I just recently bought a 95 explorer and it came with the premium sound package. where is the ford amp located and how do i get to it ( so i can bypass it) or does anyone know where on the web i can get a wiring harness to use the amp with my kenwood receiver? i tied the scosche fdk10 harness ( which came with both 8-pin and 16 pin)my explorer uses a 16-pin but the speaker harness did match up with the factory connector.
Replies (17)
compvr15s on 10/25/2003 18:44:41
im not quite sure where it is but i would assume its probably under the glove compartment or behind it or near it somwhere, this is just a guess. wait for ttocs or swez id predict that probably one of them know. good luck.
triumph1902 on 10/25/2003 19:51:17
By premium sound system I’m guessing you mean the factory JBL system. On that car there are 2 amps one for the 8" sub and one for the speakers. The amps are mounted on one panel with the sub and can be found on the right side of your trunk area. You will need to remove the large plastic trim that covers the sub. As for making the factory amp and the Kenwood deck work together, from what I know factory and aftermarket car audio components don’t mix. I'm also aware that the 95 explorer with the JBL system includes a CD changer at the center console. I am not sure that would run with your Kenwood deck either.
From personal experience on the Kenwood decks, their built in amps are weak and tend to fade after being used at high volume for 30min or so. If you do want to better your system by using an amp your best bet would be to get 4ch amp.
bobbi-digi on 10/25/2003 20:36:16
Yes if I were you jbak21 (which I'm not), but if I were I would definately just install your Head Unit with total disregard for the existing Ford/Factory amps which may be tucked away throughout the ride.
You could just wire all the speakers directly from the back of the Kenwood receiver, but I'll also have to agree with triumph that your best bet would be to hard-wire (without harnesses) just a few wires on the Kenwood - Ground, + Bat (memory wire), power antenna if U use it - probably not... just the basics. I'm going to assume you know how to hook up the HU so that it powers up but doesn't run any speakers.... if not let us know.
Ignore the speaker wires on the Kenwood and also the factory amps. Stick a nice 4 channel amp in and run dem speakers off that (possibly you can find a nice spot to mount it and ground it easily if you decide to search out the factory amps and are met with success)
Look! I'm babbling again.
SSSorryyyyyyy.....
Robert J. Digital;
C.E.O. Digital Enterprizez Ink.
jbak21 on 10/25/2003 20:47:50
my goal was to get the stock speakers to run directly off my head unit with as much ease as possible. i have 2 infinty Ref. 10 i want to put in the back and 2 Infinity 6x9's. i have a 2ch 300 watt amp for the 6x9's and a 4ch 400 watt amp that i bridged for the 10s in my last car. also i was thinking of replaceing the stock 8" they have in the cargo spot. i guess i will just pick up another 4ch amp when i can and run the stock speakers off that. that would be so hard because i already have a california profile crossover that i could connect them all too. unless someone has a better idea,which i would be greatfull for. i want to thank everyone for there replies
bobbi-digi on 10/26/2003 00:05:47
Yes, you can definately run the stock speakers directly off your HU.
You don't need to worry about the Ford amps unless you plug into the existing wiring harness that runs to them - wherever they are...
Just cut the speaker wires coming from the HU before they get to the harness (bypassing the stock amps, or whatever they are doing...we're not concerned with them..) then run those speaker wires to the corresponding speakers. U'll have to run / hide a lot of wire because you can't use the stock wires on the other side of the harness; as they are intertwined amongst the stock amps from which we're so desperately trying to get away.
Just wire the speakers up (2 rear, 2 front) directly from the Kenwood HEAD UNIT - Running the cable manually.
Then U should still be able to plug into the stock harness for things like dimmer switch, 12V memory, ground etc. etc.
....am I confusing us both more than I'm helping?
hehehehehe
Hope it helps somewhat.
USFLAG
Swez on 10/26/2003 09:19:20
JBL OEM systems often mount the amps directly to/near each speaker. The signals from the HU to each amped speaker flow through a powered harness that feeds each speaker. This was true of the older systems, but may not apply to this newer version vehicle.
Can you gain easy access to your rear speakers? Look for an amplifier near each speaker. If that is how your system is wired, the speakers will have to go and new wiring added as well.
