MischivousSlpwlkr Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 So my stereo has slowly been breaking down over the last few weeks as I get ready for a haul by myself from VT->CO. I'm leaving in a weak, and feel like driving that distance alone w/o a stereo is downright unsafe. I've got a 1996 OBW with the premium sound setup (am/fm/tape/cd, 80w Panasonic deal (p114 i think)) So here's what's going on: I use an Ipod. First I used it through my tape deck via adapter. It worked great for years until one day the adapter ejected, and now the tape deck won't let me push in a tape all the way. It gets like 90% of the way in, and then just hits a wall that is completely inflexible (I tried forcing it. Hard.) So, I said screw it, radio still works, I'll just buy an fm transmitter. So I did, and that worked fine for about a week. Yesterday all of the sudden, the radio stopped working. As in, there is no way to get the thing into radio mode. I can, however, still play cds. And what's weird is that I can occasionally hear a faint clicking sound coming from the tape deck. So, I think the radio can't come on b/c the unit thinks the tape deck is supposed to be playing. However, the cd player overrides the other 2, so when thats on everything seems normal. Anyway, I'm thinking the unit is probably toast, and am planning on getting rid of it (unless someone has some trick to fix it) My question is, am I better off trying to find the same stereo at a junkyard, and just swapping them out, or is it a relatively easy job to install an aftermarket head unit. They're like under $100 these days, so if it was a job I could do myself in like an hour I'd probably go for it. I've already tried google and the search here and can't find too much. Anyone got any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Kenwood makes a decent little entry-level unit. The KDC-MP142 should be available locally for about $100-120. You'll need a dash kit and wiring harness. These should be available at any car stereo shop between $15-20 each. All you have to do is match up the wires color for color between the harness for the stereo and the harness you bought. Remove the stereo. Mount the new stereo in the dash kit. Connect the harness and antenna to the stereo. Mount the dash kit w/ stereo where the old stereo was. Put the dash back together. If you've NEVER done this before, I'd be surprised if it took you more than an hour. Disassembling the dash is the hardest part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Scoobywagon, Any radio/cassette units that I've tinkered with over the years usually had failures due to broken drive bands (read small rubber bands that drive the eject mechanism and turn the wheels for each spool of the tape). In each instance once I had opened the radio case I found the broken belt/band and took it with me to a local radio repair shop. There the repair guy compared its shape and length to those in stock and I was able to fix my units. If you have the patience and the time to tackle the same thing, go for it. But if you don't feel you have the time and would rather swap your old unit out for a new one, that might be a better decision noting your trip timeline. If you go for a new unit, most car audio stores have wiring harness swap kits that allow your new radio to plug into their short conversion harness, and then plug seamlessly into your Subie radio harness with no wire mess or problems. If you'd rather do the install by hardwiring, go online to the "installdr.com" (the install doctor), find your car's make, model, and year listed, and get the entire wiring colour codes and harness pinouts free. Its a neat site. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 To remove the radio, first remove the cup holder. Then remove the ash tray. Directly above the ash tray there are two screws that also have to be removed. Bezel will then pop free. Been awhile but good chance you'll also have to pull the plastic around the gear shift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MischivousSlpwlkr Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Good Info, thanks everyone! Time is certainly of the essence here. I'm thinking I might just go to a local junkyard to see if I can find the same unit. They said if they have it it would be around $25. Seems like it would be a quick swap. On the other hand, having a new unit w/ aux in on the front sounds pretty nice too. I like the sound of this "short conversion harness." I really don't wanna mess around with soldiering a fist full of wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jermany755 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) The wiring harness you're looking for is Metra part # 70-8901. I'm not sure that you need a dash kit. I believe there's a universal pocket that works, but a lot of subarus have a seperate radio unit and cd drive type unit, both single din. If that's the case then you can just replace the radio unit with your new head unit and leave the non-functioning cd drive there below it. Save you about $20 on a dash kit. edit: Also the Metra wire harness will plug into the Subaru plug that comes out of your factory radio. It will just be a bunch of wires sticking out. Your new radio will also come with a harness that plugs into the new radio and also ends in assorted wires. Coincedentally the colors on these two harnesses go together. Here's the layout in case you're curious: 12v + yellow Acc + red Ground - black Power antenna + blue Amp turn-on + blue/white Illumination +/- orange or orange/white or orange/black LF speaker + white LF speaker - white/black RF speaker + gray RF speaker - gray/black LR speaker + green LR speaker - green/black RR speaker + purple RR speaker - purple/black If you don't have a power antenna or aftermarket amplifier, don't connect the blue wires and tape them off. I would avoid using the illumination wire unless you know what you're doing as some cars use a 12v+ illumination circuit and others use a ground circuit. Good way to fry your new head unit if you mess it up. All that said... there are many good entry level head units from Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Panasonic, etc. from under $100. Almost all come with a 3.5 mm audio input jack. Good luck! Edited July 21, 2009 by jermany755 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MischivousSlpwlkr Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 So that Metra wire harness will just plug right into the back of any aftermarket stereo? No soldiering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 The Metra harness will NOT plug into the stereo. It plugs into the car's harness. It then gives you all the appropriate wires in standardized colors. The harness that comes with your new stereo will also have all those wires in the same colors. No soldering required. You can definitely do it with a fist full of butt connectors. The other thing to be aware of is that some Subaru's require an antenna adapter as they don't use the standard Motorola antenna connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jermany755 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 So that Metra wire harness will just plug right into the back of any aftermarket stereo? Your new radio will also come with a harness that plugs into the new radio and also ends in assorted wires. Coincedentally the colors on these two harnesses go together. I know I don't explain things very well, but it's all there. Just squint your eyes a little bit when you read my posts and it will all become clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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