Aftermarket back to stock stereo

JWjeepSask

JWjeepSask

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 14, 2016
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170
Location
Canada
Alright as most of you already know I have absolutely no clue about electrical wiring so here is my dilemma... The PO of my jeep installed a aftermarket deck and speakers which both still work perfectly fine, but on a recent adventure I snapped the whole deck outta place and now it just rattles around in my dash(still works fine). I want to switch back to a factory CD radio unit now. Would a factory stereo still work with aftermarket speakers?


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What kind of speakers? Just drop in replacements for stock? If so, they will be fine.

Can you tell if the PO used an adapter to connect the aftermarket head unit to the stock wiring harness?
 
fooey said:
What kind of speakers? Just drop in replacements for stock? If so, they will be fine.

Can you tell if the PO used an adapter to connect the aftermarket head unit to the stock wiring harness?
Click to expand...

When I pulled apart the dash to fix my off-road switchs there is maybe 3 wires all connected to 1 connection into the aftermarket unit. 2 kicker speakers that fit where the factory ones were on the rollcage


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That stereo connection does not sound good.....as in the electrical part of it. It might be a PITA to do, but buying a stock radio connection harness, getting a wire diagram, and repairing your harness back to stock is worth it. No worries about bad connections, and if you ever decide to do a different radio head, adaptors are available so you don't have to cut or splice wires. Speaker wise, seems your existing should work, if wired correctly. I'm not an audio guy, and I'm not into the specs of speakers, I just personally like clean, stock, worry free, done right, wire connections. Converting the radio harness back to stock is not an expensive venture, just time consuming. Hope this helps
 
Sounds like all you need is a new mounting bracket/din for the aftermarket. It mounts with four screws into your dash and the head unit slides in. Did several of those break?wuali

If you want to go back to stock, it will work with the kickers, but you're not going to get the quality or sound level you had. What year TJ do you have? Can't you guys put the details of your Jeep in your profile? Saves lots of time
 
JMT said:
Sounds like all you need is a new mounting bracket/din for the aftermarket. It mounts with four screws into your dash and the head unit slides in. Did several of those break?wuali

If you want to go back to stock, it will work with the kickers, but you're not going to get the quality or sound level you had. What year TJ do you have? Can't you guys put the details of your Jeep in your profile? Saves lots of time
Click to expand...

It's a 02 TJ yes the brackets are broken and I just want to go back to factory because in the town I live in there is good money stealing stereos and reselling them, we all know how easy jeeps are to break into...


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JWjeepSask said:
It's a 02 TJ yes the brackets are broken and I just want to go back to factory because in the town I live in there is good money stealing stereos and reselling them, we all know how easy jeeps are to break into...


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Click to expand...
Do you have a stock unit?

Send me a pic of the wiring back there. I read your description but a pic would help.

If you don't have a stock unit I have an 05 and we could check for fitment. It's got a CD player and radio. Why don't you check for fitment and if it works you can have it.
 
JWjeepSask said:
Alright as most of you already know I have absolutely no clue about electrical wiring so here is my dilemma... The PO of my jeep installed a aftermarket deck and speakers which both still work perfectly fine, but on a recent adventure I snapped the whole deck outta place and now it just rattles around in my dash(still works fine). I want to switch back to a factory CD radio unit now. Would a factory stereo still work with aftermarket speakers?


Just be careful they didn't just cut all the wires and splice. I had to order the original connectors to install my stock unit.
20160608_173136.jpg
20160608_182057.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Wanted to keep factory radio information consolidated, so I avoided starting my own thread about my issue.

I tried to install my newly acquired factory radio, however I am having problems with it. Refer to my video:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=NW0xRkdWQ2RJZjA4LTl3VkdnT0V3eXdwcUZZRGl3

Basically, I do not know why the radio is not turning on anymore. When everything is hooked up, no power. Checked the glove compartment fuse for the radio and it is intact. After it got dark, I turned on all of my lights and the radio's button lights illuminate, however the clock display doesn't illuminate (and still no radio).

Confused as to what could be wrong? Worked whenever I first plugged the radio in. Then disconnected it. Connected the ground. Didn't work. Disconnected the ground. Doesn't work. Confused.
 
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Where is the ground wire coming from???

Are the videos saying ground it to the stereo?

I can’t imagine that you would have damaged the unit by running it without a proper ground.

Could it have been loosely grounded to the stereo the first time just by touch?

A proper ground has to be on a bolt with no paint.
 
JMT said:
Where is the ground wire coming from???

Are the videos saying ground it to the stereo?

I can’t imagine that you would have damaged the unit by running it without a proper ground.

Could it have been loosely grounded to the stereo the first time just by touch?

A proper ground has to be on a bolt with no paint.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response!

The ground is coming somewhere from behind the steering wheel area.

And, I was curious if somehow the ground was touching the back of the radio the whole time that I was messing with the radio, and thought that the ground wasn’t connected.

Now though, with the ground connected, it won’t turn on at all. Very strange.

Hoping an electric guru will post up here and try and give an explanation!
 
JWjeepSask said:
It's an '02 TJ. The brackets are broken and I just want to go back to factory ....
Click to expand...

Went back to a 'stock' radio also ..... mine is an '04 with the 7 speaker option.
PO had installed an aftermarket deck and speakers. I replaced the deck with the stock RBK unit, and left the 'Kicker' speakers in place.
What I like about the OEM units is that they are easy to operate ...... big buttons, easy to read/adjust clock, and they match the interior.
I believe your TJ may have a different plug for the radio unit ??
Look at these websites for options and info .........
www.1factoryradio.com
www.allpar.com/stereo/
 
WWII Jeeper said:
That stereo connection does not sound good.....as in the electrical part of it. It might be a PITA to do, but buying a stock radio connection harness, getting a wire diagram, and repairing your harness back to stock is worth it. No worries about bad connections, and if you ever decide to do a different radio head, adaptors are available so you don't have to cut or splice wires. Speaker wise, seems your existing should work, if wired correctly. I'm not an audio guy, and I'm not into the specs of speakers, I just personally like clean, stock, worry free, done right, wire connections. Converting the radio harness back to stock is not an expensive venture, just time consuming. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Do you have a woofer speaker in console?


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Spider56 said:
Do you have a woofer speaker in console?


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Click to expand...

I do, but my 06 did not come with it as a factory option.

I found a unit from an 05 Rubicon, and tried to figure out the wiring. The key ended up being in the pin positions on the factory plugs, not the individual wire colors. I posted an update on my post "need help with sub console" or similar wording. It was a major PITA, and I eventually took it to Car Toys for the install. It works and sounds great with my stock radio, and worth the money spent.

Prior to that, I shipped my radio to 1 Factory Radio. They completely refurbished the unit and added a Aux input.
 
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