AK lubwagon Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 A poorly-placed latte' killed my factory stereo on my 1991 subaru LOYALE wagon (took a corner too fast and the latte' spilled into the vents, down onto the stereo). I installed an aftermarket stereo using a wiring harness. However, HOW in the HECK do you install the antenna? I attached a "male" end (which my new stereo requires) to the coax. cable, but there is no room for anything behind the stereo itself (the heater unit limits the space), and the stereo now sticks out about 2 inches from the console. AND! the speakers worked great for about 2 days...but something has gone terribly wrong...now I get very little volume (even cranked up), and if I try to turn it up too far, I get nothing at all. Obviously a voltage and/or speaker wiring problem. Any suggestions for the antenna or the speakers? I know there have been several posts regarding this subject, but after spending an hour clicking through pages of posts, I decided to try my luck at posting again. If you can refer me to a previous post (date) that would be superb. Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subestyle18 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 I said screw it and made a new consol in my 83 that stuck outand then replace the stock speakers they such get some cheepos off the internet. (hifisoundconnection.com) well thats what i did David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalewithcheese Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 A poorly-placed latte' killed my factory stereo on my 1991 subaru LOYALE wagon (took a corner too fast and the latte' spilled into the vents, down onto the stereo). I installed an aftermarket stereo using a wiring harness. However, HOW in the HECK do you install the antenna? I attached a "male" end (which my new stereo requires) to the coax. cable, but there is no room for anything behind the stereo itself (the heater unit limits the space), and the stereo now sticks out about 2 inches from the console. AND! the speakers worked great for about 2 days...but something has gone terribly wrong...now I get very little volume (even cranked up), and if I try to turn it up too far, I get nothing at all. Obviously a voltage and/or speaker wiring problem. Any suggestions for the antenna or the speakers? I know there have been several posts regarding this subject, but after spending an hour clicking through pages of posts, I decided to try my luck at posting again. If you can refer me to a previous post (date) that would be superb. Thanks so much. the best bet is to get a stereo install kit that moves the aftermarket stereo out a bit. i think the one i got was from a company called Metra or something like that. got it off ebay for like $10 or so... as for the speakers, stock subi speakers use a common ground for like front and rear or some wacky thing like that. that doesn't jive for aftermarket stereos. i think you can wire fronts with OEM wires, but not with the OEM rear wiring....or something wacky like that. the bottom line is you should test wiring and replace if needed. as for the antenna, mine wouldn't reach so i had to get a 12" extension to reach my head unit. clearance wasn't an issue once i mounted with the install kit. cheers andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 I used the same kit as Loyalewithcheese, works very well. The extra 2 inches or whatever that the stereo sticks out is covered by the kit, looks pro. There was someone selling discount Metra kits in the Buy/Sell forum but I can't remember who it was. He had bought a bunch of em and didn't need them anymore. Check Buy/Sell, I think he was selling em for like $5 + ship maybe?? (Paid like $12 for mine on ebay). As for the speakers, I figured that if I was getting a new Headunit, I might as well splurge and buy some nice speaks. Paid like $50 for a set of pioneer 200w mids, sound good. For the antenna, I just took off that extension (the one that is soldered to the stock headunit) at the connector. Then I cut off the connector, spliced a peice of wire in there and hooked the connector into my stereo, the connector plugs in enough so there are no fitting issues. Let us know if you have more questions, I know I was full of questions when I tried to get my new stereo in, it can be a pain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critical_max Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Definitely use the Metra adapter plate, and replace your stock speakers if you want to hear anything at all. I only did the rears, so the fronts are drowned out almost entirely. New speakers are about 10x better than the OEM ones. I didn't have any problems with the common ground/shared ground setup, your mileage may vary. I have all 4 speakers working off the new head unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobmater Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44277 here you go as far as the plates sucks about your old head unit. heres a pic of mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebz Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Metra adapter for the win! I think I paid about $15 for mine at car toys.. but it came with the EA82 adapter, and an EA81 adapter as well, which I handed off to another board member in need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Subarus used to have a common negative for the front and the back speakers. This will not work with todays speakers. You are better off wiring up the speakers with some good quality new speaker wire. Its also a lot easier than trying to figure out what wire is what on the old wiring harness. Just whatever you do don't cut into the factory wiring. It will make life a b***h for someone down the road. Here is a pic of how i installed mine. I just moved the stereo down to where the small tray was and opened up the hole. It looks as close to factory as it can. Just scroll down the page until you get to the interior shot. Sorry the pic isn't any bigger. Im going to have to fix that later. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/724118/2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiesdad Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 I got the Metra wiring adapter and the antenna ext. cable locally, cheap speakers from Wal-Mart, and it's crankin'. I ended up with 5 1/4" speakers in front instead of 6 1/2" so the windows would clear the magnets, so you might want to measure for clearance before you buy speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK lubwagon Posted October 11, 2005 Author Share Posted October 11, 2005 Wow! My subie and I thank you for all the suggestions! I'll give 'em a try and post again soon to let you all know what worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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