1st Gen factory amplifier locations (JBL, non-JBL, all cabs)

Back up. I had to re-read your post - not knocking you here, but you really need to work on punctuation, dude. Periods and the <ENTER> key exist on a keyboard for a reason. We don't need them when talking aloud because we can hear the pauses you make, which help us to understand, that's the end of that sentence. When typing a sentence to its end, press the period key so we can hear the pause in our brains. When you get to the end of 2-3 sentences, if you're at a stopping point on the current leg of your topic, practice pressing the <ENTER> key twice to end the paragraph. Try to organize your paragraphs into basic bullet points or thoughts. This will help others be able to help you.

Standard troubleshooting: If you want to know if something you added is causing the problem, rollback to the original configuration. This will save you time and effort because you're not pulling one thing, testing, pulling another thing, testing. Something as simple as you not wiring your amp correctly, with a very solid and thick ground that's touching bare metal, can cause all of the issues you described. Actually, if you did something really not-super-smart like 'twist & tape' or 'twist & wire-nut' your wires, that could cause all those symptoms too.

But we can't help if you don't provide more info. I recommend you start a new thread, since you're clearly saying there's no hidden black plastic cover under the rear passenger seat cubby, which would mean you don't have an OEM amp, and this thread is about OEM amps, specifically.

Info that I'd want to see in that new thread:

• What brand/model# aftermarket stereo and what brand/model# amp?
• What adapter harness model# did you use to wire your aftermarket stereo? (or did you just cut the factory harnesses and connect directly to the factory wires?)
• Did you run a dedicated power wire to the amp, and if YES, what gauge is the wire?
• How is the amp grounded, what gauge wire did you use, and can you show a picture of the ground location?
• What model speakers did you install, and how did you wire them up? (i.e.: Did you use speaker adapter harnesses? Did you cut factory wires, and if YES, how did you crimp/tie the wires together?)

I also need to clarify something you said because I'm confused. Can you post a picture of your truck's door panel? I've never seen one of our trucks w/o tweeters, and looking at Toyota's EWD (electrical wiring diagrams), Toyota doesn't show a no-amplifier system w/o tweeters, unless I'm reading the EWD wrong. I know Crutchfield and others suggest on earlier models there may be a no-tweeter option, but they also have "no picture available". I can clearly see, even the base model 2006 with manual windows/door locks which members like @dbittle own has tweeters as you'll see in the background of THIS PIC. But here's Toyota's EWD to show what I'm seeing on wiring.

​

 

Sorry it took me a while to reply.

I’m just going to post a bunch of photos and try my best to give background details






I wired these very poorly. Today I went and bought the stuff I need to do it correctly.


This is the ground it’s the same gauge as the hot wire.

This is how I hooked it up. I think the gauge was too big. I used 8.6, and the amp came with 8 gauge when I bought it. And the sub I use is 800watts




I hope this information can help you help me.

 

Can I see the back side of the door panel? Trying to figure out if it got re-covered. Wild, I've seen where the audio shopping sites ask you to check for door tweeter, but never seen a truck w/o one.

Troubleshooting-wise, remind me: You said the distortion is still there if you plug in the factory radio? What happens if you install the OEM head unit, but ONLY plug in the antenna and the power+front speakers connector shown here?

​

The other connector in that pic is for the rear speakers; I'm only doing this to see if the most-basic-possible wiring works, with the OEM head unit. Specifically, only the head unit, wired to the two pioneer front speakers, and that's it. If it sounds OK, power OFF the truck, and try plugging in that extra plug above the antenna lead into the OEM head unit. Power the truck back on; does it still sound OK, no distortion?

If it sounds OK, I would then power OFF the truck, take your BOSS radio and install it, but DO NOT attach the RCA cables feeding sound to the amp. Try it with just those three plugs (antenna, and 2 OEM plugs) attached. Do you get distortion?

Before I say anything more, understand something:

You don't know me, a lot of others on here do. I don't pussyfoot around and coddle people. I give pointed (but constructive) criticism. I'm going to tell you where your shit stinks, and hopefully do a decent job of (1) explaining why you don't do it, (2) explain how you can do it the right way.

That said ... I have a few concerns about this.

First, the turn-on lead, whether it's hooked up to the proper wire in the dash, and if it's secured properly. It's disappearing under some electrical tape, which is never a good sign. It should be hooked up to the REM+ wire, but properly secured with a but splice! Or soldered with heatshrink. Wire nuts and electrical tape are trash which shouldn't be used to isolate/secure/connect wires. Understand, if that remote turn on moves, at all, or doesn't make good contact your amp will turn itself off/on/off/on/off/on repeatedly.

