them messing with your truck due to lack of experience. Anyhow, im a professional installer myself that specializes in Fords and I am Ford authorized. If you have any further questions and i can be of assistance please let me know. Also, on a sidenote, why would you want to replace the factory radio/changer setup instead of possibly just adding an amp and or new speakers. I have quite a few ideas on this using factory Ford parts. I just upgraded my new supercrew with a Mach system from an expedition. Its great, all bolt on parts that fit the 1st time and the sound is very good overall. Brett

 

Welcome xman. So I have a EB with the Mach. What would you suggest to upgrade that? It sounds okay, however the Mach in the '00 taurus sounds a lot better. Yeah I know smaller space and all, but I mean it sounds alot better. Would you start with a better sub or replace the factory drivers with Polks or something? Look forward to the reply.

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'00 EB AWD.K&N,Whitewalls turned in.

 

Brett, I'd be interested in stopping by and seeing your setup. It was actually Mickey Shorr in Lincoln Park I went to and the sales guy told me that. So far, the sound I've gotten hasn't been that bad, just seems to be a bit under powered when the windows are down. I've given some thought to just putting in new speakers as I was reading another thread and someone thought the stock speakers were around 10 ohms. Any decent aftermarkets should be less resistance, efectively upping the HU output.

Bob

[This message has been edited by Chainsaw13 (edited 04-07-2001).]

 

Hello and thanks for the warm welcome. I guess we should approach this in a few stages 1st of all did you purchase/lease your EB when it was new or was it used? 2nd, it is very important to make sure that you have the proper deck in this vehicle, does the headunit have a dual purpose button that says "RDS" on one side and "DSP" on the other? The reason im asking this is that it is not unheard of to have recieved the wrong radio from the factory (or had the dealer switch it out with the wrong replacement). 3rd, verify that the factory subwoofer is indeed operating. Thats kinda a no brainer and im assuming that it is, but i have seen them not plugged in to the rear of the radio. O.K. with all that out of the way, on to the fun stuff, there are several reasons that the taurus sounds better in addition to the smaller space, these include the rear speakers reflecting off of the rear window and the fact that the tweeters are mounted high up on the door, also, keep in mind that the taurus uses an external amplifier and the EB is amplified through the deck (with the exception of the subwoofer). As far as upgrading the EB i guess that depends on your listening tastes, if the highs and mids are suitable to you then yes, upgrade the subwoofer but you may find little to no improvement depending on the specs of the sub you use verses the power output of the factory sub amp and the enclosure size and construction (remember all subs sound best in a totally "dead" enclosure and that is not achieved through a composite box). Given all that, what i would most likely do is choose a nice 5 channel amplifier (ppi, kicker, mtx, crossfire, etc..) and use it to power the whole sysem using the factory deck and the factory speakers (expeditions, explorers, sporttracs,all have component front speakers when ordered with a "Mach" soundsystem, but of these, the expedition is the only one that utilizes silk dome tweeters instead of metal) and the quality of them is actually very good. On a sidenote, if you have the proper headunit it is already crossed over for high and low level and has its own sub out so all you really need is a good 5 channel amp that takes high level input for all 5 channels or a very good hi to lo level converter. If your planning on installing this stuff yourself let me know and i will provide you with the wiring connections, colors, etc. Thanks for the interest and sorry bout the long post, but......you asked. Cya XMan.

 

Hay Bob, im sure we could set up something if u would like to meet up I would be glad to show you my setup and help you out with any info you need. Also, what it actually sounds like to me is that you may desire an amp for the truck, just to give a little more power to the factory speakers, im not a big fan of replacing the speakers because aftermarkets simply dont provide the lows and midbass that the factory ones do (this is because aftermarket speakers usually cut off around 70hz or so due to the fact they are intended to be used with a sub) Oh, and to answer the ohm question the factory speakers are 4 ohm when measured with a voltmeter, so, unfortunately your already drawing the max amount of power from the headunit. also, just on a sidenote, it is possible that your just going to fast with the windows down in that lightning of yours.....hahahahahahahaha. Email me at xmantdf@hotmail.com and we could probly set up a meeting. Later. Brett

 

Hey Xman,

I've just spent all day trying to transfer the FM modulated CD changer from my wife's old Explorer to her 99 F150. I thought the hard part would be to mount the changer in the console. That only took two hours. Then I tried to find a free accessory plug somewhere in the dash. Failing that, I thought I'd spend the rest of my afternoon trying to fish the cable from the floor to the back of the head unit. After drawing serious blood, I finally quit. This is the hardest vehicle I've ever worked on.

