How to install a car stereo in the simplest way possible

Author: Adrienne Owens

Installing a car stereo system requires care and perfection. You will need to learn to wire and mix the components well and perhaps use the right tools. Installing a car stereo will depend on how you would want to customize your audio system. You may choose to install a new car system and change the components over time to your taste.

Getting to know how to install a car stereo system will also depend on how you will choose your car stereo components. You may need to carefully select them based on your car brand, mounting positions, and complexity. You are lucky though because with this guide on how to install a car stereo, we have provided easy and understandable steps to about the whole process.

Steps on how to install a car stereo

Here is a general guideline on how you can install your car stereo;

Phase One: Uninstall the Old Stereo

Before installing your new stereo, you will need to uninstall the old stereo. Meticulousness and perfection will be required at this stage. Here are some of the steps you will need to follow to uninstall the old stereo successfully

  • Disconnect power supply

With your car on the parking brake, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to avoid short-circuiting which may hurt your car’s electrical system. To safely disconnect your car battery’s negative terminal, you will need to turn off the ignition, loosen the nut on the terminal and then remove it. Be sure to use some pair of safety gloves.

  • Unscrew all the nuts

After ensuring that there is no power running on, you can now unscrew all the screws that are holding the trim in place. With every screw removed, it is time to remove the trim; you may need pry tools at this stage.

  • Trim removal

Removing a trim will involve prying, that is why these tools are very crucial. If you can access any pry tools, you can use your hands but with care to remove everything piece by piece. Usually for a car trim, the removal process is done bottom up.

If you will need to remove some compartments before accessing the stereo, you may need a reference on how they were installed. That is why taking photos will be important. This is of essence since you are not a professional and this might be your first time.

  • Stereo removal

After accessing the old stereo, use screwdrivers or appropriate nut drivers to loosen it up. Some stereo will require a radio key. This is common in Ford vehicles. These keys may be inserted into designed slots which lets you loosen the stereo from its compartment.

If you are successful in loosening the stereo, you can carefully and slowly pull it out of its compartment.

  • Unplugging the stereo connection

After successfully removing the stereo, it is now time to disconnect the stereo from the wiring system completely. You can start by carefully unplugging the antennae wire which will be the thickest and will be constraining the stereo.

After doing that, you should be able to move the stereo around. You can now unplug the wire harness connectors by pushing buttons or tabs which loosens them up for unplugging. With all the wires disconnected, it will be time to install your new stereo. Don’t forget to take some photos of how the stereo is wired so that it becomes easy to reference when installing the new stereo.

Phase Two: Installing the new stereo
  • Reconnect the wires

Match up the wires from the old stereo. The harness connectors are always made uniquely so that it becomes easy for you to figure out which one fits where. To ensure that you have done it successfully though, you may need to check on the connection diagram.

Sometimes some market stereo may not use the wire harness. Instead, you will be required to insert the wires each on its port manually. This will be the point where you will need to take advantage of the color codes of the wires. If the color codes do not match, you will still need to consult the connection diagram.

Connecting these wires will either require you to do soldering or crimping. Crimping will give you a fast and quick installation process. Be keen to use applicable size crimper. By doing this right, you will be close to mastering the art of how to install a car stereo.

  • The mounting kit

Your new stereo will definitely come with a mounting kit. You will need to assemble it according to the stereo’s guidelines. Use screwdrivers to secure any metal sleeves to the stereo.

  • Connect the power input

Most probably you might have connected the wire harnesses on the car to the stereo by now. If you have not, then your stereo will need a manual connection of the power. You will need to determine which one is the power wire.In most cases the power wire is normally red in color for a switched power input and yellow for constant power input.

  • Ground your stereo

This is another process that you will have made by now if the stereo is using wire harnesses. If the stereo requires manual wiring then grounding will involve locating a black wire and connecting it to a bare metal. Without grounding your stereo, you may affect the quality of the sound produced.

  • Connect any other remaining wire

Some of the wires remaining now are the adapter, antennae and converter wires. For some stereo, they might not be necessary. If you have used a converter or an adapter to make the stereo to be compatible with your car’s audio system then connecting converter wires will be necessary.

Phase Three: Testing the new stereo

With every wire in place, it is time to test your new stereo. Turn the power on. Test the AM and FM modes, then test the CD component. Test also the speaker fade and balance knobs to find out if they work properly. If your test runs successful then turn the power back off.

Phase Four: Finishing up

With your stereo working, you can now push it to place, fasten the screws, connect any wiring while referencing from your photos. Snap the trim back into place while doing it top to the bottom. Ensure that all the screws are in place then try your new stereo.

Conclusion

These are the easy and straight steps on how to install a car stereo. If you carefully follow these steps, your stereo should be working. If you are not confident on whether you should do it yourself, it is always advisable to consult or hire a professional installer.

Please let us know about your experience on installing a new stereo in your car on the comment section. You can also share this article with your friends and family members who own cars and want to know how to install a car stereo on their own.

Source: https://carspeakerland.com/how-to-install-a-car-stereo