I know you drew the line, but I see several single channel amps under $50 on my local FB. Very easy to wire. You could forget about all that factory wiring and move on.
Upgrading the sound system on your Jeep Wrangler TJ
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
I know you drew the line, but I see several single channel amps under $50 on my local FB. Very easy to wire. You could forget about all that factory wiring and move on.
JEEPSTEVENANAIMO
TJ Enthusiast
I unfor
we have a model of mercedes here that has something like this built in.
DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
I've been thinking about this... and I'm gonna withdraw this offer. Not because of anything you said, but because if you don't know how to use a multimeter, you shouldn't be trying to figure it out on live stuff for your first go-around. I didn't put enough thought in before I offered.
You're unlikely to hurt yourself with 12VDC. But it's a bit like saying, "I want to cut this piece of wood, how does this tablesaw work?" ...and then taking the advice of some stranger on a forum. Best to learn the right way before you dive in and do something that could get you in trouble.
SlippyFist
Member
to be fair, i was being a bit reserved. i for the most part know how to use it- i know which settings are for voltage and continuity, etc- i just don't know where to put the probes, and what parameters/values to test for. i have a pretty nice auto-ranging one too (Klein MM450) to make it as brain-dead as possible lol
how involved is the wiring? i'm sure running the rca cables isn't a big deal but the big deterrence for me is that i thought a "real" amp needs a line ran through the firewall to the battery, or otherwise spliced into another power line. if there are less 'intrusive' alternatives i'm all ears but i'm not committed enough for all of that, trust me it's not worth it for this vehicle.
sorry again for being such a pain in the ass about all of this, i was always scared to do this shit back in the day; i always paid Circuit City to install my radio stuff LOL
It’s all right here in post 1336
5 wires plus the RCA’s.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...m-on-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.11104/post-1673470
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DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
Mainly, then, you just need to know what you need to look for. A head unit needs power. Power in most cars comes in the form of 12VDC, referenced to vehicle ground. So the black lead of your meter should be on a ground (bare metal of the vehicle or a wire connected to bare metal), and the red lead on whatever is supposed to have 12VDC on it. There's constant-on DC, and switched DC. Constant-on has 12V all the time; switched has 12V only when the ignition is on. Modern head units need both of those. Conventionally (but not always) red = constant, yellow = switched.
That's 90% of what you'll need your meter for. That's why lots of people just use a test light. Light is on = 12VDC. Light is off, no VDC. And a good thing to remember is, everything has some electrical potential on it relative to something. Just because a meter says "0VDC," doesn't mean it's safe. It means the things both leads are touching have no voltage difference between them. They could both be at 500VDC. I mean, in a car, probably not... but make sure you're checking against a good ground reference.
Another 8% will be continuity checks. The ringer on your meter. The answer to the question, "are these two things electrically connected?" Is this blue wire with a white stripe over here the same wire as this sort-of-blue-maybe-also-striped one over there. Is this a ground wire.
The remaining 2% is checking resistance. If I've done that on car audio, it's mostly for curiosity. Measure across the two terminals of a speaker... is it 4Ω? 8Ω? OK, the two wires that connect that speaker to the head unit or amplifier should have the same value across them. If it's not some low Ω reading like 2 or 4 or 8... then there's a break somewhere; that is, if it's open (infinite Ω), then there's a problem. If it's 0Ω, then there's a short and you may blow your output if you power it up. There's a big difference between 0Ω and 2Ω in the electronics world. Fix those conditions before proceeding.
My first job out of college was commissioning the electrical systems of power plants: exciters, VSDs, protection relays, breakers, and transformers. I've used VMMs, a lot. Maybe the dumbest thing I remember doing is duct-taping my meter leads to the ends of two 4' lengths of 2x4 so that I could read 1000VAC across two busbars with some illusion of safety. I've taken some hits... and used to purposefully take 120VAC to the fingers to test fuses when a meter wasn't handy. I'm sure you'll be fine working with 12VDC. But I also don't want to be responsible for someone getting hurt.
