Stereo questions. Searched. 2004 Tundra DC Limited.

Okay so this is far more confusing than I'm used to.

I've done many car stereo installs, but the Tundra seems to have a lot of confusing information.

2004 Toyota Tundra Double Cab Limited with factory JBL deck with the internal 6-disc changer.

Basically, I'm looking to do an upgrade, looking to spend around $500-$1,000. Want to start with a bluetooth deck, then speakers, then a small amp in the little hole under the rear drivers side seat.

1. Does anyone have a GOOD wiring diagram for the deck? Like, Blue/white is Left speaker. etc.

2. If I had an amp or amps, where would they be? Should I continue to use them?

3. How do I make sure the steering wheel controls work? Sounds like there is a few options, anyone have any recommendations?

4. What speakers can I actually fit in the doors without modifications? I also have a 2003 sequoia, and they say you can't just replace the speakers... so that crew usually fixes the factory JBL's. Is that also true for the Tundra?

5. What about a system with a backup camera? Is this simple to install? i wouldn't want to have to activate it everytime i wanted to use it, I would want it to work whenever I put the car in reverse.

6.Advice? Links? what deck is decent? Install kits? Subwoofer boxes? etc.

 

1. Check www.the12volt.com/
2. I believe with the JBL system you bypass the factory amps.
3. There are modules to retain the wheel controls. Crux and Maestro are the 2 that come first to mind.
4. There are adapters to mount new speakers.
5. Depends on your idea of easy. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon to install everything.
6. www.crutchfield.com and www.metraonline.com will answer 95% of all your questions.

 

Bypass stock JBL amp. Bypass harness I used came with my head unit I got from Crutchfield. The stock amp is ok but known to cause issues with aftermarket HU. It’s located behind the wall panel behind your back seats. There are write ups on here how to remove it if you want. For your steering wheel controls, the harness that works those also came with my head unit as an add on. Mine worked for a year or so but has since stopped. Haven’t investigated, so it could be user error. Backup camera is super easy to install. Also dependent on your HU to be added. Cheap ones on Amazon all over the place. I haven’t replaced my speakers, they we’re already replaced before I bought the truck. But plan on upgrading soon. Others here have and will be able to help with that. Good luck! I love car audio! Looking forward to seeing what you do.

 

I have a 06 DBL Limited. I have am Alpine single din I had in a previous vehicle. Got rid of the entire JBL system and used the metra amp bypass wiring harness. There is an Alpine 4x50 watt plug and play amp inside the dash behind the head unit. No wiring was required to install the amp just plug it into the harness between the head unit and wiring harness. I have 6.5" Kenwood component speakers in the front doors and 6.5" Rockford Fosgate punch coaxial speakers in the rear doors and a Kenwood KSC-SW11 powered subwoofer that fits inside the jack compartment underneath the rear passenger seat. The subwoofer only requires ground, power from the fuse box, remote turn off, and rca to the head unit. I made my own speaker mounting adapters using a jig saw and 2 piece polypropylene cutting board set I got at Harbor Freight for $7.

I plan to upgrade in the future to an Alpine Touchscreen with a backup camera. Should be a simple plug and play upgrade when the time comes.

 

Honestly, just go to Crutchfield. They'll literally tell you everything you need specific to your truck once you tell them what make/model/year/options it is and which head unit you want - they'll tell you which harnesses, radio mount kit, extra supplies, all that stuff. You don't *have* to actually order with them once you get that list, but at the small markup they add is worth it in exchange for getting everything in one fell swoop, with the installation notes/instructions they send and the free web or phone technical support from their experts. They maintain a huge database of vehicle-specific data too, in case you hit a snag.

FWIW, I spent almost 5 years of my life working at audio & tint shop doing mid-to-high-end installs with one other guy, both for competition and non-competition rides. Despite having all that experience as an installer, for the last 2 decades I've been going to Crutchfield to buy 95% of my stuff. Good selection, good price, no gimmicks, great return policy, you just can't beat it. I've had conversations with several of their techs over the years; I have yet to find someone who doesn't know their stuff. Granted, one or two had strong opinions about specific brands, which doesn't bug me, but yet to find someone with bad info.

Quick edit: Went with Crutchfield for my '06, as I have with my last dozen or so vehicles. Minus my JBL mids/highs for front and rear, my subs, my amp, and my install sheets, this is what we came up with. FYI, the Axxess steering wheel control unit was a no-brainer, super easy. I left my head unit out and wiring for Axxess out for the first key turn to watch it program itself (you watch the LED flashes red/green for it to program itself). Works flawlessly.