Check it out and tell us what you found,
Swez
ttocs on 10/26/2003 16:25:30
think you are confusing jbl and infinity swez. Ford uses a really fugly octagonal amp, usually hidden on the passenger side behind the trim, as mentioned before. Sometimes there is an easy way to bypass all the jbl crap, sometimes not. If you know what a typical ford speaker and pwr hrns look like, start looking around the passenger side of the dash around the glove box. Often they clip them to the dash itself. You will see a pwr(grey) and a speaker(black) hrns. THey look the same except for the color. If you disconnect the black hrns, you will have direct line to the factory speakers. If you do not know what the hrns look like, go to a local shop and pick one up. There are no other hrns's in the dash that look similar. You can check to see if it is the correct one by turning on the deck, then disconnect it. Sound should drop right out.
Another possability is to get a ford amp bypass kit. Simply locate the amp(not really all that easy, but not rocket science), unplug the input and outputs, and plug in your hrns. Your deck will now go directly to the speakers, just via 45 ft of speaker wire....
The third and easiest option is a amp integration kit. There are two types, I don't know that one is better then the other really. There is a $40 difference between the 2. One has 4 variable resistors that you will tune once everything is hooked up, the other just playes the straight high level out of the deck, in to the factory amp. The problem with these two is if you ever add a sub. By the time your nice, clean playing aftermarket amp is starting to get enough volume to push the sub, the noisy, high gain jbl amp is already clipping..
Start by looking for the hrns that I described. The are not easy to find, but easier and more reliable then the other optoins....
bobbi-digi on 10/26/2003 17:51:25
Guys I may be confused about the point here - but I don't think so...
Why would you ever want to seek out / deal with the Ford stock amps - or a bypass kit, if you just want to run speakers off a Kenwood HU?
I'd grab 4 speakers you wanna run, cut all the wires connecting to them...
(those wires go to ford amps, so they are cut off entirely on one side now)
Now splice new wires onto the 4 speakers, run them right up to the existing harness setup -
Now cut the speaker wires on the HU side of the harness, and splice onto them (now the ford amps are cut off entirely on both sides, that is: they do nothing and are connected to essentialy nothing - and the speakers are connected exactly to the HU)
This should accomplish your goals with the least amount of work / money involved.
Sincerely;
Your Daddy;
Robert J. Digital;
C.E.O. Digtal Enterprizez Ink.
Swez on 10/27/2003 09:50:32
Actually, I was thinking of the GM/Bose systems that have amplifiers on each speaker... just realized that was the one I mentioned earlier... not the same as Ford/JBL systems at all. Sorry for any confusion there.
Think I'll just sit this dance out and let others noodle this one out.
Swez
ttocs on 10/27/2003 10:39:39
wasn't tryin to run ya off....
Swez on 10/27/2003 11:48:05
Hehe... naw, just want to learn as my knowledge in this post is pretty much limited to what I have learned from you ttocs so far... obviously not enough on my end... so I'll just read the mail and learn there... coach!
Carry on and I'll just watch and learn...
Swez COFFEE
jbak21 on 10/27/2003 14:33:46
i had some time yesterday to play around and look for the stock amp, i found the Rear Control Unit (RCU) and the amp for the poor 6 1/2 " stock sub. They are both under the trim in the rear passanger side. Connected to the RCU are the antenna, cd changer, in speaker wire and out speaker wires. on the net i have found a harness package to bypass the RCU, i just did a google search for "RCU bypass" it was like 50 bucks. i think i am going to disconnect the speakers from the RCU and hard wire the speakers to my amp, and not worry about the speaker connection on the back of my HU, i will just run the front and rear RCAs to my crossover.
ttocs on 10/27/2003 15:37:42
if you are going to use amps rather then the one in the deck, you do not need the bypass hrns. You can simply wire into the factory output hrns that goes to the speakers. Get a AA battery and you can locate them easily....
jbak21 on 10/27/2003 19:52:46
yeah thats what i was going to do, i just wanted to mention that i found the harness, but what do you mean with AA battery to locate the speaker wire? thats new to me.
ttocs on 10/27/2003 22:40:22
if you think you have the wires that go to the speakers, the amps output, you can use a battery, and a voltmeter to find out what wires go to which speaker.
First use a voltmeter, or a testlight to test for pwr or ground on any of the wires. You can test them at the hrns rather then cutting the wires. If they do not have pwr or ground on them, then you touch one end of the battery to one wire, and the other end of the battery to another wire. If the two wires go to a common speaker/s, the speaker will make a popping noise. If the wires go to nothing, you will get nothing. try all the sequences of wire pairs, and when you are done, you should have 4 pairs of wires, or one pair per speaker if it is a floating ground system..
Make sence?
jbak21 on 10/29/2003 14:52:47
another question, is there a way to hook up the factory cd changer to an after maket HU? the back of my HU has a round 13 pin female port and the factory cd changer has a square 10 pin female port. any suggestions?
ttocs on 10/29/2003 15:57:32
I have never heard of anyone doing this. You can do an aftermarket chngr to a factory deck, but I have never heard of the opposit being done.