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DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
SlippyFist
Member
thanks delta, that's all really helpful. so i can test corresponding pins in the 12 pin male connector (coming from the radio, to the sub) to make sure it's getting the proper power?
that kicker sub is 4ohm. i need it plugged into the car with the ignition on to test it for resistance right?
i'm pretty confident in my wiring of the radio harness; the head unit and speaker are all working properly, so at this point i'm pretty sure the amp is bricked. what i imagine happened is the stock sub blew, PO replaced it with a drop in speaker (a Pioneer TS-G1643R 6.5"), and that drew too much power or whatever and fucked the amp.
i appreciate you trying to help, and don't worry if i electrocute myself- i don't really have any more brain cells to lose
that kicker sub is 4ohm. i need it plugged into the car with the ignition on to test it for resistance right?
i'm pretty confident in my wiring of the radio harness; the head unit and speaker are all working properly, so at this point i'm pretty sure the amp is bricked. what i imagine happened is the stock sub blew, PO replaced it with a drop in speaker (a Pioneer TS-G1643R 6.5"), and that drew too much power or whatever and fucked the amp.
i appreciate you trying to help, and don't worry if i electrocute myself- i don't really have any more brain cells to lose
DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
That's where things get murky. I don't know what you're testing for, and I really don't care enough to look into what the factory amp or wiring is doing. An amp has power and signal inputs, and outputs a signal to a speaker (or speakers). One or both of those inputs could be screwed up. If you can eliminate power as the culprit, then you can check continuity and resistance for the signal coming in. Or it might be your outputs that aren't working (blown? I don't know) or the wires to the speaker, or the speaker itself.
Does the sub get power from the radio? I would never do it that way, but that's probably how it's wired from the factory. You could check each pin to ground, and see which ones have 12VDC to ground with the ignition off and again with the ignition on; then follow through the harness to see if those pins correspond to where the sub should be getting power. Again, though... murky. I'm uncomfortable making assumptions because I really don't know what's going on in there.
No. Definitely not. You should really only be checking resistance when current is not flowing, and there's zero voltage (AC or DC) between your test points.
That is possible. It's also possible that they put it in and wired it wrong. That there's a short, or a ground, or a broken wire. I don't mean to be vague, but there's no way to be specific here.
My stereo works (when it's dry); but my upgrade solution is to remove everything related to the Jeep's audio system: head unit, power wiring to head unit, power wiring to amp, signals to amp, sub, sub amp, speakers, wires to speakers... and starting from scratch with three connections (12V, 12V switched, ground). In doing that, I save myself the headache of trying to figure out what's there, where it goes, whether it works or not, etc.
This just may be one of those things that's better left to people who are familiar with it. I know that's been said by a few different people in a few different ways in this thread, and there's probably a good reason for that.
I'm not sure how else to help you. Maybe another member can give guidance.
If you're struggling this much, take it to a professional.
Good luck
Sorry if I came off blunt. There's lots of variables to consider, as mentioned by others.
My guess is that your instinct about the amp has been right all along, in some fashion.
I hope you get it going. It's more fun when all your toys work.
SlippyFist
Member
yeah i was kinda hoping this would just drop in, plug back in and work. i'm frustrated because there's people out there who dropped in a sub into factory box with the factory amp and got it all working, and for some of us it just won't work for whatever reason- and of course, that's without knowing if the PO damaged a wire or something when he was working on it.
in fact now that i mention it, that 12 pin connector has one of those annoying red locking tabs on it, and the idiot didn't know how to release it so he literally ripped that feature off with pliers or something. that whole side of the connector, including the part you have to depress to disconnect it, is mangled up real bad. (he did the exact same thing with the plug where the motor blower resistor goes). the wires themselves don't look damaged, just the plastic connector itself, but maybe it caused some short or break where the wires feed into the connector pins? i'm literally just throwing random noise into the air at this point lol
edit: ive been poking around multiple places trying to work through this, and im starting to doubt myself on the solid blue / blue & white wires. i didn't hook them together because everything i saw said it wouldn't do anything and wouldn't be correct if you had an aftermarket amp, but im seeing some sources state that the factory amp would need them connected. now the PO did wire them together when he put in the now old head unit. i assumed that it never did anything, but maybe it did work for him and then something else caused it to stop working? i might just go out in a bit and see if that works for shits and giggles. i would be delighted if something so simple was the fix lol
in fact now that i mention it, that 12 pin connector has one of those annoying red locking tabs on it, and the idiot didn't know how to release it so he literally ripped that feature off with pliers or something. that whole side of the connector, including the part you have to depress to disconnect it, is mangled up real bad. (he did the exact same thing with the plug where the motor blower resistor goes). the wires themselves don't look damaged, just the plastic connector itself, but maybe it caused some short or break where the wires feed into the connector pins? i'm literally just throwing random noise into the air at this point lol
edit: ive been poking around multiple places trying to work through this, and im starting to doubt myself on the solid blue / blue & white wires. i didn't hook them together because everything i saw said it wouldn't do anything and wouldn't be correct if you had an aftermarket amp, but im seeing some sources state that the factory amp would need them connected. now the PO did wire them together when he put in the now old head unit. i assumed that it never did anything, but maybe it did work for him and then something else caused it to stop working? i might just go out in a bit and see if that works for shits and giggles. i would be delighted if something so simple was the fix lol
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SlippyFist
Member
yall its definitely the fuckin blue wires. the takeaway i have from this experience is that while an aftermarket amp will have it's own continuous power wire to run to the blue/white wire at the radio, the factory amp does actually utilize the solid blue power antenna wire and needs it wired to the blue/white wire to tell the amp to turn on. it was literally just that; i pulled out the deck and hooked em up and it's all working.
thanks for sticking around while i worked it out
thanks for sticking around while i worked it out
Yes, those blue/blue white wires are the accessory power that turn it on when the key is in the accessory or on position. Sorry you didn’t catch that. It is mentioned in the thread a couple of times as accessory power. Glad you got it working!