• $350 Alpine iLX-W650 7" Mech-Less Receiver Compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  Alpine iLX-W650 Digital Multimedia Receiver
• Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Interface
• Boyo VTL17LTJ Backup Camera with LED and Trajectory Lines
• (2) x
  $19 Metra 72-8104 Speaker Wire Adapters for Select Toyota Vehicles - 4 Total Adapters
  Metra 72-8104 Speaker Harness for Toyota, 12" Leads (speaker wiring adapters)
• Toy/Lexus/Scion ASWC Harness 03-Up, prevents splicing/keeps 3.5mm aux (wiring kit, including amp bypass harness)
• Toyota Kit 2000-Up, DD (head unit kit)

 

Okay so took all your advice.
I actually ended up ordering a converter to the back of my stock stereo to plug in an aux for $40. If it works, it’ll hold me over for a year or two.

trying to avoid jumping into it and spending the $1,000 that I really want to do.

 

Props to you for your restraint. Several companies out there make bluetooth/phone/etc. add-ons for the stock stereo in these trucks. The one I'm most familiar with but haven't tried directly is the GTA kits. Their video for the 03-06 Tundra is here, and there's a link in the video description to the kit.

That said, I had an issue with my truck where the driver side tweeter clearly wasn't working. I figured - poorly - that it was blown. When I purchased all the stuff above and got the DS door panel off, I quickly realized someone else had the door open at one point and simply forgot to reattach the wires. And so we live and learn....

But I'm not disappointed with the sound improvements or most of the features on the aftermarket unit. It beats what I would've gotten out of the kit, albeit by paying 10x as much I reckon.

 

Got the Bluetooth converter deal.
Works great.
Definitely worth the $30 from Amazon. Going to keep it for a little while.

 

Welcome to the rabbit hole. I rocked the GTA aux kit for years, it's a great alternative. However, I haven't had a smile on my face quite this big in some time after gutting the factory system. I spent around 350 bucks for new HU and speakers. I feel like a 16 year old kid blasting all my favorite old songs

 

im enjoying my toyota modern radio... but now im also wanting to add an amp... the rabbit hole is indeed a thing.

 

Is anyone using the JBL amp with an aftermarket stereo?

 

I’m rocking a GTA kit and have no complaints. The USB out doesn’t offer enough power for my wireless charger but it’ll do fine for a passenger to plug in to. And the AUX is a nice addition though I’m not using it.

 

Good question. Seems most bypass the factory amp from readings, but some audio expert will know better and get back with you.

 

My truck had an OEM integrated amp, but not the JBL branded unit. That said, trying to adapt everything out wasn't worth the overall hassle when you can easily get a harness to bypass factory.

I think there's an important point to make here. At the age of our trucks, most decent modern aftermarket stereos are going to offer comparable if not superior performance to what that 15+ year old JBL tech will provide. At the time when our trucks came out, amplifiers were still fairly large, heavy, and cumbersome units. With today's technology it's much easier to jam all the digital circuitry required for clean, amplified sound into a basic head unit.

You can further propel that advantage by taking advantage of any of the intentionally lower impedance speakers on the market. JBL's modern line has a number of car audio speakers designed with 3 ohm impedance to help squeeze a bit more power out of your head than what your OEM speakers or other competing manufacturers may offer.

tl;dr - unless you have a compelling reason to keep the amp, avoid the hassle of adapting 15-20 yr old tech, get the bypass harness and spend a few extra bucks on a quality head unit with ample power.

If you need future amplification and don't want to find a place to stuff the amp, look at the piggyback unit sold to pair with the

$350 Alpine iLX-W650 7" Mech-Less Receiver Compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Alpine iLX-W650. You can install in stages if you don't have the coin to buy both up front. After install, I felt the iLX offered ample power and sound, so I ended up sending the amp back and bought a separate JL amp to power my subs.

Everyone has their preference. Do what works for you!

 

The toyota site says mine has the EJ JBL AM/FM/Cass With 6 Disc Changer & 8 Speakers In 6 Locations. Don't get me wrong, I am not wholly attached to keeping the amp but I also appreciate things that continue to work and are serviceable. I used to tinker around with repairing 60's-80's mid and high fi stereos and speakers. I have not spent much time with the system in my truck since the volume knob is barely serviceable. I am just trying to decide where to add functionality and where to add quality. I am not a high volume listener so I suspect most aftermarket head units will be adequate to drive the stock or aftermarket speakers.

