Questions installing OEM CM5907 Back into my 325i

[AndrewBird]

I think the problem is you are using a deck that has built in fader control (late model) and are trying to connect it to the stock fader in your car (early model).

Download the ETK for an 89 325i. You will see the radio wiring matches the radio you have.

What you need to do is eliminate the fader, unwrap the harness past the fader and connect these wires to the radio directly. Should be as follows:

(Radio)
Violet/Green - Switched Power
Red/Green - Constant Power
Brown - Chassis Ground
White - Antenna - Likely the smaller of the two wires. Should have power with the radio on. DOUBLE CHECK THIS.
2nd White - Dimmer

(Speaker Wires)
Yellow - LF Positive
Yellow/Black - LR Positive
Blue - RF Positive
Blue/Black- RR Positive
Brown/Black - Shared Ground, NOT CHASSIS GROUND

All the wires should be the same on the car harness. Just match them up. Be sure to figure out which white wire is antenna and which is dimmer. Dimmer will have power with the lights on. Dimmer may be Grey/Red. ETK shows a connector where the white from the radio turns to Grey/Red.

Wires after the fader should be the same colors as the wires coming from the radio. They will be twisted pairs with wires that have a brown stripe being used as NEGATIVE. All other wires will be POSITIVE.

[dillera]

I think the problem is you are using a deck that has built in fader control (late model) and are trying to connect it to the stock fader in your car (early model).

Just wondering why you think this deck has a fader- as far as I can see it does not.

THis is my deck:

[Todd Black 88]

You have the wrong plugs on your deck, I believe. My m3 only has two plugs on the back for speakers, and one wire is solid blue, one solid yellow. They go into the fader from there, and it gets split to four channels by witchcraft me thinks.

[Todd Black 88]

[dillera]

You have the wrong plugs on your deck, I believe. My m3 only has two plugs on the back for speakers, and one wire is solid blue, one solid yellow. They go into the fader from there, and it gets split to four channels by witchcraft me thinks.

OK, you've convinced me. Mine def has 2 wires out per channel- the plug has 2 and the receptacle for them on the deck each has 2 also. The deck must be for a car without the fader.

So i'll pull it out this weekend and just bypass the damn fader. It's not like you really need to fade front to back in that tiny car.

thx.

[Todd Black 88]

No, no, no.

I think the deck is fine, just those plugs with it came from a late model/non fader car. My m3 still used the same plugs, but only one wire came out of them. My late 4/92 cab had premium sound/no fader, and plugs with two wires each like you have.

Just wrong plugs.... I think.

I will see if I can find my pictures on photobucket.

[Todd Black 88]

Here, in this pic you can see a twisted pair of yellow and brown, and a twisted pair of blue and brown. Also on the right side of the pic, you can see a single blue and single yellow.

Two of the channels and plugs at the deck were two wire, two were single wire, with the ground tied in after the big black plug(where an early model fader would go.
You need the single wire plugs for the deck. Luke may know for sure if you can just hook up a single wire from the two wire plugs, and just cap the other. I am not certain.

[StereoInstaller1]

Todd posted a perfect pic of the E30 "Premium" harness, but this one has been upgraded to later-model (90+) "internal fader" radios.

So: see that black plug with the loops? That adapter can be unplugged and a fader installed in its place, then it would be the same as an early.

There is a later harness too that never had a fader at all, the one shown is the "interim" version, typically found on 'verts (but not always)

So, OP, does this clear things a bit?

Luke

[Todd Black 88]

Yes, that is my old :( 04/92 build verts harness.

On my 10/87 m3 harness, I have a fader where that loopy plug is, and there are one a single blue and single yellow wire where those twisted pairs are.

[StereoInstaller1]

Yes, that is my old :( 04/92 build verts harness.

On my 10/87 m3 harness, I have a fader where that loopy plug is, and there are one a single blue and single yellow wire where those twisted pairs are.

Exactly. BMW "re-purposed" the blue/yellows from the deck, so they jumper to the blue/red and yellow/red to run the fronts, while the added twisted pairs are just the "/black" or rears.

Normally it is just yellow or blue "fading" between /red and /black with the fader.

LF

[dillera]

Todd posted a perfect pic of the E30 "Premium" harness, but this one has been upgraded to later-model (90+) "internal fader" radios.

So: see that black plug with the loops? That adapter can be unplugged and a fader installed in its place, then it would be the same as an early.

There is a later harness too that never had a fader at all, the one shown is the "interim" version, typically found on 'verts (but not always)

So, OP, does this clear things a bit?

Luke

Yes, I already capped the 'neg' out of those caps together. I have great sound of of this, but I still have these random 'scratches/static' sound coming out seemingly randomly.

I see in your photo above that the deck ground going to the brown/black that heads back into the car.

I also see via the ETM that all the brown/blacks ground together. I can swear that when I was putting this back in, if I connected the ground from the deck with the other brown/blacks the sound dropped out completely.

I'll pull it all out again this weekend and take a 2nd shot at it.

I'm also considering getting another amp from ebay and see what that does.

But thanks for your advise and for digging up the additional photo, it helps.

[AndrewBird]

Brown black is speaker ground (negative), not the ground for the stereo. Stereo ground should be solid brown. Speaker grounds (negatives) are NOT chassis ground, they are merely connected together.

[StereoInstaller1]

Brown black is speaker ground (negative), not the ground for the stereo. Stereo ground should be solid brown. Speaker grounds (negatives) are NOT chassis ground, they are merely connected together.

Yes, they are chassis ground, that is why there is only one speaker wire per channel coming from the deck.

From the fader is a brown/black, it connects directly to the back of the deck.