Has Anyone Rewired Their Stereo??

HandMeDown325i · #1 (**permalink**) 06-12-2004, 12:02 AM

Hey I was wondering if any of you out there have re-wired your car stereos for a new head uinit. I Bought a wiring harness and got it all working but the built in amp sounds like shit with my new speakers. I was wondering if any of you have rewired it personally and know which wires go where. I really want to know the colors of the wires that are for the front door speakers.

Thanks

HandMeDown325i · #2 (**permalink**) 06-12-2004, 08:58 PM

help....

E36DJ · #3 (**permalink**) 06-12-2004, 09:51 PM

Just did it on mine the other day.. think I still have the txt file. How are you wiring it though, are you running speaker level outputs to your factory amp in the trunk? You did know that it's already got an amp, right?

edit: not sure if the 1993s did it this way but I think they did.

E36DJ · #4 (**permalink**) 06-12-2004, 09:54 PM

Pin#1 Left front speaker output (+) yellow/red
Pin#2 Right front speaker output (+) blue/red
Pin#3 Left rear speaker output (+) yellow/black
Pin#4 "Mute" for the telephone white/brown
Pin#5 Power (Hot in ACC and RUN) from fuse # 44 violet/white
Pin#6 Right rear speaker output (+) blue/black
Pin#7 CD Changer (I-Bus) yellow
Pin#8 Left front speaker output (-) brown/orange
Pin#9 Radio Memory Power (stations etc.) (HOT at all times) red/white
Pin#10 Variable road noise volume adjustment input (from tach) black/white
Pin#11 Right front speaker output (-) brown/orange
Pin#12 Left rear speaker output (-) brown/orange
Pin#13 Radio lights (from dimmer and headlight switch) gray/red
Pin#14 Right rear speaker output (-) brown/orange
Pin#15 Ground
Pin#16 Antenna amplifier output white

edit: The positive and negative for each speaker "set" is already twisted together, it's easy once you have something to look at.

Not sure if you can adjust the output level on your head unit, but if you can, turn down the signal a lot. I used the built in crossover on my Alpine to bring it down -10db for front/rear. The amp in the trunk is technically "line level" but really requires more juice then the 4V pre-outs can give on a head unit, so the -10db speaker level outputs work best (think of it as using an amp to power another amp, sounds bad but it's not.. the RCA 4volt pre-outs have an amp of their own. Just installed mine the other day and it sounds twice as good as the stock alpine unit.)

HandMeDown325i · #5 (**permalink**) 06-13-2004, 02:05 AM

thanks for the info on the wires. I am confused about your stereo? Did you leave the stock amp in or replace it with a new one?

Scho · #6 (**permalink**) 06-13-2004, 05:26 PM

A new headunit will make it sound better or should anyway. Hinz's is really crisp after his Alpine install.

I just got done putting it all back stock.

Sirius · #7 (**permalink**) 06-13-2004, 06:01 PM

Dont' re-wire it. Just buy wire harness adapters. Saves you the trouble. And lots of time.

Places liek circuit city sell them for almost all makes of HU's. Took me about 5 mins to swap my headunits. I have done it about three times now.

I left the stock amp in the car. The new HU made it sound about 150% better IMO.

LDORADO325 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-13-2004, 10:22 PM

www.unofficialbmw.com has a wiring diagram for the e36

-Mike

E36DJ · #9 (**permalink**) 06-14-2004, 12:17 AM

Just got done doing the same deal to my friends M3, wiring up the new alpine. That takes about 5 minutes too, it isn't hard to match the wires AT ALL, don't be lazy and go to circuit city or whatever.. it seriously only takes a second and let's face it, youa ren't going to use your stock harness anyways so cutting it doesn't matter (if you sell the car buy a stock harness again for $5 and wire it back.. IF you go back to stock in the first place.)