Replies (17)
compvr15s on 10/25/2003 18:44:41
im not quite sure where it is but i would assume its probably under the glove compartment or behind it or near it somwhere, this is just a guess. wait for ttocs or swez id predict that probably one of them know. good luck.
triumph1902 on 10/25/2003 19:51:17
By premium sound system I’m guessing you mean the factory JBL system. On that car there are 2 amps one for the 8" sub and one for the speakers. The amps are mounted on one panel with the sub and can be found on the right side of your trunk area. You will need to remove the large plastic trim that covers the sub. As for making the factory amp and the Kenwood deck work together, from what I know factory and aftermarket car audio components don’t mix. I'm also aware that the 95 explorer with the JBL system includes a CD changer at the center console. I am not sure that would run with your Kenwood deck either.
From personal experience on the Kenwood decks, their built in amps are weak and tend to fade after being used at high volume for 30min or so. If you do want to better your system by using an amp your best bet would be to get 4ch amp.
bobbi-digi on 10/25/2003 20:36:16
Yes if I were you jbak21 (which I'm not), but if I were I would definately just install your Head Unit with total disregard for the existing Ford/Factory amps which may be tucked away throughout the ride.
You could just wire all the speakers directly from the back of the Kenwood receiver, but I'll also have to agree with triumph that your best bet would be to hard-wire (without harnesses) just a few wires on the Kenwood - Ground, + Bat (memory wire), power antenna if U use it - probably not... just the basics. I'm going to assume you know how to hook up the HU so that it powers up but doesn't run any speakers.... if not let us know.
Ignore the speaker wires on the Kenwood and also the factory amps. Stick a nice 4 channel amp in and run dem speakers off that (possibly you can find a nice spot to mount it and ground it easily if you decide to search out the factory amps and are met with success)
Look! I'm babbling again.
SSSorryyyyyyy.....
Robert J. Digital;
C.E.O. Digital Enterprizez Ink.
jbak21 on 10/25/2003 20:47:50
my goal was to get the stock speakers to run directly off my head unit with as much ease as possible. i have 2 infinty Ref. 10 i want to put in the back and 2 Infinity 6x9's. i have a 2ch 300 watt amp for the 6x9's and a 4ch 400 watt amp that i bridged for the 10s in my last car. also i was thinking of replaceing the stock 8" they have in the cargo spot. i guess i will just pick up another 4ch amp when i can and run the stock speakers off that. that would be so hard because i already have a california profile crossover that i could connect them all too. unless someone has a better idea,which i would be greatfull for. i want to thank everyone for there replies
bobbi-digi on 10/26/2003 00:05:47
Yes, you can definately run the stock speakers directly off your HU.
You don't need to worry about the Ford amps unless you plug into the existing wiring harness that runs to them - wherever they are...
Just cut the speaker wires coming from the HU before they get to the harness (bypassing the stock amps, or whatever they are doing...we're not concerned with them..) then run those speaker wires to the corresponding speakers. U'll have to run / hide a lot of wire because you can't use the stock wires on the other side of the harness; as they are intertwined amongst the stock amps from which we're so desperately trying to get away.
Just wire the speakers up (2 rear, 2 front) directly from the Kenwood HEAD UNIT - Running the cable manually.
Then U should still be able to plug into the stock harness for things like dimmer switch, 12V memory, ground etc. etc.
....am I confusing us both more than I'm helping?
hehehehehe
Hope it helps somewhat.
USFLAG
Swez on 10/26/2003 09:19:20
JBL OEM systems often mount the amps directly to/near each speaker. The signals from the HU to each amped speaker flow through a powered harness that feeds each speaker. This was true of the older systems, but may not apply to this newer version vehicle.
Can you gain easy access to your rear speakers? Look for an amplifier near each speaker. If that is how your system is wired, the speakers will have to go and new wiring added as well.
Check it out and tell us what you found,
Swez
ttocs on 10/26/2003 16:25:30
think you are confusing jbl and infinity swez. Ford uses a really fugly octagonal amp, usually hidden on the passenger side behind the trim, as mentioned before. Sometimes there is an easy way to bypass all the jbl crap, sometimes not. If you know what a typical ford speaker and pwr hrns look like, start looking around the passenger side of the dash around the glove box. Often they clip them to the dash itself. You will see a pwr(grey) and a speaker(black) hrns. THey look the same except for the color. If you disconnect the black hrns, you will have direct line to the factory speakers. If you do not know what the hrns look like, go to a local shop and pick one up. There are no other hrns's in the dash that look similar. You can check to see if it is the correct one by turning on the deck, then disconnect it. Sound should drop right out.