​

Whoever wired up the amp needs a good kick in the ass. Not only is that sloppy as fuck, but it's just not right. That really needs to be cleaned up, and I hope that amp is not just loose on the floor, we called those "ankle breakers", it's a missile that'll seriously hurt someone in an accident. At minimum, layer the bottom of the amp with industrual velcro so it has some hold to the floor. Better yet, Get some ½" plastic or wood strips and glue/double-side adhesive those to your floor, then screw the amp into them.

On wiring, I'm not a fan of copper clad AL wiring, but at least it's OFC. However, there's no excuse for (1) having shit frayed out at the amp's terminal ends like that and (2) expecting proper grounding from using the wrong connector, then pinching it under a bolt like that - poor grounds will absolutely cause shit sound and fun side effects like alternator whine.

I'd prefer to see these at the amp terminals so you don't have exposed copper, which will oxidize, and poses a short-out risk. With these, you can spin the screw out completely on the terminal, then bolt this down onto it. If you use terminal sleeves on your wire, then slide into these things, it makes for a super-clean, tight connection that'll never fail.

​

Most hardware stores sell proper grounding ring terminals, beefy ones, which have a fat enough interior opening to use with a bolt that size. Sand the paint off the body in that spot, and poperly secure the ground, with the bolt through it.

​

Speakers should have appropriate spades on the ends so they don't come loose and short your amp or head unit. You can get assortment packs on these online as cheap as $10-12.

​

 

06 DC JBL - I did the JBL Bypass and install a Pioneer Head unit, all good. I'm looking to install new front door speakers and tweeters. What is in the doors now is a Woofer / Mid Range / Tweeter. It's my understanding that once the bypass has been done the midranges do not have any power going to them? Are there any Speakers wiring harnesses that are plug and play on the bottom door speakers that get rid of the midrange? The adapter Critchfield offers does not fit the JBL system with 03 speakers per door. Open to feedback, ideas?
I would like the simplest solution - not sure I understand what components are and/or how to wire them up?

 

Did you search at all on the forum? We have two very recent (past 2 weeks) threads that hammer the shit out of your questions.

 

Yes I have searched and see lots of information regarding the amp bypass, which I have done without issue. But I can’t find any real answers to the question regarding the speaker harness.

I have read these reviews on Crutchfield, trying to avoid cutting anything factory but may no have a choice.



apologies, I am new here, just bought this truck 03 months ago.

 

I take it you've read the audio/camera upgrade section of the megathread, and that's how you got to this thread. If not, take a minute to read it.

Then probably read these threads, since they cover the topic fully, although the notes may be spread out, it may answer some questions. I don't want to retype all this stuff, just read it from start to finish, we worked through all this crap very recently with a couple people, I don't have a DC, but I worked in the car audio world at one time, so I had to figure the stuff out with input from others:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/another-jbl-amp-bypass-thread.153750/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/can’t-remove-sail-panel-on-drivers-side.153387/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/poor-audio-quality-kenwood-head-unit.152372/​

This may also be interesting:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/pow...eaker-replacements-for-1st-gen-trucks.152042/​

Long story short from what I see RIGHT HERE, you retain all three front door speakers with the JBL system by combining the four wires shown at the bottom of that 2nd picture. I'm not aware of anyone who makes a little 1½" or 2" speaker for the lower door, though. And the JBL speakers are wired for a 2ohm load, so you don't necessarily want to just go out and buy similar amperage driver to replace, for example, the larger mid in the front doors.

 

Thank you, Sir - will read through all those.

The interesting thing (or confusing for me) is Crutchfield specifically says to upgrade to 4 ohm if you do the bypass?

 

Yep, that makese sense for the reason I just mentioned. The mids are 2ohm. The tweeter and smaller 1½"-2" speakers are 4ohm, wired in parallel to create a 2ohm load. I'd assume the rear doors are 2ohm as well. Making three channels with a 2ohm load total, tied into the factory amp.

I'd need to look at the pinout on the amp harness to understand what tying those other wires together is bridging when it comes to the tweeter and mid.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the info - I paid for the ready harness service from Crutchfield so not sure how they wired it up.
If I get some time I’ll try to get some pictures.
Appreciate the info!

 

I'm about to install a Kenwood DM7709S with the Axxess MEtra TYTO-01 (for retaining amp), and idatalink maestro for steering wheel controls. (Fingers crossed for a smooth install)

Why do you mention here not bothering to maintain or keep the amp?

 

Not to answer for @shifty`, but since that Kenwood you're installing has built-in amplifier (22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels), bypassing your OEM amp is advisable.

 

Agree with @BubbaW here.

As for "why" not to keep the JBL amp, if you plan to keep the factory amperage speakers, maybe it's wortwhile. If you plan to upgrade your speakers, unless you can find the correct mix of 2ohm and 4ohm drivers to accomplish this while keeping a 2ohm load on necessary channels, don't do it. If you don't understand my last sentence, please say something so we can better explain, the OEM JBL speakers aren't a standard amperage.

