Replacing Stereo in a 3rd Gen Max

Hey all,

I have a '91 SE and of course, the Bose stereo is nearly junk. One speaker works, but it's unamplified since all the amps are dead. The head unit itself works, but the tape deck is dead. A complete system replacement is in order.

But, I have a few questions regarding the replacement, and it's costs/effort. I was hoping some of you who have done this could help.

Options:

  1. I can get the new head unit, and all 4 speakers, installed for around 0. This is just the labor cost. This would involve replacing all of the existing wiring as well. It would have a lifetime warranty, and they would remove the components down the road if/when I sell the car. I may also get a 4-channel Amp which would add around to the install costs.

  1. I can do it myself by purchasing a wiring/plug adapter and using the existing wiring. How well does this work? Are there problems figuring out which wires are what? I have the wiring diagrams from a Chilton's and a Haynes manual. Unfortunately, this option would preclude installing a separate Amp.

  2. I can do it myself and replace all the existing wiring. I could also install the new Amp. Neither manual I have shows what is involved in removing/replacing the wiring. I'll be able to handle any work involved, I just don't know *what* is involved.

  1. Is it worth installing a sub-woofer? A friend at work thought a single

12" sub would add greatly to the overall sound. I don't want to rock everyone's world, just my own.

I'm finishing up school, and don't really feel like spending the $180 for the install. This car has 175,00+ miles on it, and that number will be over

180 by the time I'm done in May.

Any thoughts or ideas you might have on doing this install myself would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill G '91 SE Auto

175,139 miles
Reply to
Bill G
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Just a few comments Bill about subwoofer. When I bought my used '95, it had an aftermarket super-duper (Kenwood) installation with Sub and CD changer in trunk, amp, etc etc. It sounded just as good to me w/o the sub, and wow did it make alot more room in the trunk. That box was constantly in the way, for loading the trunk with luggage, boxes etc. And I eventually scrapped the CD changer as well, due to reduced vertical clearance in the trunk. But that is just me, some folks may not care about trunk space. I still have the amp for now. It is mounted on the back of the back seat, and unfortunately blocks the stowage hole for long items into the back seat. BTW, if you are interested in a system with decent AM/FM tuner reception, avoid the Kenwood. It is however, excellent for CD playing, and has billions of audio programming options. Good luck. Bob

95 SE Auto 89 SE Auto traded 167K

replacement is

figuring out

involved, I

Reply to
BeeP

I just finished putting in a new head unit and 4 speakers in my 90 GXE. Here's what I did fwiw:

Removed the old Clarion head unit, speakers and rear amp. Used the Nissan universal wiring plug adapter from Fry's Electronics. Bought a Panasonic CD, MP3 AM FM w/ removable face, 22watts per channel x 2

2 Blaupunkt 4x6 front speakers and 2 Blaupunkt 6.5" rears.

The new speakers "kind of" fit in the doors and rear deck, but you have to drill new holes and kind of rig it because the existing cutouts are just a little differently shaped than the new speaker's frames. Remember to map out the colors for the rear speakers' wires because you will be abandoning the wires that power the old amp. You can reuse all remaining existing wiring. I soldered all connections and used heat shrink wrap sleeves to insulate the soldered joints. The door speakers are fairly easy but the rears are hard since you have to remove the seat and rear deck. The head unit goes in fairly easy using the existing mounting bracket. The whole job took me about 3 evenings and 1 1/2 Saturdays. (I work slow)

I didn't want to screw around with a sub woofer or external amp since it's an old car also, but I'm very pleased with the quality of the sound. The Blaupunkts can take a lot of power, more than the amp can cleanly produce.

Total cost: Panasonic head unit: $79 Blaupunkts: 2x $49/pair wiring adapter: $14 Best of Counting Crows CD: $12 (!!)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's
Reply to
Chris H

I replaced the radio with one I bought from Crutchfield. They sell an adapter for the speakers. You can use the existing speakers with this adapter.

Reply to
cherrytan

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