'94 9000 CSE radio replacement

Greetings! I hope you are rather handy with wiring. The very easiest way out of this is, do a clean install of a new head unit of your choice. Use the wiring harness adapter from Crutchfield. You will need to run speaker wires from the dash or an amplifier to the rear speakers.

1. The Saab amplifier is a 20 watt unit fed from the round din plug with 6 pins on it. The audio diminished greatly when the CD unit died because the audio loops through the CD player/equalizer. Your amplifier is likely ok. Having said that, get a new one and install it in the place of the old one. The cable from the head unit to the Saab amp has 2 shielded cables for the audio and some extra wires for turning on the amp remotely, phone mute ect. If you are adventurous (sp?) you can splice into the cable. I don't know if it's worth the hassle or not.
2. Crutchfield is your friend.

1. The mounting sleeves come out if you squeeze the box in the middle of the long side. There will be some bending. That's my experience anyway.

2. When the wife is not happy, nobody's happy.

dave

Thanks so much, Dave.

Problem is Crutchfield does not deliver to the ever-less-frozen tundra of Canada. They are expanding here, but mostly in home theater. I have to hardwire.

As from what I can ascertain, this is the schematic would read:

White/Blue: MEM Yel/Red: Power Black: Ground Brown/White: Illumination Green: Antenna Red/Green: RF Brown/Black: RF- Blue/Green: LF+ Gray/Black: LF- Red/Yellow: RR+ Brown/White: RR- Blue/Yellow: LR+ Gray/White: LR-

Any idea is this is correct for a '94 9000 CSE?

Furthermore, is there a point in buying an amp if I'm not changing the factory speakers at this point? I think 40 watts per channel is probably overkill already. Wouldn't it make more sense just to bypass the amp? Remember, I'm no engineer or audiophile. I'm just a lowly graphic cum product designer.

Okay, here comes the stupid question: which side of the mounting sleeve is the long one? If the front of the opening is an x-y axis, am I applying pressure to x or y?

Wife is happy as long as I supply her with a couple of martinis at days end and do the dishes. Seems fair to me, but I've got to get that Clarion out of the front hall and into that Saab. The Sirius unit is on it's way.

Cheers,

Shrdlu

Shrdlu, Remove the sleeves by squeezing the long side, x-axis. Don't be shy. The radio sleeve also has the amplifier for the front speakers. You will see 2 Molex type plugs into the back of the sleeve for the radio. One connector is for power, ignition switch power, panel lights, and power antenna. The other for the front speakers. There will also be a couple (3 maybe?), din type plugs that go to the CD player and amplifier for the rear speakers. There are no wires to the rear speakers that go to the radio part. The rear speakers are wired from the amplifier. Meaning if you replace the head unit you will have to run wires from the head unit to the rear speakers. The power connector is wired like this:

1) Grey Battery 4) Red Ignition Power 5) Black Ground! 6) Green To Power Antenna 8) Bn/Wh Panel lights

The Front Speaker Connector is wired like this:

1) Green Left Front Neg 2) Brown Left Front Pos 3) Red Right Front Pos 4) Blue Right Front Neg

If you particular car doesn't have a separate amplifier, and I'm pretty sure it does, the speaker connector will have 4 more wires. The colors will be the same for left and right side, the white stripe will designate the rear speakers. Not too bad a job, a bit fiddly tho. I hope you have a warmish garage to do this in. You will need a good trouble light, cutters, wire strippers, some crimp splices and electrical tape. I am on the south shore of Lake Erie. I can't complain too much about the weather. Yes I can, could use a few degrees warmer. Your wife is far easier to please than mine! Good Luck.

dave

Dave,

Perhaps the martinis have something to do with my wife's amenable nature.

Thank you very much for the instructions. Bought a good-quality crimper the other day. I've been waiting for the warm weather to return. No garage as our house was built long before the dawn of the automobile and, I assume from postcards and old photos, the carriage house was torn down when the lot was subdivided. Next week looks promising weatherwise. I'll have to keep the gin flowing until then.

Thanks again for your help.

Shrdlu