If you haven't already seen the "Audio, audio upgrades and cameras..." section in the 1st reply of this thread, it might be (or might have been) wise to do so before you purchased equipment : https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

Not many have used the TYTO-1 kit here, be sure to read the instructions, especially the 3rd page, the PAC kit may be a better option if you plan to . I also don't recommend the iDatalink SWC interface unless you're somewhat technically savvy, as it requires programming, applying to a computer to write the programming, and sometimes gets up/down buttons backwards (more info on options). But you're also stuck because the Axxess kit for SWC requires you to apply a resistor inline for Kenwood/JVC head units (they're the same brand).

It's a convoluted topic. I really need to sit down one weekend and write up a complete thread on JBL crap, and update the steering wheel info dump to include the PAC steering wheel control kit.

 

So I am a former mechanic by trade, I get most of the stuff. Though your last sentence did not make a lot of sense because audio stuff was never my bread and butter. So if there's any way you could explain that in layman's terms I would be greatly appreciative. That being said being a former mechanic I just won it and bought what I thought I would need and then started doing the research into it LOL. Something to do with that instant gratification problem of mine LOL. So I did go and return the harness for trying to keep the amplifier and bought the metra harness to bypass it.

I am very tech savvy so I haven't even installed it yet, I'm still waiting on my harness, but I have already programmed the data link. This is all being written by talk to text so if something is messed up, I'm sure you can piece it together but I will go back and edit it

Some I did read most of those threads, and I guess somewhere along the way my brain omitted anywhere where it actually gave a reasoning for trying to bypass the amp. I'm a little ashamed of myself at that

 

I could deep dive on this, but I'm not sure how helpful it would be.

I think the gist is this... in long-but-short-as-I-am-capable format.

If you don't already understand, all speakers have a specific impedance. Most speakers are marked by sticker/ink on the rear, often magnet of the speaker indicating the impedance value in ohms, examples: 2Ω / 3Ω / 4Ω / 8Ω. "Ω" being the symbol for ohms, impedance/resistance.

In residential/home speakers, the typical impedance is 8Ω.
Car audio, the normal is 4Ω, however in some cases you will find 3Ω and 2Ω drivers.

The impedance of your speaker is important because it takes significantly more power (and power = heat) for an amplifier to drive a 2Ω load than it does a 4Ω load. Some amplifiers are NOT stable driving speakers at 2Ω. Most external amps will indicate if they are 2Ω or 1Ω stable, specifically. Cheaper car stereos can't handle a 2Ω load, and may overheat/short/fry when given a 2Ω load on a single channel, worse on 2 channels, and even worse yet on the 4 channels most car stereos will handle. Any quality external amplifier is almost guaranteed to support 2Ω loads, and many quality amps @ 1Ω.

Another key takeaway here is, a savvy installer can change the load "seen" by your amp based on how they choose to wire the speaker(s), speaking at a basic/binary level, either wiring in Parallel, or in Series.

"Parallel" wiring is where you combine the two positives and two negatives together. If you wire two 4Ω speakers in parallel, the amp will see that pair of speakers as a 2Ω load.
"Series" wiring is where you daisychain your speakers together, wiring to the positive terminal of one speaker, then using a jumper wire fromthe negative terminal of that same speaker over to the positive of the next speaker. If you wire two 4Ω speakers in series, the amp will see that pair of speakers as an 8Ω load.

If what I said is, like, "what the FUCK?!", here are some very basic examples: https://www.audiovolt.co.uk/blogs/a...allel-series-and-how-does-it-affect-impedance

You can get wild with this, like, wiring up three speakers in series, then another three speakers in series, and wiring those two sets of three speakers in parallel to drop the load back down. There are calculators online to help with figuring out impedance, although any installer I've ever met worth their salt can do the mental math. Shit gets weird when you, say, take a 4Ω speaker and a 2Ω speaker and wire them in parallel and end up with a 1.3Ω load

You can also do wild shit like using resistors to change the impedance of a speaker if you really need to, which Toyota may actually be doing with some of their wiring harnesses, like the Y-harness in my truck.

That said......

Toyota opted to use an interesting mix of speakers in the 1st gen Tundra. In some cases, they used a mix of 2Ω and 4Ω drivers, like on the OEM JBL amp'd system in the DC. On the Fujitsu amp'd system on my AC, they used a mix of 4Ω and 6Ω speakers. They've done one of two things in those cases:

• Used an amplifier, either JBL branded or Fujitsu branded which is designed to handle lower-ohm loads
• Used wiring tricks, either creating parallel/series circuits to raise/lower the impedance seen by the amp, or potentially using components like resistors to impact impedance/load.

