Installing new stereo

[Junglistjed]

Looking at what was attached ide say left to right is.

Amp remote(blue)
Gap
12V Power supply(red)
Earth(black)

But could be completely wrong cause who knows the person that wired it in the first place.

Do you have a multimeter? Would make life much simpler.

So would i connect my Headunits loom to it? and as for the multimeter i did have one but its gone walkies.. i could order one offline but i would like this done tomorrow/tuesday latest!

cheers

[Speedtouch]

A 12V test lamp could be used instead, to verify permanent +12V and ignition switched +12V.

[Sanchez]

What would the item you linked do mate?

I would fit one of the ISO connector in the ebay link I gave you instead that chocolate block with the 4 wires in.

You need to figure out which of those wires does what.

You need to find which wire is
12v permantent live
12v ignition
earth
leccy aerial(if non touring/M3)

And the other ISO block in the ebay link will be for you speaker wires.

So would i connect my Headunits loom to it? and as for the multimeter i did have one but its gone walkies.. i could order one offline but i would like this done tomorrow/tuesday latest!

cheers

Then you can fit the head unit loom to the ISO connectors and the headunit.

Each make of HU has a different loom to the HU but will all have a ISO connector on the other end.

This mean you can swap HU's when ever you want and the wiring will be nice and tidy.

[Junglistjed]

Thanks mate, bought the iso blocks you linked!

Will i be able to connect my HU to the chocolate block until the ISO block arrives?

and im pretty sure im meant to have 8 speakers wires.. but i dont?

cheers for the replies, much appreciated guys!

[Sanchez]

I would wait until it arrives because to wire the chocolate block you will need to cut the ISO connector of the HU wiring loom.

A way around it is to take the chocolate block off and poke the wires into the HU ISO wiring loom and tape them up. You have to be careful you dont short anything and its a very temporary fix.

Yes 8 speaker wires for 4 speakers. They run in pairs - and +.

[Junglistjed]

any idea why the car hasn't got them? haha

[Speedtouch]

Early cars, particularly base models like the 316, would have only had two front speakers fitted, hence only one pair of speaker wires.

Besides, the standard-fit speaker wires (and speakers) are usually the cheapest of the cheap.

[Junglistjed]

do i change the choc block for a female iso or male iso?

[Junglistjed]

have i got the right idea?

[Speedtouch]

Yes, although the way you've crammed those red and red/black wires in doesn't look like very sound engineering practice!

[Junglistjed]

Not permanent mate just made sure they were right, will be soldering them any idea why the red/red and green were twisted together mate?

[Speedtouch]

Not offhand. Have you checked the wiring diagram?

[Junglistjed]

i followed this >



i still need to determine which wire is to which speaker before i put them into the other iso block! would i remove the bullet connecters and crimp and put into the iso block?

[Speedtouch]

Yes, remove the bullet connectors and use the crimps that fit the ISO block.

[Junglistjed]

awesome thanks bud! the 4 speaker wires consist for one blue, one blue with a stripe, one yellow, one yellow with a stripe

[Speedtouch]

Sounds about right. You need to determine which wire is + and which is -, to get the best sound from the speakers.

[Junglistjed]

Would i just open up the kick panels and check what wire is connected where? will be replacing them in a few weeks anyway

[Speedtouch]

Yes, that's a good way to do it. Most car speakers have one large and one small terminal blade, and the speakers usually have + and - marked on it, but not in all cases.

[Sanchez]

have i got the right idea?

As Maurice says looking good.

Its much neater than chocolate blocks.

Your on the right lines and doing a good job. Again its down to your preference but it wouldn't hurt putting new speaker cables in.

Most newer stereos now have grey, white, purple, green speaker wires.

Speakers will work with the - and + the wrong way around but wont sound the best.

[Junglistjed]

Thanks bud, i will definitely get some new speaker cable but ill use the current ones for now.. yeah i have just bought a new wiring loom and it has the white, purple, grey and green speaker wires

[Junglistjed]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141039342257? ... 1497.l2649

thats the wiring loom i bought, i assume black is ground and red is +12, whats yellow and orange?

[Sanchez]

Black = earth
Red = +12v ignition
Yellow = permanant +12v
Orange might be leccy aerial
Blue for amp if fitting one.

[Junglistjed]

The good news is the headunit gets power but the bad news is nothing is coming from the speakers so i have obviously got this wiring wrong any ideas?

also, how do i fit an arial?

[Speedtouch]

Are you sure you plugged the speaker wires into the right holes in the socket, and did you verify that the speakers worked?

The electric aerial normally has three wires - red and black for positive and negative (permanent 12V) and a blue wire for the trigger from the head unit.

It can be tested by connecting the blue wire to positive or negative, as required. It's not uncommon for them to become stuck!

[Junglistjed]

well the wiring has 2 green, 2 grey, 2 white and 2 purple wires but im really not sure what ones i should connect to.. in the pic the wires are connected to the two green and two white

[Sanchez]

Does it all look like to above? With some different coloured wires that it.

Note the 2 different pics have the yellow and red the other way round.

Whats your location? You may have a friendly zoner who would pop in and help you.

I can if you in Edinburgh.

[Junglistjed]

moved the two yellow wires to the other side of the blue ones as they weren't connected to front, still no sound though :/ could i of blown a fuse or something? when i first got the HU powered up i got the sound you get when you have no signal.. pretty sure it came from them.

[Sanchez]

Then you maybe have a loose cable.

If the HU works then the speakers should if there are not blown and are wired up.

[Speedtouch]

The way you have wired the speaker cables, it appears you have connected one to a front speaker and one to a (non-existent?) rear one, according to the wiring diagram above!

[Junglistjed]

I just switched them around mate, what if ive wired the left speakers to the right and right to the left? would that prevent them from working?

[Sanchez]

A speaker will work when a + and - are attached from the HU.

The speaker doesnt no if its in the boot or engine bay left side right side as long as its has a power signal from the HU it will work if its cone is intact.

[Junglistjed]

Hmm, will i definitely have front speakers? i know for a fact i have rear ones as they are on show.. does this mean that the wiring could be for the rear and not for the front?

[Sanchez]

Most likely yes fronts should be fitted. Have you checked the back of the rear speakers to see if any wires are attached?

If so are these the same wires you have in the back of the ISO connector block B 1/2 an 7/8?


If you have wiring the back of the ISO block as the diagram I just put up then you have 1 front and 1 back spaker wired.

[Junglistjed]

ill have a look mate , not sure what you mean? i have the 2 yellow and 2 blue speaker cables wiring to B3/4 and B5/6.. could only see it being a lose wire :/

also, a few times the HU has had 'amp error' flash up, would that cause anything?

[Sanchez]

If you have the wires attached to the speakers and correctly fitted in the ISO block then all should work well.

I realised know that you have moved you wires to how they are in your latest picture so the fronts should work if the wires are attached to the speakers.