1st!! Seeking advice and ideas on a car audio instal xf

[Sardaara 6]

Hey everyone!

 

I'm looking to install a cd player in the xf, currently has the original head unit... Has anyone done it and made it look neat? Pictures/advice... Systems people have in.. Ect

 

Cheers Raj

[Falcon 3]

Easy done just buy a new facia bracket from eBay or any audio place.

['Nova 997]

They cost about and really tidy it up!

[Crazy2287 1,886]

Once you get the original head unit out, keep the brackets. I cut these up and rivet them onto the head units cage. You'll have to remove the clamp thing at the back for clearance, otherwise it is likely the headunit wont sit all the way back.

 

Good luck.

[Sardaara 6]

Wow getting this old radio out is a biatchhhh!!

[Sardaara 6]

Ok so is the fascia you guys are talking about?

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ford-Falcon-XF-Radio-dash-facia-NEW-/110994580079?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19d7cae26f&_uhb=1#ht_872wt_689

[gromet88 3,042]

thats the one!

[Sardaara 6]

Ok so here's what happened.. Took and hour to unscrew two screws as they were shaved fully!!

 

Tested the cut wires... First there was 12v in the black and red... Connected the new unit and it was working then decided to stop.. Checked for power again and no power... This time the power was in the blue and green wire... So we swapped them to blue Nd green... All good working fine.. Drove the xf to woopi about 35km listening to the radio...

 

When we left to return home at night there was no power in the unit.. And I though oh well... Got home turned my headlights off and the unit turned on... Headlights on unit turns off...

 

IDEAS?

 

Also do the xf dash buttons have lights in them? Do they eliminate when you turn the head lights on? And my shifter has no light...

 

Fun and joys of owning a 26yr old car!!!

[Crazy2287 1,886]

ummmm,

 

 

Get a multimeter. and make sure the car is off. key off.

 

Find the constant. So using a known good earth, find the 12V wire.

This goes to the yellow wire of the headunit.

 

Then turn the ign to accessories.

Find the NEW wire that has 12V. 

 

this goes to the red wire on the headunit.

 

Then turn your headlights on. and find the NEW 12v wire. This is the illum wire. Hook to usually a white wire if the head unit has a dimming function. CHECK YOUR MANUAL.


Then get a AA battery and use it to find your left right rear speakers by connecting the battery to the remaining wires and listening for the "crackle"

 

Make a new earth for the headunit, Run a lead to some body metal or an existing earth point and attach the earth there. Make sure it has good connection. <5ohm from neg lead of headunit to battery neg.

[Bigbam 85 58]

as crazy mentioned find the constant power when car is off, wire that to yellow wire on HU.

Then find remote wire which is one that has power when on accessories, wire that to red wire on HU. This is the important one that makes your cd player switch on and off when you turn your keys.

 

Make sure you have a good earth connection for HU too,

[Falcon 3]

Run new wires for earth and constant power. Make sure the constant is on a fuse. If your using the original cables they may under power the unit.

[Sardaara 6]

Thanks guys will get to it... Anyone got a complete audio install combo that may say good?

[hendrixhc 10,920]

Thanks guys will get to it... Anyone got a complete audio install combo that may say good?

 

 

What do you mean by this?

[dizzy616 183]

i kept the stock radio. disconnected it. ran all the wires underneath the center console. and ockey strapped a head unit underneath the drivers seat. Haha atleast the deros of the neighborhood will think the sterio's only stock. Got a boss head unit. kept whatever the front doors got in em. scored a cheap fusion suby and some decent 'shit' poineer speakers for the back. and a 2 way fusion amp to run the 12'' sub. sounds pretty bass'y. it actually sounds allright blaring my metal and hip hop. mates reckoned that the last time they heard drums like that was a live drum kit. ohyeh dont put the suby facing the boot get horrible boot rattle.