Any words of wisdom?

Thanks, Dennis

 

Dennis, 1st remove the headunit (the trim panel around the radio just pulls forward, its held in with clips) to remove the radio u need to have radio removal tools and insert them into the holes on each side of the front of the radio. Next, remove the black plastic shroud under the dashboard directly beneath the radio, it is held in with 3 black push pins (two on the drivers side, one on the passenger) Remove the radio from the dash and unplug both connectors and the antenna wire. Next, cut back the tape on the plug furthest to your left when your looking at the back of the radio from the top with the harness plugged in. Your connections are as follows, constant 12volts is green with a purple stripe, switched 12 volts is black with a pink stripe and should be the 3rd pin from the left top, and finally ground is black with a green stripe. The wires off of your modulator should be yellow (constant 12v) red(switched 12v) and black for ground depending on the brand but thats pretty standard. Finally, hook your display unit to the modulator control unit, plug the antenna from the vehicle into the modulator control unit and the antenna lead off the modulator control into the radio then plug the wire that leads to the changer into the modulator control unit. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

I get nervous tapping into existing wires going to the radio. There won't be too much draw on that line? (I suppose not; if the head unit had CD controls, everything would come off the same line).

Finally, I couldn't get the cable from the changer up from the floor to the back of the radio. Is there a pro-installer trick to this?

Thanks a bunch,
Dennis

 

Hi Dennis, dont worry bout the current draw youll have plenty of power to use the changer. As far as the wire from the changer to the headunit remove the plastic shroud that i mentioned in my last message then remove the console from the vehicle and run the wire directly from the console area to the spot underdash where the panel was, you should be able to pull the carpet up enough to get your hands under and pull the cable freely, you may have to cut the carpet slightly on the console side. That should do it for ya, let me know how it turns out.

 

Alright Xman, my turn for a question. I have the premium sound system with single cd in my truck, I've always thought that it sounded pretty good. Now, my girlfriend bought an Escape with the Mach system w/ 6disc in dash changer, components, and sub and it sounds much better than mine. What is the best method to improve mine to mimic hers while keeping the existing set-up and not breaking the bank at the same time?

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2000 F-150SC 5.4L 4X4ORP
DEEP WEDGEWOOD BLUE
AUTO, 3.55LS, TOW PKG.
RAVIN Z-55 DUAL EXHAUST
CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS,
REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY
REAR SLIDER
PREMIUM SOUND w/ CD
RHINO LINER
STATE ISSUED UNIV.OF GA. PLATE.
UGA RECEIVER COVER
UGA LICENSE PLATE(FRONT)

WISH LIST:
AIRAID FIPK
SUPERCHIP
TINTED WINDOWS
HOOD DEFLECTOR(PAINTED)

A NATIONAL TITLE FOR UGA(FOOTBALL)
Then maybe when I get more money:

3" BODY LIFT KIT
BIGGER TIRES

etc., etc., etc.

 

I'm not xman, but think I can offer a good idea. To get your system sounding even better than hers, you could add a set of ambient tweeters and a single sub under the backseat.

Wire the tweeters in parallel with the front speakers showing the deck a 2 ohm load which will make the tweeters, and what will now be the stock mid louder and better sounding.

As for the 8", get something that will take 100-200 watts RMS, and a small amp that will push the same.

This setup will sound twice as good as hers, while not wasting any of your stock equipment and not taking up much space either.

 

Thanks Big Tray! Any recommendations on the brands of tweeters, amp and sub to get?