After market audio amplifier install

[Ron C]

Well, here's the "plug and play" amplifier with harness I bought. It's nothing fancy, nothing adjustable, but that wasn't what I was looking for anyway.
Looks pretty simple and straight forward. The big plug with the white edge goes into the radio. The Black receptacle take (the same) plug that came out of the radio, and the other two go in the amplifier. No loose wires etc. to splice into things. I'll put it in the car Fri/Sat and let you know how it went/sounds.

Ron

 

[kbuskill]

So what kind of amp is it and what are the specs?

 

[Ron C]

So what kind of amp is it and what are the specs?

the brand name is "Visteon".. and to be honest, I don't have the specs. Bose made two kinds of amplifiers, that factory came in GM trucks. This is supposed to be the replacementfor the better one. (we'll see, as I mentioned, not looking for performance, just get the volume levels, for audio and chimes etc, working with the new radio.

Ron

 

[Ron C]

Hello all,

Well, I finally finished that radio conversion, and it's working well. (Before I had the amplifier installed, I turned the chimes (in the DIC) to loud, and could barely hear them, I had to turn them to 'normal'. So the Sound level/Volume works like it should, and the chimes do too. Also, the built in 'equalizer' works properly (somehow it didn't have much of an effect without an amp).
I installed the amplifier under the center console tray, on the roll over sensor, for easy access. The harness that comes with the amplifier is pretty long, like 3' - 4', so it pretty much goes anywhere you want, within reason. To do this, you need two harnesses, one is a "conversion" harness, the other one hooks up the amplifier).

So here is what I used, I'll attached pics.

- The GM OEM HDD Navigation Radio (from eBay) GM 22997866 (Denso)
- re-program the radio for your vin (I had OEM-RADIOS do that, they guarantee their work.
- Conversion Harness, (part 6308 from http://www.oemradios.com/parts.php)
- a GPS antenna (part 6311 from the same site)
- the amplifier with harness. from MVI (gm-navigation.com. They have the 'plug and play' harness (they mention it on https://www.gm-navigation.com/shop/2007-14-gmc-hard-disk-drive-hdd-factory-navigation-system/ but doesn't show it on their site.

The whole installation is pretty much, "Plug and Play" except for one wire, from the conversion harness, that needs to be spliced in to the speedsensor (VSS)

Once you have all the parts/harnesses and antenna, it is a pretty easy install.

(The only thing left to do, is put a SDD hard drive under the center console tray, with all my music, and plug it into the radio's USB port. (that port can not handle more than one USB device at a time btw)

Ron

 

[01FormulaTA]

Thanks for the write up man, this should be a sticky....how are you liking the new setup? I take it everything works just as if it were installed from the factory?

 

[Ron C]

Well thank you, I don't think it is up to me to make it a 'sticky' though.

I like the set up (I am still playing with it) It opens opportunity to add a backup camera. The buttons on the upgraded steering wheel work nicely with it. (I found out the "phone button" doesn't actually mute the "entertainment" audio, as hinted before, but it switches to a different input. It also has the XM option (but I don't have a module) and also AV input (that factory comes from the rear seat audio), but the inputs are there,

Yes, everything that works, does work as if it was installed factory. Of course my Tahoe doesn't have XM radio, but the radio does have that input. The radio also switches to the back up screen, when put in reverse, So a camera could be installed (which I am planning on), I heard it is a hassle, but not impossible. The chimes etc also all work, so that's nice (there is a bit of a delay, 1/2 a second or so before you hear the chimes, when you turn off the car). GPS also works as if it is factory, I bought an OEM GPS antenna and stuck it in the factory location in the dash.

Everything is "plug and Play", with the two harnesses, except for one wire, the VSS wire that goes to the Nav Radio, so it is a pretty easy install/conversion.

Ron

 

[jmm121783]

Sorry to thread hijack possibly but in reading the original post, Am I understanding correctly that getting the rear door speakers and the rear pillar tweeters working with even just the stock system is impossible without a new harness from the firewall back??? Ugh that would really suck, I would def do what people mentioned which mean getting all new door speakers (say Polk audio 6.5" components) in all four doors, running my own wiring to each and then obviously have an amp and some sort of convertor to stock head unit or get a new Double Din Pioneer/Kenwood Headunit?

