I have an 88 325is with premium sound, the amp in the trunk and the fader in the dash. The original radio had the tape player stuck in it, and although I love Poison, I thought it was ready for an upgrade. I want to install a new Kenwood head unit, keep the stock premium sound speakers, and also install an old 10" sub and small amp I have laying around. Come to find out adding an aftermarket radio in the e30 with the different sound systems is not so easy as plug and play with a wiring harness. Anyway, after reading as much as I could from Luke's posts about the Radio Wiring and Amp bypass thread, I just can't wrap my head around it.
As I understand it, the stock radio sends the signal to the stock amp in my trunk, which then amplifies the signal and sends that boosted signal to my speakers. (I have the rear deck speakers and the tweeters in the doors). As I understand it, the stock amp has one plug, which I've already removed and located, and that some of the wires in the plug carry the signal from the stock radio into the amp, and the other wires carry the boosted signal back out to the speakers. I have also unwrapped the tape from behind the fader and found the twisted wires.
Am I being stupid for not understanding what the hell I'm supposed to do with this now? I don't understand what Luke means when he says "connect the "deck" to the "dash" and then back at the trunk connect the "dash wires" to the speakers"
If someone is to correctly install an aftermarket head unit into my car, with the premium sound and fader in the dash and the factory amp in the trunk, I understand they must bypass the factory amp, correct? Would they also have to run new wires from the head unit all the way back to the trunk, and then connect those new wires that I ran all the way back to the trunk into the existing amp plug that corresponds to the correct speakers? Would they have to access the speaker terminals at all, or would they be able to not even have to touch the speakers by utilizing the amp wiring? I was under the impressio
Forgive me for being an idiot but I have installed a few stereos in my day I just can't understand why the write up on anything I've read regarding installing an aftermarket head unit into my car doesn't mention running wires from the head unit back to the trunk. It makes me seem that I should be able to do it without running any wires to the trunk at all. Especially with the fader there in the dash, which obviously controls the input to the speakers. I should be able to connect everything right there at the dash.
I can post pics of everything I have done so far. I think I just need help wrapping my head around what I'm doing.
Thanks for helping, and I know this has been covered a million times before. I tried reading as much as possible but I just can't understand what I'm supposed to be doing. I also have a totally unmolested e30 with all the wiring completely factory and stock, and don't want to have a shop hack it up since e30s are a little tricky.
As I understand it, the stock radio sends the signal to the stock amp in my trunk, which then amplifies the signal and sends that boosted signal to my speakers. (I have the rear deck speakers and the tweeters in the doors). As I understand it, the stock amp has one plug, which I've already removed and located, and that some of the wires in the plug carry the signal from the stock radio into the amp, and the other wires carry the boosted signal back out to the speakers. I have also unwrapped the tape from behind the fader and found the twisted wires.
Am I being stupid for not understanding what the hell I'm supposed to do with this now? I don't understand what Luke means when he says "connect the "deck" to the "dash" and then back at the trunk connect the "dash wires" to the speakers"
If someone is to correctly install an aftermarket head unit into my car, with the premium sound and fader in the dash and the factory amp in the trunk, I understand they must bypass the factory amp, correct? Would they also have to run new wires from the head unit all the way back to the trunk, and then connect those new wires that I ran all the way back to the trunk into the existing amp plug that corresponds to the correct speakers? Would they have to access the speaker terminals at all, or would they be able to not even have to touch the speakers by utilizing the amp wiring? I was under the impressio
Forgive me for being an idiot but I have installed a few stereos in my day I just can't understand why the write up on anything I've read regarding installing an aftermarket head unit into my car doesn't mention running wires from the head unit back to the trunk. It makes me seem that I should be able to do it without running any wires to the trunk at all. Especially with the fader there in the dash, which obviously controls the input to the speakers. I should be able to connect everything right there at the dash.
I can post pics of everything I have done so far. I think I just need help wrapping my head around what I'm doing.
Thanks for helping, and I know this has been covered a million times before. I tried reading as much as possible but I just can't understand what I'm supposed to be doing. I also have a totally unmolested e30 with all the wiring completely factory and stock, and don't want to have a shop hack it up since e30s are a little tricky.
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