[gromet88 3,042]

i kept the stock radio. disconnected it. ran all the wires underneath the center console. and ockey strapped a head unit underneath the drivers seat. Haha atleast the deros of the neighborhood will think the sterio's only stock. Got a boss head unit. kept whatever the front doors got in em. scored a cheap fusion suby and some decent 'shit' poineer speakers for the back. and a 2 way fusion amp to run the 12'' sub. sounds pretty bass'y. it actually sounds allright blaring my metal and hip hop. mates reckoned that the last time they heard drums like that was a live drum kit. ohyeh dont put the suby facing the boot get horrible boot rattle.

 

 

love the idea, something you have to do in Elizabeth, hey hendrixhc?!?!

[dizzy616 183]

man i lived in some pretty dodgy areas so im real paranoid about my stuff that paranoid i dont even buy much expensive stuff. or if so i dont leave it in sight

[hendrixhc 10,920]

love the idea, something you have to do in Elizabeth, hey hendrixhc?!?!

 

Dunno mate. To scared to go in to Elizabeth!

[Sardaara 6]

well till date ive done all my installs... regardless of a new or old car... this time im thinking of getting a complete system front to rear but have it well hidden as dizzy said.. going the one company type... ie alpine whole was through professionaly installed.. thats what i meant what kind of system are people running in their x's? few clever ideas like stock radio but head unity under the seat ect....

[Crazy2287 1,886]

keep on top of the shop installers. Some of them hide their dodgyness under the install and you wont know till you get issues later down the track.

[dizzy616 183]

yeh i just have a crack at installing those sort of things myself their not that hard and a multimeter helps. or test light

[Sardaara 6]

any feedback on the following? looking at getting the type S the one listed at the bottom of the page

 

http://www.alpine.com.au/showPage.php?pid=405

[mcfly94 169]

dont fit alpine speakrers, type j/g/r/s as they only sound good with a sub, they do not like to produce bass, and they are expensive.

 

I can highly recommend infinity speakers, although these can be dear, i paid $250 brand new and that was almost half price.

 

and rockford fosgates, (im running 60rms 6x9 3way rockfords paid $130 for the pair underneath 25mm plastic spacers on a solid 12mm custom shelf and they are awesome, perfect if you dont want a sub, they have a serious amount of bass for what they are, and i run them of a 4ch amp which can handle 2x100rms bridged.

 

alpine make the best headunits IMO, im using the x305s which again was really dear but got that half price on sale.

 

for amps, im using a 4ch alpine amp and a fusion amp, suprisingly the fusion amp is really good, my inifinty speakers were dummy fitted in my car, and hooked up, and these things are 90rms in 20hm and the fusion amp powers them perfectly! and that does 2x80rms into 4ohm.

 

wiring use 8ga for everyamp, earth and power as long as its not a comp system.

[Crazy2287 1,886]

If you want Alpine, spend a bit more and get the R-series. IMO.

​Have alpine still ditched the internal sound processors? They were making really good head units till they ditched the internal processor and forced you to buy an external processor for channel delay, crossovers ect. 

[mcfly94 169]

yeah, but i like i said crazy they dont really handle bass, so if you want type r's get a small sub, they are amazing quality on shallow mids and tops.

 

Yeah they have, $700 headunit i have dosent even have internal sound processor!, and its like $500 for top processor.

[hendrixhc 10,920]

keep on top of the shop installers. Some of them hide their dodgyness under the install and you wont know till you get issues later down the track.

 

Amen to that. Twice i had my systems installed by professionals.

 

1st time they dropped my head unit and had patched the PCB inside and taped the top cover back on plus the crimp lugged and taped all the connections. All which failed within 4 weeks of the install.

 

2nd time they smacked my rim on my 3 day old WRX on a gutter, and took 3 months to replace it, and failed to tune the system correctly including leaving the 12watt factory speakers connected which caused massive distortion on anything over 1/8 volume.

 

Your better off doing your own install if you can and do it right.