I was hoping there was a way I could get my rear door speakers working and just add the tweeters in the two rear pillars (my rear door speakers are installed and hooked up but must not get power thru the factory harness. The rear tweeters did not come installed but I saw the wiring harness for both) and I'd have at least 4 door speakers and 4 tweeters....any help is appreciated!

 

[Ron C]

Sorry to thread hijack possibly but in reading the original post, Am I understanding correctly that getting the rear door speakers and the rear pillar tweeters working with even just the stock system is impossible without a new harness from the firewall back??? Ugh that would really suck, I would def do what people mentioned which mean getting all new door speakers (say Polk audio 6.5" components) in all four doors, running my own wiring to each and then obviously have an amp and some sort of convertor to stock head unit or get a new Double Din Pioneer/Kenwood Headunit?

I was hoping there was a way I could get my rear door speakers working and just add the tweeters in the two rear pillars (my rear door speakers are installed and hooked up but must not get power thru the factory harness. The rear tweeters did not come installed but I saw the wiring harness for both) and I'd have at least 4 door speakers and 4 tweeters....any help is appreciated!

I don't think that is the case, in my SSV that all works. What the dash harness would be needed for is to hookup the center console "satelite audio center" or what ever the name is. It is the radio like thing in the back of the center console. It has a harness itself, and rear seat passenger would be able to use it to choose what they want (play music etc.) most of them also have an AV input. The harness in an SSB/PPV (I am kinda assuming) is for the basic radio setup, a vehicle with the Nav Radio, has that harness. You can make a Nav Radio work in an SSV/PPV by using a conversion harness (also you'll more than likely want an amp, but it will work, in a basic way without one), that connects the radio to the existing harness, but there is no way to hook up a center console other than replacing the dash harness, for a basic radio, with the harness for a vehicle with the Nav radio setup.

Ron

 

[Ebay Mike]

Hello all,

Well, I finally finished that radio conversion, and it's working well. (Before I had the amplifier installed, I turned the chimes (in the DIC) to loud, and could barely hear them, I had to turn them to 'normal'. So the Sound level/Volume works like it should, and the chimes do too. Also, the built in 'equalizer' works properly (somehow it didn't have much of an effect without an amp).
I installed the amplifier under the center console tray, on the roll over sensor, for easy access. The harness that comes with the amplifier is pretty long, like 3' - 4', so it pretty much goes anywhere you want, within reason. To do this, you need two harnesses, one is a "conversion" harness, the other one hooks up the amplifier).

So here is what I used, I'll attached pics.

- The GM OEM HDD Navigation Radio (from eBay) GM 22997866 (Denso)
- re-program the radio for your vin (I had OEM-RADIOS do that, they guarantee their work.
- Conversion Harness, (part 6308 from http://www.oemradios.com/parts.php)
- a GPS antenna (part 6311 from the same site)
- the amplifier with harness. from MVI (gm-navigation.com. They have the 'plug and play' harness (they mention it on https://www.gm-navigation.com/shop/2007-14-gmc-hard-disk-drive-hdd-factory-navigation-system/ but doesn't show it on their site.

The whole installation is pretty much, "Plug and Play" except for one wire, from the conversion harness, that needs to be spliced in to the speedsensor (VSS)

Once you have all the parts/harnesses and antenna, it is a pretty easy install.

(The only thing left to do, is put a SDD hard drive under the center console tray, with all my music, and plug it into the radio's USB port. (that port can not handle more than one USB device at a time btw)

Ron

View attachment 194397

I have that same conversion harness and I am getting ready to install the radio tomorrow but one plug has me confused as to where it goes. It is the light gray one in the middle of your attached picture with 2 wires attached to it. What does this hook to and where is it located?

Mike--Hamilton Chevy

 

[Ron C]

I have that same conversion harness and I am getting ready to install the radio tomorrow but one plug has me confused as to where it goes. It is the light gray one in the middle of your attached picture with 2 wires attached to it. What does this hook to and where is it located?

Mike--Hamilton Chevy

Hello Mike,

I don't think you need it, your radio (if it is the same as mine) doesn't even have a connector for it.

This conversion kit was made for several different radio conversions, and has stuff in it you don't need.

You only need the two black ones, from the harness, the connect to the harness of the car, to the connectors that went into your old radio. The other one you need is the antenna conversion cable. There is also a connector with a yellow RCA plug and a green/white wire (that is the VSS) I didn't put in the XM connector either, since I don't have XM.

Here is a pic with everything you can connect. (I have a USB cable in there too )

Ron