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My only posts on here so far have been about issues I've had with my rig. I'm extremely grateful for the help but want to be more active with non-problem posts
So, my '99 Limited still had the stock head unit, as part of the premium sound system. It's a quality part but like most people these days I just want to stream from my phone. Since this is my utility/semi-daily vehicle, I didn't want to spend a mint on a fancy unit with features and buttons bulging out of it. So, I decided to give this a try:
I wasn't sure at first, since it's definitely a "budget" unit. But I figured as long as it works well with Bluetooth and has good sound quality, that's fine because all I use it for is music and projecting my navigation app via the speakers. To adapt it to the existing harness, I got this:
Edit: if the links don't work, try copy/pasting them manually. If that doesn't work, search "Pyle PLRDD19UB Bluetooth Digital Receiver with USB/SD Card Readers, AM/FM Radio, AUX Input, Remote Control, Double-DIN" and "Stereo Wire Harness Toyota 4Runner 96 97 98 99 Car Radio Wiring Installation Parts" on Amazon.
In short, this plugs into the harness that the factory amplifier plugs into (may or may not be a thing specific to premium sound system equipped trucks). So you end up removing the amp completely. This adapter is connected to the wiring pigtail supplied with the head unit, and it's a 1:1 match (even the colors are the same) except for the orange wire, which is for backlight/dash illumination. I ended up just sealing off this wire and didn't use it. Here is the wiring mated together, using solder and heat shrink:
Next, the stock unit and the amp are removed. I found a basic instructional video on youtube, it's very easy.
Now, the mounting brackets from the old unit need to be adapted to the new one. I removed the thin surround on the new unit to expose the mount holes. All 4 line up, but only 3 of them are tapped/threaded to accept the factory bolts. That's good enough.
The factory bracket has small tabs that protrude into the head unit - one of them, next to the missing bolt in the above photo, needs to be bent flat so it doesn't clash with the casing. It might not need to be, but otherwise the mounting brackets won't sit perfectly flat. You can see in the above photo that it's bent parallel to the casing.
Here you can see the factory bracket, next to the metal surround/bracket that the new unit came with:
Now it's a simple matter of installation. Remove the plastic surround/trim that comes with the new unit, as it will clash with the center console trim. It comes off by lightly prying the tabs loose. I didn't take pictures of the installation, but here's what it looks like when it's finally installed:
While it's not a 100% match to the interior and green backlight color scheme, I'm very happy for the price I paid. The sound quality is just as good if not better than the stock unit. Bluetooth and hands free calling works exactly how you would want it to, and the instructions manual goes into enough detail for proper setup (albeit barely). It also has an aux. in port, SD card slot, USB slot, and other basic features like plenty of radio presets.
also since my last post on here, installed 13WL calipers and loving them
03-08-2017, 06:17 PM
