theryanator

I have a 99 4runner sr5 and the cd player crapped out on me last weekend. It will not pull the cd into the deck when the cd is placed in the slot, so it seems like the motor in the deck is burnt out.

I would like to replace it with a stock deck if possible. The top part of the unit (it is made up of two decks, a control deck with the cassette and radio controls on it, that also control the cd player. Then the cd deck is below) works fine, just need the bottom part, the cd deck, to swap out with my crapped out one. I thought someone here may have one lying around after replacing it with an after market deck. If anyone has one that would be great and I would be willing to cover the cost of shipping of course and work out a price for the unit itself. Thanks!

Godzilla

just from experience have you tried other cds? (im sure you have tried but just in case you didnt.) the reason why i ask is some cds that have a thick graphic coat, (or some burnt ones with a thick top layer also), my cd player doesnt want anything to do with. it just sits and does nothing. throw in a different cd and it takes it. Also it may be more beneficial to put this into the want ads in the classified section, and look in the items for sale there. they come up rather frequently.

theryanator

Yeah, as you figured, I have tried several cds. I thought it might be the thickness of the cd graphic as well, but it is not.

I will copy and post this in the want ads like you mentioned, I just know I hardly ever look there and someone else may have a deck, but not think to put it in there, because most people would just replace the deck with a after market deck if the stock one broke. However, I would like to keep mine as stock as possibly for the time being.

Thanks for the input.

MTL_4runner

You might want to open it up and see if it is something obvious inside the player preventing it from working properly.

theryanator

I am decent with mechanical stuff, but electronics is not my forte'. I think I will try that though this weekend hopefully I might have time. Not sure what I would be looking for, but you are right that it is worth checking out. Anyone have any ideas from personal experience what I might be looking for regarding the problem i posted above?

Thanks again!

travelinman

Mine crapped out last year too. I ended up getting it serviced as I could not find one to replace it and I like the look of the stock stereo. I think the service was around $150.

I have seen some on ebay. The one in the 4runner is the same as the one in some other toyota vehicles; I don't remember the part number, but it's fairly common.

Good luck!

Bob_98SR5

ryanator,

dont waste your $$$ trying to find a replacement. the toyota cd players arent that great. this is coming from experience going through THREE separate cd units. one from a 95 camry (lasted 4 yrs), a 98 4runner (was busted a month after i got it), and a 99 4runner (brother said his crapped out in 02).

check out my thread here: http://www.4runners.org/articles/headunit

waht i am suggesting is that you find a cheap, under $200 stereo (very easy) that can play mp3s. that single cd w/ mp3s on it will hold more music than that 6 disc changer ever will. also you can integrate an ipod into most head unit brands

i've bought an alpine from one of the members here for under $150 and i am very pleased with it. my alpine is linked to it http://www.4runners.org/articles/pie

bob

theryanator

Thanks Bob, Travelinman and MTL. I think I will see if I can find a stock one for cheap, but if it is not a steal of a deal, then I may replace the whole deck with aftermarket...I just know the swap out would seem to be easier to me and the cost would be lower if I just found a stock one.

If I DO go after market I might really do it up, definitely one with MP3 capability like you suggested Bob. I h ave even been thinking about looking into GPS.

Thanks!

Bob_98SR5

ryan,

you have to remember though, that any stock cd player you find will be a few years old. if you happen to find a brand new one, i would be very, very surprised. given the service life of any electronic equipment like a cd player like this, i would be very suspect about the remaining service life...hence my advice of just forgetting about the search and finding a new mp3 capable head unit.

the alpine cda-9847 i have is rated one of the best under $200 headunits out there. i blieve its last year's model too, so you could probalby find it very cheaply on ebay

bob

theryanator

Thanks Bob, that is good input.

I will look into the unit you mentioned. The one thought I have in regards to going after market is also that it would likely mean that I need to take out the cassette deck, which I know my wife uses and I do from time to time when I drive the truck. Mostly for educational/informational tapes, stuff from the library, books on tape etc. that have not converted to cd yet.

Would it be realistic or even possible to run the after market deck as well as the original top half of the unit with the radio and cassette on it together?

Bob_98SR5

ah, now i see why you want to keep the tape deck.

as far as i know, no to your 2nd question.

bob

theryanator

I am liking the Alpine option more and more Bob. I suppose we could do without the cd deck if we had to make a choice. I found a place that will sell me the Alpine deck you mentiond brand new, with a storage pocket to fill in the extra space from taking the cassette deck out for $200 flat, shipping included.

Where did you purchase the RCA cable you used to run the AUX out cable to your ipod? Also, can that be used with any mp3 player, not just ipod? I have an RCA, not ipod. Crutchfield (the company I would get the unit from) has some contraption they sell to run out to a mp3 player, but it is a combo of two cables and about $50 worth of extras. You mentioned in the your write up you got yours for under $30, so if you remember where that would be great!

Thanks again.

Bob_98SR5

ryan,

look around some more for the alpine model i have. again, try ebay and find a person w/ a good rep. that pocket is really cheap so dont think you're getting any special favors if he sells it to you for cheap. lots of people like thezeb.com. dont forget that you will need to buy the metra harness and solder some connections. read my writeup. it is VERY thorough in terms of what you need to do, even if it is written for a clarion stereo, the process is the same.

where i got the cable: Froogle "ALP/AI 3.5". its called myradioshop or something like that. and as long as your stereo headphone jack is 3.5mm, it will work regardless if you have an ipod or not.

by the way, alot of books on tape companies have their stuff on mp3 format now. imagine that: you can have a lot more books on your portable mp3 player than stacks of cassette deck tapes.

and sorry for busting your balls in the other thread. i was rude, so my apologies.

Bob

theryanator

No problem! When I noticed you were posting in this thread I thought I would give us both a chance to start over, ha ha. Besides it was late last night and I tend to be a bit more irritable around that time of day, and it is always hard to read people online. I take back what I said in the other thread too, as you have proven to in fact be very helpful, thank you.

Steeliekid

I used to listen to cassette's on occaison as well. My solution was to purchase a Kenwood HU with Cassette (KRC 535) and a Kenwood CD (KDC 301) player that fit in the second din opening. Looked and worked great. Just changed my stuff around and went with a CD HU and an equalizer for the second opening- (hadn't listened to a cassette in over a year and wanted the equalizer for an amp). If you buy a kenwood cassette player with cd changer controls, I'll give you a deal on the kdc 301. Total might be less than an oem cd player.

theryanator

Thank you everyone for your help and offers to part with your spare decks.

Bob, I think I have decided to go with your suggestion and get the Alpine unit. The co. I was talking to will sell it to me for $199.00 and that includes the harness, the pocket and free shipping + no tax since it is online, so I am out the door with everything I need (I think) for just sub-200 bucks. I dont mind spending a LITTLE bit more just to get everything I need in one shipment from a company that has a 1 yr. warranty and tech support online and phone in case I have any questions during setup. In all it is costing me about $15 bucks more to get it all together instead of piecing everything together myself from various places. I really think it will be a good unit for the runner and I should have it in about 2-3 days.

Thanks, and I will surely be using your write up to help with the install.

Bob_98SR5

if youre buying everything from crutchfield, they will provide you with a plug-n-play harness that will attach to your headunit and to the former harness that the amp plugged into. thus, it will be VERY simple to install your new stereo with no soldering whatsoever.

bob

theryanator

Yes, that is what I gathered from talking to their rep and figured the simpler the better. Thanks again for all of your help, you have turned out to be one of my favorite folks here after all and have steered me towards a solution that I really think I will like, and even gave me a write up of exactly how to do it.

THANKS!