Why is this important?

You have the JBL system in your truck. This means, at minimum, each of your front doors has two separate +/- speaker channels, and they're wired down to 2Ω each circuit. Your JBL amp is likely engineered to handle/expect 2Ω loads, but if you choose to use an amp bypass harness without updating to new 4Ω speakers, and you follow the instructions Metra provides with their bypass harness (assuming you use their JBL bypass harness, specifically), those 2Ω circuits are going to be directly connected to whatever head unit you choose, and that head unit may not be able to handle that load/impedance.

There are ways you can get around this if true, like creatively finagling the way you handle the wiring on the bypass harness to, say, wire the two 2Ω circuits per front door in series, creating a 4Ω load for the front doors. I *thought* (and it's possibly true) Metra was doing this with the bypass harness, but I've been overloaded the last two weeks and unable to do a 1-to-1 comparison on the OEM JBL amp harness, to figure out if they're actually doing just that, wiring those two OEM door circuits down to 4Ω with the wiring they tell you to do inside the Metra documentation. I don't have a JBL DC in front of me, else I'd use this method on the green or purple or white or grey pairs of wires at the head unit to figure out what load the radio would see.

Lastly, why would you want to bypass the JBL amp specifically, if not clear already?

Note that our trucks came with (generally) three different sound systems: (1) the JBL system with JBL amp, (2) the Premium system with Fujitsu amp, and (3) no external amp, i.e. your speakers are directly amplified by head unit.

Those systems are roughly configured as follows:

• JBL amp: In the Double Cab, it's 8 speakers total, 6 in the front doors (a tweeter high in the door, a 6½" mid in the lower door with a 1¾" speaker next to it) and 2 in the rear doors (6½" mids). The rear door speakers are 2ohm, and of the 6 front door speakers, the tweeter and 1¾" are both 4ohm wired in parallel (to create a 2 ohm load), and the mid is a 2ohm speaker.
• Fujitsu amp: In the Access Cab (and maybe the Double Cab ?), it's 6 speakers total, with a 4 in the front (6½" mid in the lower with a tweeter higher in the door I think both are 4ohm), and 2 in the rear (6½" and I think they're 6ohm), pics here. I wish I'd have taken measurements on the tweeter to see its impedance and marked the speakers It's possible Toyota did some fuckery with the Y-harness they use to drive impedance down, maybe they paired a 2 ohm tweeter with a 4 ohm mid to create a 6ohm load up front, to match the 6ohm load in the rear? It would be a super weird flex, but I can only guess at this point...
• Head unit powered / no amp: Doesn't matter much for this conversation, skipping due to lack of experience.

Because the OEM JBL system uses 2Ω speakers, and a 2Ω stable amp, if you're NOT planning to update your speakers, you should probably KEEP the JBL amp. But if you do, be careful, some amp adapter modules (like the PAC brand unit) specifically require you to do things BEFORE you remvoe the OEM stereo, like turn the truck on, crank the volume to 3/4 volume to trigger something perparatory in the amp related to output levels, then power off the truck and install your aftermarket radio with their kit.

Anyway, we talked quite a bit about this over here, what options are available to folsk with JBL but I really need to go back through and double-check that stuff with what I know now after replying in threads with @BubbaW, @Khunter0211, and @G_unit3000, digging on the factory wiring. I didn't have a JBL system in my AC truck and don't have a DC, so I'm at a disadvantage.

I'd like to create a dedicated help thread on this, since it seems to pop up so often, and the JBL wiring is about as clear as mud.

 

That was way more information than I anticipated, and I'm very happy you took the time to explain like you did. It makes sense, I understand it. And I appreciate your contributions to basically all of this forum because a lot of the posts I read are from you. Thank you very much sir your work is appreciated.

I'm happy to hear that now that I'm cutting out the amplifier that I need to change the speakers because I did purchase a set of front door speakers and rear door speakers, however I guess my next follow-on question would be for the other speakers that are still stock, do you think- short term I mean- that the other couple of speakers will be okay? I didn't think to order every speaker. AKA the small speaker above the front door the Tweeter, and I think that's it off the top of my head, I never really tried to determine if I had the eight speaker system or not. I just know that an FM Bluetooth transmitter wasn't cutting it for me and it was time to upgrade the head unit.

 

The answer to that question purely revolves around the following factors:

• Are you double cab or access cab?
• Which exact speakers will remain stock? There are 8 speakers total in double cabs with OEM JBL on double cabs, I'm painting them and their ohm values below in a way which I believe is accurate, though I've never measured rear door speaker p/n 86160-0C060).
• Which speakers did you replace, and what are the brand/model #s on them?
• Did the aftermarket speakers come with a crossover? (crossover is the little frequency cutoff box you'll see in this picture)
• Do you have the Metra amp bypass (8117) currently installed and wired LIKE THIS? (If not, LMK, kinda important!)

