Car Stereo Installation

When installing a new car stereo yourself, you will find it handy to have your tools nearby before beginning. Depending on the type of vehicle you have, you will most likely need the following:

• A Slotted Tip Screwdriver
• Phillips Screwdriver
• New Harness
• Crimp Tool
• Crimp Caps
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Strippers

It doesn't hurt to have a manual for your car. If you plan to do a lot of your own work in the future, you can purchase a manual online or from an auto parts store. This manual will explain how to remove your dashboard as well as help you with many other tasks.

1. First thing that you will want to do is remove your dashboard. When removing your dash, you do not want to use power tools. Using a screwdriver, you will remove all of the screws. Some may be hidden. Once all of the screws are removed from dash, you should be able to remove the panels easily.


2. After the dash is removed, you will then begin removing the old stereo. You might want to take notes while removing this because when you install your new stereo, it will be installed the exact same way, only in reverse. It is also a good idea to remove your stereo first before purchasing a new one so that you can take the old one to the store with you. You will want to make sure that your new stereo will fit properly into the old slot. Also, you will want to buy a wiring harness that is specific to your car to avoid future wiring problems that could potentially occur.


3. To remove your car stereo, you will first need to disconnect your battery's ground wire. This is the black wire connected to the battery under the hood of your car. It is dangerous to work on electrical components of a vehicle with this connected.


4. After disconnecting the ground wire, you will then unscrew your old stereo's head and slide it out gently. Be careful, because there will be many wires attached to the back. You will probably see a plastic wiring harness. You should unplug these factory harnesses and unplug the antenna.


5. If you were able to purchase a wiring harness, the next step will be fairly easy. You take the wiring harness and simply plug it in to the factory harness after the wires have been connected. Each wire will be color coated. You will simply connect the wires to their matching wire in the dash and plug the new stereo harness back into the factory harness provided in the dash. This will be discussed in more detail below. If you do have a harness, skip the next four paragraphs.

A harness is designed to make this a much easier task. If you were unable to buy a harness, then there is a bit more to do. You will have to make the connections manually. If you do not have a harness, you should have a manual to assist you with this project.

Without a harness, you will need to connect the appropriate stereo wires to their corresponding wires attached to the dash. The wires will be color coated for your convenience.

1. First you will be connecting the positive wires from the dash to the positive wires on your new stereo.


2. Next, connect the negative wires to the corresponding negative wires. The colors in the dash should match the colors in the new stereo. You will attach the colored wires on the radio to the matching colored wires in the dash. If the colors are not matching, you should consult a manual.


3. Next, you will connect the black ground wire of the stereo to the metal of a screw or bolt next to where the stereo is mounted, making sure that the wire is touching the metal part of the bolt and not touching plastic or another non conductor.


4. Now, you will connect the 12 constant and ignition power wires to the stereo. These wires will usually be red and yellow. Yellow will be your battery and red will be your ignition.

Assuming that you do have a harness, we are going to use the crimping method to connect the wires because it is much easier and cleaner than soldering. Dashboard electrical wires are generally 18 gauge wires, but it is possible that you have a different size wire. Use appropriate size wire strippers and crimp caps for your specific wires.

1. First, using the wire strippers, strip the wire back 1/2". Next, twist the wires together and place the crimp cap onto the newly joined wires. Be sure to squeeze the cap to make sure it's tight. Do this for all of the wires. Now, you will have completed connecting the wires to their appropriate connections.


2. Next, place the car stereo into the mounting bracket that was purchased with the stereo. Then, connect the wiring harness attached to the stereo to the factory provided harness inside the dash. Once this is complete, you will need to slide the stereo into the dash. Do not screw it in at this point - first you will have to test it out.


3. Next, attach the negative battery cable to the battery for power. Then, turn your key on and try out your new stereo. It should sound great!


4. If it has a lack of bass or too much treble, it is possible that something has been incorrectly connected. Disconnect your battery's negative cable again and go back into your dash, looking to see that everything is connected correctly. Check your stereo's ground wire and make sure that it is sufficiently attached to ground. After rectifying the problem with connection, it should be in operable condition and sounding great with excellent clarity depending on your stereo's quality.

While it may seem complicated, car stereo installation can be a relatively easy process if you have the right tools and information. By following the steps above, you should be able to install any brand of car stereo and have it sounding great in no time.