SlippyFist
Member
DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
I've been thinking a bit about how I want to go about an audio upgrade. Amp, speakers, sub are decided on. But I can go one of two ways with the interface:
#2 provides more functionality... mostly a rear camera. That's the main difference, and I'm starting to think it's not enough of an advantage to go with a head unit.
There's a compromise I haven't given too much thought to: I have a Maxca unit on my motorcycle. Carpuride is a similar device. It's basically just a CarPlay screen. Audio would still have to be handled by BlueTooth to an amp.
I'm not at a crossroads yet because I'm putting off the audio for other upgrades... but it's coming.
- Dash-mounted phone. No head unit. Bluetooth direct into amp. Line level from amp to sub.
- Double-DIN w/wireless CarPlay.
#2 provides more functionality... mostly a rear camera. That's the main difference, and I'm starting to think it's not enough of an advantage to go with a head unit.
There's a compromise I haven't given too much thought to: I have a Maxca unit on my motorcycle. Carpuride is a similar device. It's basically just a CarPlay screen. Audio would still have to be handled by BlueTooth to an amp.
I'm not at a crossroads yet because I'm putting off the audio for other upgrades... but it's coming.
JEEPSTEVENANAIMO
TJ Enthusiast
my double din got stolen so i reverted to a single din and a wireless carplay screen. works perfectly and has a dash cam. 100$
I would consider a stock (7 inch screen iirc) android head unit from duduauto. Specifically a dudu7 unit. They are made my Mekede.
I've put an android unit in my 99 TJ. And three in my JKU. I put a $75 android os unit in my TJ. It worked very well. installed easy.
The think to consider is the many apps you can run on an android head unit. Mapping software, engine live specs (although not sure what you can get from a TJ. The JKU gives you trans temp. Which isn't available otherwise.) and hundreds of other apps.
I honestly rarely use my backup cam on either the TJ or JKU. But some find that helpful. I think cams are more helpful for offroading and seeing under your Jeep. Or security. Although a dedicated dashcam can do that too. But it's the same price as a low end head unit.
Feel free to pm me. I know a lot about android head units. My basic advice is to either get a simpler android head unit with android is only - no android auto. Or a Dudu7 units which has its own OS and English speaking support and a website with updates. No other android head unit company has that.
Basically my experience has been negative with the more modern units that are android os and Android auto. They fight each other. Android OS allows you to run all of the apps on your head unit. While android Auto uses two apps you can run on your phone. It basically uses your phone as the head unit.
This is why I'm replacing my unit in my JKU a 4th time. The dudu7 units are way more advanced. And actually have support. Unless I were buying an older android os only unit I would buy a dudu7.
Contact for Mekede is Aaron on Whatsapp +86 189 3307 4763. You can also check out their units on the Mekede website or Alibaba.
I decided on an Apple CarPlay unit. Specifically, the Sony XAV-AX6000. It is so intuitive I didn’t ever have to figure anything out. I’m still sorting out my backup camera, but so far it’s wonderful. One advantage is OnX is onscreen. I don’t like a cluttered front dash area. Mine looks practically stock and no phone on a mount. @Zorba would be proud.
Other things o really like. I just say, “hey siri, what’s the weather?” She answers through the system. “He Siri, navigate to x” and we are in our way. “Hey siri, call X” and it’s happening. She reads texts and I reply and the voice recognition has been literally flawless. She repeats the message back and asks if I want to send. I still feel like I’m in a dream world.
DeltaNu1142
TJ Enthusiast
That’s a huge factor for me. Being able to sock the phone away on a wireless charger somewhere out of the way is maybe more appealing than having cameras.
And the functionality is nice. I have it on my truck, and now on my bike. Voice command through the helmet is a game changer.
But, I also lived without all that for years. No CarPlay, no cameras, I know having a phone on a mount would get me by, and theft of a head unit would be one less thing to worry about. I’m mostly thinking about some opportunistic summertime tourist carving up my dash while I’m parked in town or at a trailhead.
That’s all the stuff I’m weighing.
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