​

 

Truck is a DC
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_20646CC654/Kicker-46CSC654.html

That's the speakers I bought for front and rear doors and that is it as far as speakers go. So to clarify the upper tweeters and the lower tweeter(?) on the front door (labelled in pictures as 4ohm parallel) will be reminding until springtime.

I have yet to install anything as I wanted to make sure all my ducks were lined up once I realized it requires more than just swapping the HU. So that answers the question of having the metra wired up. (The 70-8117 is currently sitting on my front porch as it was delivered today)

No I do not have any crossovers.

I will hopefully be doing the install in a 2 day break down. Tomorrow morning I will run the metra wires under the trim and into the HU space (as someone pictured in another post) and maybe make sure my wiring is at least prepped. And the following morning replace the HU and speakers and hopefully allow for T/S time before work.

 

There's a few directions you could take with things.

The easiest way to go about this, if you're cool living without the tweeters temporarily (i.e. that pair of speakers I labeled as 4Ω in the front above), is to:

• Negative battery terminal disconnect.
• Install JBL amp bypass as shown below, not as Metra instructs you, nor as you saw in the last pic I linked
• Install the aftermarket head unit and steering wheel controls
• Install the kickers in the front and rear doors, and if you re-use the plastic housing in the front door, Metra makes a plug-and-play harness to make install a no-wires-cut experience, I can get the part number if Crutchfield didn't send it to you.

The top "CAP OFF" wires here are simply not used in our 1st gen.
The lower "CAP OFF" wires are what feed those two smaller door speaker tweeters on each side.

By not connecting the front tweeters, and using those Kicker 4Ω coaxials you purchased (not the best choice, but it "is what it is"), you'll have a basic 4-driver/8-speaker setup.

Later, when you're ready to update the tweeters, the best path forward IMHO would be to buy 4Ω or 3Ω components that come with a crossover, and use a 6½" - 7" dedicated midwoofer with a ¾"-1¼" tweeter and replace the Kicker coaxials. You'll get a more-full sound overall, especially if you use a 3Ω component set like JBL puts out. I don't know why people don't stick with JBL (aftermarket), JBL makes really fucking incredible speaker component systems. There's a reason you see them at the best event/concert venues. Their sound repro is great, natural, warm.

​

 

I will dive back to this when it comes to the Tweeter replacement. Currently I have a trip down to AL from NY and I got what I could. I prefer Rockford Fosgate (probably a nostalgia thing from basic systems I've built when I was a teenager) and JBL is a top contender for me. I love their stuff. I may do that when it comes time to overhaul when I'm back. For now, a bandaid will have to do.

I would love to not have to cut wires at all. I didn't order anything from crutchfield, just use their website as a resource. I wasn't even aware harnesses were made like that anymore.

What is your hesitancy/ unhappiness with the kickers?

 

Rockford makes great subs and made killer amps BITD, their mids and highs are meh.
Kicker makes great subs, I've got two CompRT 8s in my truck right now, their mids and highs are meh.
JL makes some of the best subs money could ever buy, the mids are solid, the highs are meh.
JBL just makes great all-around and live repro speakers, it was one of the main brands the shop I worked at sold BITD, both their speakers and amps, the amps were meh for digital bass, the subs were alright, the mids and highs were awesome.

But really it's all subjective. I've built a lot of systems over the years. I've seen where simply swapping out a better-spec'd amp will make 'meh' driver choices sound great.

The short answer to your question is: Some brands are good at some things and not at others. I eat up Kicker subs, I won't touch their highs/lows, it's not what they're historically good at.

That's unfortunate. You can't beat their support, information, warranty, and a lot of times their pricing. The install documentation they give free with orders is second to none. They'll also replace stuff that's way out of warranty for you if they still carry the product, no questions asked. And they usually get you all the adapters you need right off the bat, or they'll set you up with the correct replacement enclosures. I cannot recommend using their services enough, and the unlimited telephone and web chat support is priceless, all of their technicians know the fundamentals. Sonic Electronix is also great, but they just don't have the service and documentation Crutchfield offers.

I will say, I've seen people get grey market audio merch off scAmazon and fleaBay. There's one specific warehouse in the NYC area I've heard is pretty notorious for bringing in grey market merch that lands at a lot of the local stores in the city, and two in LA that like to flood eBay. Just be careful where you buy.

