Audio wiring

[OhioGuy82]

I am purchasing an aftermarket H/U for my '91. I want the H/U to power the speakers in the doors only. The rear speakers will be powered by an aftermarket amplifier.
Is this possible without having to run new wires to the speakers or can I just juse the factory harness? I'm aware that there is a seperate harness for the amp and sub. When I got the car the radio wasn't there, looked like someone had ripped it completely out. Can this be done?

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Yes, it can be wired as you described - if the factory harness hasn't been hacked. In the factory dash harness, each of the speaker wire leads are indivdually color-coded, which will allow you to selectively power the front speakers.

The limiting factor may be the aftermarket headunit you select. Look for a Metra radio harness adapter for your headunit, as they make aftermarket-specific harnesses including a bypass harness for the JBL amplifier.

 

[OhioGuy82]

It's in bad shape. I only have 1 gray plug. The rest looks like it's just been chopped up and torn out. The H/U is a Kenwood.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Probably your biggest initial hurtle will be finding all the harness-leads for the black-colored radio/harness connector, and determining whether you have enough remaining wire to connect/wire to.

You're going to need an EVTM (Electronic Vacuum & Troubleshooting Manual), or access to the wiring diagrams which identify the wiring harnesses, to include wire color-codes and harness connectors as a minimum.

Probably the easiest way to determine how badly the harness has been hacked, is to directly compare your's against another Taurus/Sable that [had] the same stereo setup from the factory. You can get around minor hacking of the harness - worse case, the harness can be replaced, but requires removal of the dash.


As far as the Metra harness - do a basic Google-search using the term "metra" plus the model number of your Kenwood headunit. Common sources for the harness include Crutchfield, Circuit City, and eBay.

 

[OhioGuy82]

I did some investigating. I looks like there is an amp bypass harness already installed in the rear.:woohoo: I found the plug in the back of the radio hole. It's intact too. Seems like the only plug that's been ripped off is the one that has the gray cable. I'
But the front is a different story. We sell Metra harnesses at work.

I've read that I do not need to worry about the gray cable. Is this true? Notice the sleeve, someone's already beat me to this.

Which of these do I need to use? The one on the bottom or top?

:thankyou: