Foxbody Head Unit Install Amp Bypass
07-04-2019, 10:32 AM
#11
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Pa
Posts: 1
Factory bypass if I have one?
@mmorningstar I have a 1987 ford foxbody mustang 2.3 convertiblel lx. I has the white leather interior. Do you happen to know if these specific foxbody's have the premium sound amplifiers and if so where are they located. My problem is I changed the factory head unit out and replaced it with a pioneer head unit (aftermarket). The pioneer worked for over a year perfectly. Two days ago I was driving and hit a bump going over a creek bridge and everything stopped working except for my 10" sub in the trunk. Now every time I start my car the head unit powers on and the display works fine, but there is a one pop sound and nothing else, no sound. Tho I can still hear my subwoofer responding. If you or anyone has any advice on what happened and how I can repair it, I greatly appreciate it! Really need my tunes! At this point I've pulled the head unit and every speaker in the dash and reconnected them to eliminate the possibility of a grounding out wire, but that didn't change anything. Any advice is welcomed!
10-17-2021, 01:27 AM
#12
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: south carolina
Posts: 1
Best thing I think I’ve ever read ever
Thought I would throw up an FYI thread for this, since I had such a hard time and couldn't find anything definitive anywhere. I know some people are having trouble with this install, and it turned out to be rather straightforward.
1- I purchased a Metra Harness, good for all Fords 1986-1994 # 71-1770.
2- Remove old unit, I used the Metra tools, you will notice upon unplugging the factory harness that the speaker harness only has 5 wires, this is because it is running to an amp, mine was located behind the head unit, but I've heard some are under the seat. I disconnected the two crews holding it in, snaked it out and unplugged the two sockets on top of the amp, you may have to do this while it is still in the dash, don't be alarmed if the harness plugs break, you won't need them.
3- Now when you plug in your new harness to the factory one from the headunit you will notice the new headunit powers up but NO SOUND. Ahh Hah, this is because you are not going to use the original factory harness. Ford was thinking ahead when they installed these pitiful amps in our fox bodies. Here comes the hard part.
4- Set the old factory harness you unplugged from the stock head unit aside. Get ready to be a contortionist, actually it's not that bad. You need to get down with your head on the passenger side floorwell, push yourself under the dash so you are trying to look up behind where that headunit was, you need to trace the unplugged stock amplifier wires from step 2. You will find that they connect to two plugs mounted neatly on a bracket behind the AC/Heater controls. The top of these unplug and guess what, they look exactly like the plugs you disconnected from the factory headunit, that's because these are the factory amplifier bypass plugs, already thougtfully supplied to you by FoMoCo! You should be able to reach up in a and unplug them, snake them back out front, and plug them into your Metra Harness, thus eliminating the factory amp setup.
5- Throw factory amp and headunit in trash can.
Maybe a mod can sticky this, or add it to a FAQ if my instructions are not too horrible!
1- I purchased a Metra Harness, good for all Fords 1986-1994 # 71-1770.
2- Remove old unit, I used the Metra tools, you will notice upon unplugging the factory harness that the speaker harness only has 5 wires, this is because it is running to an amp, mine was located behind the head unit, but I've heard some are under the seat. I disconnected the two crews holding it in, snaked it out and unplugged the two sockets on top of the amp, you may have to do this while it is still in the dash, don't be alarmed if the harness plugs break, you won't need them.
3- Now when you plug in your new harness to the factory one from the headunit you will notice the new headunit powers up but NO SOUND. Ahh Hah, this is because you are not going to use the original factory harness. Ford was thinking ahead when they installed these pitiful amps in our fox bodies. Here comes the hard part.
4- Set the old factory harness you unplugged from the stock head unit aside. Get ready to be a contortionist, actually it's not that bad. You need to get down with your head on the passenger side floorwell, push yourself under the dash so you are trying to look up behind where that headunit was, you need to trace the unplugged stock amplifier wires from step 2. You will find that they connect to two plugs mounted neatly on a bracket behind the AC/Heater controls. The top of these unplug and guess what, they look exactly like the plugs you disconnected from the factory headunit, that's because these are the factory amplifier bypass plugs, already thougtfully supplied to you by FoMoCo! You should be able to reach up in a and unplug them, snake them back out front, and plug them into your Metra Harness, thus eliminating the factory amp setup.
5- Throw factory amp and headunit in trash can.
Maybe a mod can sticky this, or add it to a FAQ if my instructions are not too horrible!
I couldnt believe it until I looked and I’d be damned it works thanks man
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