In the case of the front door, if you intend to re-use the front door lower speaker housing, you'll need Metra 72-9301 adapter (there's 2 per pack, you need one pack front, one pack rear) and it's going to plug into THIS HARNESS. Pop out the old speaker, plug in the Metra adapter, use flashing tape or similar to secure the adapter inside the housing (to avoid rattles), attach its leads it to the new speaker, and install the speaker using the adapter rings Kicker will likely provide inside their box.

In the case of the rear door, you'll re-use the speaker housing, and you'll need the same Metra connector I just listed, and it's going to plug into THIS HARNESS. Again, same process, out with the old, plug in the Metra adapter, flashing tape, plug adapter to terminals, install.

It is possible to keep the upper front door tweeters, but isolate them from the little 1½" - 2" lower tweeter/mid thingy. To do that, you'd need to take the following actions:

• Buy one package of the Metra 72-8104, and that's going to plug in RIGHT HERE on the door, which will terminate the green/grey loopback going down to the lower speaker enclosure which creates the parallel circuit.
• You'll need to update your Metra JBL Amp bypass harness LIKE THIS which will pull the tweeters into the front door circuit.
• Your tweeters will be full-range with this setup unless they have a appropriately-rated capacitor inline on the positive side of the circuit.

It's possible to do this all without cutting any factory harnesses from what I see, but I also believe Crutchfield's informational database for the JBL OEM system is "off" a bit. Clearly they're not quite giving correct info for the Metra speaker adapters.

 

Hey hey everyone. I wanted to get yall's expertise on radio swap and speakers. I have read lots of threads and hope im hijacking the right thread. Long time lurker, new member. Truck has been owned by my dad since 2008ish, sold it to me for dirt cheap 5-6 years ago. I have driven it very little until now. I want to make it a project truck and i have a crap ton of necessary upgrades to do, so i will consult on that later.
I bought an ATOTO head unit. have the dash out and the bottom kick panel under the stereo removed as well. Had a JVC unit installed a long time ago and fortunately when pulled the radio out, the factory harness is intact. I bought the Metro 70-1761 harness for my car. It made sure all the wire pairs matched on old and new harness (ive read some threads where the harness wires were backwards on a couple of the newer harnesses). I don't think i have a factory amp. I looked under the driver seat, and under the passenger rear seat panel (all carpeted). I looked behind the dash and didn't see anything obvious but one silver square box at the bottom with a plastic cover (which seems to run power to some lights and other things). I also noticed while taking pictures to introduce myself that My driver doo has a tweeter by the door handle, but the passenger side does not. The car was totaled in the early 2000's and my dad bought it after with a rebuilt title. The Driver side door doesn't have any Vin #'s on it but the other 3 doors match the truck VIN. So i suspect the driver door was replaced. I haven't pulled the door panels off yet to see what's functional. The JVC head unit i had is garbage but honestly its probably the original speakers that are garbage. I plan to upgrade the front and back speakers with something decent.
My issue is, if everything is functional, how bad would having a high tweeter on the driver side sound with a lower tweeter? in the lower part of the door? or would it behoove me to try to find a passenger door panel with the tweeter intact that matches the driver side door?
I didn't know they made speaker adapters for the stock connectors, which is awesome, but when i went to Crutchfield to the above link with the Metra 72-9301 adapter, it said it wasn't compatible. Do they actually fit and Crutchfield is wrong? I haven't messed with installing speaker and systems in a long long while, and just need some guidance from all of you super knowledgeable people.
Sorry for the ADDHD rant, I am trying to make it as readable as possible without sounding like a wile person.
TLDR;
No amp correct?
Would you try to swap panels if all wiring is there? or leave and just put new speakers in?
Do the Metra 72-9301 adapter actually fit all FGT's for swapping to new speakers?
Much appreciated and looking forward to this journey and getting to know everyone more. Have a great day!

 

Passing thru for now BUT be cautious around yellow connectors in your Tundra and especially that box with yellow connectors in last picture. Yellow represents SRS(supplemental restraint system) air bag can go boom if not handled properly.

 

For future upgrades, service schedule, service manual, critical must-know info on damn near everything, start here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

I'm sorry, I wish I could've warned you first.

JVC and Kenwood are both great brands for mid-grade equipment, since you won't have steering wheel controls, the little quirk with the Axxess SWC module and JVC/Kenwood (it's the same brand) won't cause impacts. But it sounds like you're bailing on JVC/Kenwood. Bummer.

Per reply #20 of this thread, that's the correct harness, and is basically what you have pictured there.

It would be directly behind the black control panel in your picture, the top of the amp sitting almost flush with the bottom of those controls. But I clearly see the harness that normally plugs into it already used in the pic, so ... not an issue.

Again, all amp locations with pictures are in the 1st reply of this thread.

The doors in these trucks (AC and RC models only) use a special Y-shaped cable connector for the door tweeter. Things may get confusing when you have the doors open, as a result.