 

Better stereo always starts with better speakers. The factory JBL stuff isn't bad, it's just dated.

Personally, after working in a shop that sold and installed primarily JBL amps and drivers for competition and personal, I'm partial to the brand. As I've said here many times, there's a reason you'll find JBL stacks used at big concert events, their lifelike representation of full range sound is unparalleled IMO. They have great sound engineers and make practical, powerful, mid- to mid-upper range stuff at an unbeatable price point.

That said, you'll probably get the biggest noticeable boost from upgrading the speakers to some quality components. JBL's "Club" series are an excellent choice for components. The weak point is probably where they cut the crossovers, but the lower load and solid construction put out great range of sound if you're sub-less.

If you don't want to stray from factory, you may want to consider what @empty_lord put in his truck. I think it's a 2015 head unit with GPS, Bluetooth and all that jazz, and the steering wheel controls worked. I believe it was 100% plug-and-play and fit like it was meant to be. But I may be wrong!

With the new OEM head you'll get more power, more processing of your sound, touchscreen, USB I think, and smartphone connectivity with hands-free (may need to add a mic, maybe he can say). I assume amp compatibility but I dunno!

 

This setup I have will not work with JBL trucks unless your willing to do A TON of rewriting.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. Ok, Nix that! I had just edited my post to mention something about the JBL OEM amp at the end as you were posting this.

Did your truck have no amp at all, or ??

 

Your factory JBL amp is 6 channels - 2 channels rear doors, 2 channels mid-range and subwoofer front doors, and 2 channels front tweeters. Most aftermarket head units are 4 channels. The front door subwoofers and mid range speakers and amp are 2 ohm and your aftermarket headunit will most likely be 4 ohm.

Cliff notes: Bypass and get rid of the JBL amp. Install aftermarket head unit and aftermarket speakers.

 

If I do end up with a head unit that supports 2 ohm speakers are the factory speakers worth keeping in your opinion? They do not appear to be degrading.

 

I had the same JBL system in my 06 Limited that you have. The front door subwoofers were pretty much at the end of their useful life when I replaced them 2 years ago

I have a used EJ JBL AM/FM/Cass With 6 Disc Changer & 8 Speakers In 6 Locations
factory JBL radio out of my 06 Limited in real good condition. I would sell it for $50 plus $20 shipping if you want to get your factory system back to working properly. It's gently used. I doubt my dad whose 82 and drove the Tundra from 06-2018 turned it up to 11.

You can also buy a repair kit for for the JBL front subwoofers for $20-30.

$31 Simply Speakers 7" Foam Speaker Repair Kit Compatible with Toyota Sequoia, Tundra JBL FSK-7M-Toyota (Pair)

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Sequoia-86160-AF060-86160-AF070-Speaker/dp/B009DNMMEW#customerReviews

PM if your interested in the JBL radio. I can attach some pics to the PM if needed.

 

Thanks for the offer but I do plan to upgrade the head unit with something that has a few more features. I am looking pretty closely at the Atoto S8 right now.

 

On my 06 double cab, I swapped out all new speakers and head unit and I went cheap and my sound is better than it was stock. Even if the head unit will support the 2ohm speakers you still have the issue of wiring the tweeter, mid and woofer up front and somehow getting a head unit that will split the sound three way up front.

I'm looking for a JBL speaker for the front of my sequoia and would gladly buy the JBL speakers off you if that helps with the decision

 

Based on the info about the subs and mids in the doors being on the same channels and both 2ohm, chances are the speakers are wired in series, thus presenting a 4ohm load at the amp.

I've been wrong before, but this is the most logical explanation based on input given. Since you're just re-using the factory wiring (via adapter) when installing the aftermarket stereo, I presume whoever makes the adapter harness will take this into consideration and make it plug-and-play for you so you don't need to think about it.

 

They're actually separate wires all the way back to the JBL amp. It's a very complicated system Crutchfield sells an adapter so you can just add a new head unit and keep everything else stock, but you lose fader and balance because those are digital signals to the amp and then the amp adjusts. I don't know if it's just a DC thing though.

 

There will be some thinking involve. The amp bypass harness fits about 10 different Toyota models and has about 20 wires. You really only need 4 of the 20 wires. 1 for each channel/door. I installed Kenwood Component speakers with built in crossovers in the front door. The tweeter plugs into the woofer so I didn't need to use the factory Toyota tweeter wiring.