Another possability is to get a ford amp bypass kit. Simply locate the amp(not really all that easy, but not rocket science), unplug the input and outputs, and plug in your hrns. Your deck will now go directly to the speakers, just via 45 ft of speaker wire....
The third and easiest option is a amp integration kit. There are two types, I don't know that one is better then the other really. There is a $40 difference between the 2. One has 4 variable resistors that you will tune once everything is hooked up, the other just playes the straight high level out of the deck, in to the factory amp. The problem with these two is if you ever add a sub. By the time your nice, clean playing aftermarket amp is starting to get enough volume to push the sub, the noisy, high gain jbl amp is already clipping..
Start by looking for the hrns that I described. The are not easy to find, but easier and more reliable then the other optoins....
bobbi-digi on 10/26/2003 17:51:25
Guys I may be confused about the point here - but I don't think so...
Why would you ever want to seek out / deal with the Ford stock amps - or a bypass kit, if you just want to run speakers off a Kenwood HU?
I'd grab 4 speakers you wanna run, cut all the wires connecting to them...
(those wires go to ford amps, so they are cut off entirely on one side now)
Now splice new wires onto the 4 speakers, run them right up to the existing harness setup -
Now cut the speaker wires on the HU side of the harness, and splice onto them (now the ford amps are cut off entirely on both sides, that is: they do nothing and are connected to essentialy nothing - and the speakers are connected exactly to the HU)
This should accomplish your goals with the least amount of work / money involved.
Sincerely;
Your Daddy;
Robert J. Digital;
C.E.O. Digtal Enterprizez Ink.
Swez on 10/27/2003 09:50:32
Actually, I was thinking of the GM/Bose systems that have amplifiers on each speaker... just realized that was the one I mentioned earlier... not the same as Ford/JBL systems at all. Sorry for any confusion there.
Think I'll just sit this dance out and let others noodle this one out.
Swez
ttocs on 10/27/2003 10:39:39
wasn't tryin to run ya off....
Swez on 10/27/2003 11:48:05
Hehe... naw, just want to learn as my knowledge in this post is pretty much limited to what I have learned from you ttocs so far... obviously not enough on my end... so I'll just read the mail and learn there... coach!
Carry on and I'll just watch and learn...
Swez COFFEE
jbak21 on 10/27/2003 14:33:46
i had some time yesterday to play around and look for the stock amp, i found the Rear Control Unit (RCU) and the amp for the poor 6 1/2 " stock sub. They are both under the trim in the rear passanger side. Connected to the RCU are the antenna, cd changer, in speaker wire and out speaker wires. on the net i have found a harness package to bypass the RCU, i just did a google search for "RCU bypass" it was like 50 bucks. i think i am going to disconnect the speakers from the RCU and hard wire the speakers to my amp, and not worry about the speaker connection on the back of my HU, i will just run the front and rear RCAs to my crossover.
ttocs on 10/27/2003 15:37:42
if you are going to use amps rather then the one in the deck, you do not need the bypass hrns. You can simply wire into the factory output hrns that goes to the speakers. Get a AA battery and you can locate them easily....
jbak21 on 10/27/2003 19:52:46
yeah thats what i was going to do, i just wanted to mention that i found the harness, but what do you mean with AA battery to locate the speaker wire? thats new to me.
ttocs on 10/27/2003 22:40:22
if you think you have the wires that go to the speakers, the amps output, you can use a battery, and a voltmeter to find out what wires go to which speaker.
First use a voltmeter, or a testlight to test for pwr or ground on any of the wires. You can test them at the hrns rather then cutting the wires. If they do not have pwr or ground on them, then you touch one end of the battery to one wire, and the other end of the battery to another wire. If the two wires go to a common speaker/s, the speaker will make a popping noise. If the wires go to nothing, you will get nothing. try all the sequences of wire pairs, and when you are done, you should have 4 pairs of wires, or one pair per speaker if it is a floating ground system..
Make sence?
jbak21 on 10/29/2003 14:52:47
another question, is there a way to hook up the factory cd changer to an after maket HU? the back of my HU has a round 13 pin female port and the factory cd changer has a square 10 pin female port. any suggestions?
ttocs on 10/29/2003 15:57:32
I have never heard of anyone doing this. You can do an aftermarket chngr to a factory deck, but I have never heard of the opposit being done.
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