will MR2 stereos work on our celi's? what would i need?, i have the 8-speaker premium package with dual factory amps Options

[azian_advanced]

i have the 8-speaker premium package with dual factory amps and i would like to purchase this factory Toyota LCD stereo (pics below) that came off a JDM 98 MR2 Beams version.. anyway, i want to use both factory amps so i won't have to meddle with re-wiring each speaker to another aftermarket amplifier.

i was wondering if it is possible to get a wire harness to plug this into the factory wire harness and attach the other end to this new stereo and still use the same factory amps?


i have read these relevant posts below from the stickies thread dealing with installing aftermarket stereos and how to use your original amps instead of the ones built-in to the stereo but doesn't deal with the 8 speaker system. here.

So probably my best option for an easy install would be to get an 87 up Toyota wiring harness adapter for all my power feeds, ect., for the head unit, and then an aftermarket amp for the front door components and rear side panel coaxials. Then just comepletely re-wire the speakers off of the aftermarket amp.

Will the above scenario work without having to do a bunch of factory wiring harness cutting and splicing?? THAT is what I want to avoid. I'd like to be able to return everything to factory without being hacked up.

Lastly, WTF was toyota thinking, and why is there no simple solution.

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Yes, that is exactly what I did. You will not have to cut a single factory wire using this method.

Like I said in my previous post though, the plugs for the factory wiring are located UNDER the amp and mine were actually fastened to the bottom of the amp making it almost impossible to get to them without removing all the console trim -which I eventually did. Maybe on yours you can just reach under the amp and pull them out into view.

Despite the extra work, I still would recommend bypassing the factory amp and going with a good external amp.

Depending on your setup preferences, you can use an external amp to power your front comps and maybe a sub(if you get a 4 ch amp) and use the new head unit to power the rears.

As for why Toyota set it up this way, this actually is the simplest solution. For the models that DON'T have an amp, you can just buy the wiring harness adapter and unplug the factory stereo and plug your adapter into the factory wiring. But with the premium sound system, Toyota inserted an amp into the equation, making it more difficult to get to that factory wiring. And remember, car manufacturers don't build cars to make it easy for customers to pull out THEIR stereo and put in a different one.

Anyway, good luck, and if you have questions with this whole process, just ask.

and here's what another member quoted about using factory amplifiers.

Thanks a lot bro. That guide is awesome. I'm going to go buy that harness adapter to make it easier. Should be just as good as directly connecting it. Thanks again, man!

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i assume that you have the 6 speakers? if you have the 8 speakers (3 on each side in front) you will need the metra amp integration harness to get the headunit to work with the stock amps...

-Rob

would this metra amp integration harness be the same harness i would need to use to hook up this stereo? if so, where can i buy it?


any help would be most appreciated,
Gerald.



oh yea... and some pics of the stereo:









This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Dec 26, 2005 - 5:19 PM

[Cutrara]

That stereo is so badass. I'd call Toyota if I were you. Just tell them you want to put a JDM stereo into your 8-speaker Celica and if they know of any harnesses.

[Supersprynt]

First the radio wont work because its made for Japan, I believe thats fixable, but not sure and no clue how. Secondly, I dont know if it'll play Cd's because they may be regional like VHS/DVDs.

[azian_advanced]

i believe their radio frequencies are very similar but their frequency range is higher.. i have a sony radio where there's a switch between north american to japanese (or foreign) frequency. when i have it switched to japanese, the same radio frequency works with ours but the numbers start and end higher than north american radios.

the unit itself is not a DVD player, it only plays cassette and regular audio CDs. a separate DVD player is needed for this unit and can be hooked through the units input with RCA jacks at the back of the unit.

[azian_advanced]

bump....

[jess_i_74]

Well I'm certain it's doable; but I doubt you will find a harness for it. Most places don't even carry 8 speaker harnesses in our generations period. It might be a matter of trial and error, since color coding MIGHT be standard.

Just right off I might guess:

Red: switched hot
Yellow: constant hot
Black: ground

And from the sets of four connectors that are seperately inserted, it could be possible to find the correct speaker wires, though the 6/8 problem makes things much more hairy. I don't know that it would be at all easy to go for keeping any stock amps; aftermarket amps might make your job easier. But it looks like Work. With a capital W.

[azian_advanced]

thanks for the reply..
i'm certain that color coding will be different from standard. i had a 5th gen with the 10 speaker system and the previous owner wired up an aftermarket head unit thinking it was a 4 spkr system without a factory amp and didn't even use a harness. anyways, he thought color coding would be the same but certainly is different because of the factory amp.

i DO think that (like you said) the black, yellow, and red would be the same. i'm just worried that if i happen to get a harness for my 8 spkr system, how difficult installing this unit would be without changing my factory amps.