What/where that connector is here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/stupid-speaker-wiring-question-00-ac-w-amp.112724/#post-2906664
And for another shot with tweeter: https://www.tundras.com/threads/stupid-speaker-wiring-question-00-ac-w-amp.112724/#post-2907525
What that cable looks like up close: https://tnstatic.net/attachments/upload_2021-9-27_19-2-29-jpg.642160/

Not as garbage as that ATOTO unit is.... That's pretty cheap shit. Seen a couple of people install and they were DOA right out of the box. Garbage mainland China brand, though they do offer some level of support, unlike many other all-capital-letters brands off scAmazon.

The OEM spakers in these trucks were actually pretty solid. The JBL speakers did have some issues with the surrounds tearing. But generally, decent OEM speakers compared to other manuf'ers I've owned the cars of.

You'll notice it, audibly. But you can get a replacement door panel that matches at any junkyard pretty easily. www.car-part.com but avoid anything that has mildew spots on it. Or hit Facebook Marketplace and search for "tundra parts truck", you may find something nicer than a junkyard.

Absolutely! But make sure you get the Y-harness to go with it. I can link you to pics if you need it.

Crutchfield is going to give you part numbers for truck with the Y-harness intact.

Unfortunately, it's been a minute since I installed mine. I remember there was some confusion with the parts they sent me. I want to say the following is true:

• If you have the Y-cable intact and you're running a good quality of components (that include a crossover), you'll replace the Y-connector with Metra 8104 adapter, and run those directly to your crossover
• If you have the Y-cable intact but you're only replacing speakers, I think you will use the 9301 adapter for the lower front midwoofer, and need to cut/splice in the tweeter.
• Rear doors, I'm fairly certain, use the 9301 connector

But it may be that the front midwoofer takes the 9301, and the tweeter takes the 8104, and the rear door takes the 9301. Sorry bro, I wish I'd taken pictures of my outlets during install. The 9301 part number is T-shaped, like the terminal plugs are perpendicular like -- |

Sorry, wish I could be more helpful here...

I'd want to see what wiring is there, and see the connectors molded into the speaker housings so I knew what adapters to buy, frankly.

Echoing what bubba said while I was posting this.

Any time you see yellow loom/yellow connectors and orange connectors, never unplug them with power to the truck. Usually those deal with safety/SRS/airbag stuff.

Before touching anything electrical/stereo related, always disconnect the negative battery cable a good 5minutes before starting.[/QUOTE]

 

I did edit one or two things above, but would just say one other thing:

While you see quite clearly that nobody cut harnesses in the dash to install the stereo, you really have no idea what you're in for inside the doors. You may get in there and it's a shitshow of cut wires.

To that point, there are only two harnesses I'm aware of for the AC/RC trucks, per Metra at least (for any of your DC owners out there, ignore this): 72-9301 and 72-8104

You can compare the "business" ends of each connector (the part that plugs into the factory harness) from two different angles with the pics below to your existing speaker harnesses to see if they would fit. Like I said, I'm pretty sure the 8104 tags onto the Y-connector I linked above - I just don't know if that Y-connector stub exists in the passenger door. Or, maybe someone already cut in there. Bit you should be able to pop off each door panel and check.

And to that point, see the PDF attachment on the end of this this reply below the pics because I forgot to give you C-field's 'master sheet' for our trucks. It may help!

​

 

Thank you @shifty` and @BubbaW, I did not know about the yellow connectors being airbags, but I sure wasn’t going to touch it before I knew what it was. I know jvc isn’t Garbage, but I think that cd player is from early 2000’s. When I turn up the radio, the speakers crackle some like one is blown. I know the Atoto is spotty at best, but was trying to get something super cheap with car play that may work most of the time for now and keep me going. I’m crossing my fingers that it actually works, and will update as I dig in further. I’m hoping to pull the door panels off today and I’ll see what I’m in for and what I possibly need. I know the audio game has changed. I used to be a big fan of pioneer premiere and mb quart and jl audio. I’ve read your recommendations on the jbl club series and those look good. My hope is to replace both front and back for under 200-250. And possibly upgrade with an amp in the future (probably will never happen).
The amount of knowledge this community has on these FGT’s is amazing and has put the fear of hey Zeus in me. I’m trying to start small before I get deep in the weeds. Grateful I found yall and yall can help me keep this truck around for a a lot longer. Much appreciated.

 

You almost don't need an amp with modern stereos if it's a quality name brand, something made in the last few years. I've been running my Alpine iLX without an external amp for eons, but now I've got subs under the rear seat, I've got an amp in the wings, I've been threatening to install for too many years...

With all the digital circuitry that's come to be in the last decade+, the output is notably cleaner and louder in modern quality radios. You can legitimately get by w/o an amp using a quality mid-grade stereo, as long as you're not trying to add a sub. You really need to add an amp for that.

If you've got an older JVC, manufacture date 2010 or earlier (i.e. pre-Kenwood buyout, before the product lines got to align), there's a solid chance your radio is your issue, not the speakers, but ... dunno. BTW, Pioneer is still a high quality brand for heads. Sony is budget friendly and solid. Alpine is as good or better than Pioneer. JVC, Kenwood, they're solid mid-range budget choices these days, but everyone has their economy heads that are "meh".

Big thing to check for while you're in the doors:

• On the mids: Both midrange speakers front and rear, unsnap the OEM harness from the black plastic speaker housing, take a pic of the connector, for reference. Compare it to the connectors above. Note the color of each wire, they may be different colors on each door.
• On the front doors: Verify if the connector I'm circling below is there, start on the driver's side door if that's the one with the tweeter. I believe the connector may be secured to the door loosely. The manual says the wires (as you see here) in 2000 should be violet and purple (i.e. light purple and dark purple). On the passender side it should be light blue and light green going up to the connector. If it's present, take a picture of it. Compare it to the connectors above.
• Come back here and let us know what you found. Not only can one of us (I'm guessing I'm volunteering myself here ) can then give you a VERY clear picture of which adapters to buy, recommend speakers, and plan out a final install for you that fits the budget, or explain to you why you should set aside some add'l budget for something that may be a tad more expensive.
• Inspect the passenger side door panel; are there any factory markings where the tweeter hole should be? If so, maybe you can just blast a hole thru it? If so, I'd drill a pilot on-center from the rear, then use a proper holesaw via the front.

​

 

Fantastic. I appreciate the thorough responses. I have been reading through the threads and looking up compatible HU's and speakers. The goal if to get out this weekend after all these nasty storms and pull the door covers off and look at what all is there and take pics. I did find 2 trucks that just showed up at the upullit that are FGT. i'm hoping to see if they have the passenger door shell in my color.
I think i'm leaning towards the Alpine ILX-W670 HU. I like the responses form everyone that has mentioned it. I was leaning towards a pioneer as I've always been a fan, but i've heard several responses about screen delay after touches. Also looking at the JBL Club 64CSQ for the fronts, and the JBL Club 64SQ for the rears if everything is good to go. I was going to try to go super cheap, but the total price isn't bad and i want something i'm not going to need to upgrade later, unless its a 4 channel amp or a sub.

 

The big benefit you'd have with going Alpine iLX is this: They're the only aftermarket with a super-clean way to add an external amp, either a mono 1x200W for a sub or a 4x50w for mids, conveniently piggyback-mounted onto the rear of the head unit. Makes adding a sub a snap later.

Not only does this completely remove a lot of cabling out of the situation and save you the hassle of trying to figure out "Where the fuck do I mount this amp for my sub?!", it's also nice their harness is using 14 gauge wire, it's a hell of a lot easier to feed a 12awg-14awg wire through the firewall than the fatter 8awg or 4awg a lot of aftermarket amps require. The only part that sucks about it is you need to make sure you set your LPF and Gain settings appropriately before buttoning up your dash

(EDIT: It's the one flaw of the Alpine PowerStack system ... they don't give you a remote gain knob ... seeing your LPF on the KTA-200M is a no-brainer, but you should have some kind of 'subwoofer' or 'gain' knob in a convenient location for the driver so they don't need to open the dash to do this fairly-common tweak)

I haven't noticed a significant delay in keypresses on my W770 except in wireless CarPlay, but I see the same delay using wireless CarPlay on our 2020 Highlander's factory unit. I dunno about the W670 or when people are seeing that lag, can you fill me in? If there was any significant delay with standard functions, I can't help but think Alpine would've fixed that in a subsequent update. Does the W670 do wireless CarPlay/Android Auto? That's the main thing that got me to upgrade from the W650 to the W770.

PS the JBL drivers you chose are solid. You may want to wait and see if they're planning a Memorial Day sale, you may be able to get 20-30% off.

 

Ahh, I did see that the ILX in crotch field did have the amps that mounted directly on the back, and I thought that was super convenient and a great way to keep everything together.
I may have misspoke about the delays. I meant to say I saw that the pinker head units had complaints about button delays, not the alpine. I didn’t see anyone complain about the Alpine HU’s.
Great idea about the memorial day sale, I will def wait until then. I tend to get fixated on things and then buy them. Have to scratch the itch, haha. But I will make sure I have everything in order and make sure I have everything I need , run my backup camera and then just wait and see. I’ve had this truck for years, I can wait another month or 2 to upgrade the audio. May give me some time to set aside a little more for a better hu, or upgrade with the amp with it. Thanks.