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Help with wiring new head unit

9255 Views 12 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Mikeyk09
I have a 2011 Silverado LT extended cab without the bose system. I am installing a JVC KW AV61BT head unit using this wiring harness: http://www.amazon.com/Rp4-gm31-Radi...1-1&keywords=Pac+Rp4-gm31+Radiopro4+Interface. Right now my trucks in the shop but I was opening everything up last night and noticed that the speaker wires for each speaker both positive and negative are hooked up to an RCA plug. But the speaker wire that come from the head unit are just two cords. Do I need to add an RCA input to the headunit wires or take off the RCA plug from the harness and go wire to wire? Or is there some other way of wiring this that im missing?
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Is the harness the correct one for the bose. I know from the ones I have used that the head unit may have preout RCA, but are typically RCA for vid etc and wires for speakers. this is where the harness comes in. After splicing the wires from the head to the aftermarket harness, should then just directly plug into the factory harness in the dash. So you shouldn't even deal with the wires from the speakers. I do not have the bose in my truck so maybe its different. Are the RCA's run next to the factory harness and plugged in directly to the factory radio?
Hi Dave- I don't have the Bose system in my truck. I haven't taken out the stock deck yet cause its still in the shop till Tuesday :( but im trying to prewire the headunit to the harness I purchased. I mean when I take out my stock deck im gonna be replacing the harnesses that are in there with the one I purchased right? When I get home ill take a picture of the unit wires and the harness wires to show you what I mean. I just don't know why the harness would have RCA plugs on the speaker wires to get connected to a head unit that has just regular wires. It does have RCA inputs on the back of the unit, can I just plug them in there? and not use the speakers wires from the part that plugs into the HU itself?
Sorry I misread the bose part. I just did mine (I know mine is a little older but the new units should be the same basically). Typically the RCA on the new unit (if for speakers) will be preouts. typically only used if you have a major setup (amplifiers etc). otherwise most of the RCA's go unconnected. Typically the new stereo harness will have the RCA (speaker? sub, backup camera etc) then also have wire leads for the speakers, ground, power etc. you will (after looking at the supplied diagrams incase colors are different) splice them with the corresponding wires on the harness you purchased for the truck (speakers, power, antenna, ground etc). Then once you have the new stereos harness spliced with the purchased harness adapter for your truck you will connect it to the stock harness connector from the original stereo. So its simply plug and play from the stock stereo harness to the purchased adapter. all the splicing is done from the new stereo harness to the purchased harness adapter. The random spliced wires may be to the speed sensor, or back up wire if doing a camera etc. I don't think I took too many pics when I just did this in my truck, but this is how they are with the several I have done in vehicles.
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I mean I can see the speaker wires on the Stereos cords are labled FL+, FL- .... with colors gray & gray w/ white stripe for FL.... etc. but the corresponding wires on the harness: IE the gray & gray w/ white, are connected together to an RCA plug. shouldn't the harness speaker wires connect to the deck speaker wires?

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I mean I can cut off where the RCA plug is and then straight wire the gray FL+ to the Gray FL+ and the gray w/ white FL- to the gray w/ white FL- from harness to deck?
You can. just wanna make sure they go to proper color. I think most speaker wire colors now are fairly universal. I haven't seen them tied into an rca, but I haven't done a newer vehicle (lots of stereos though).
View attachment 54113
Here is a picture of the back of the unit as well as the remaining wires for the deck side. I already attached the SWC wire, yellow power wire, and black ground wire. On the back of the unit the two outside red and white inputs read, front/rear & L/R line out? so can i just throw the RCAs of the speakers on those, than the amp RCA (i hope the amp has an RCA on it i didnt run the amp so not 100% sure) part that says sub out?
View attachment 54112
These are the wires from the harness that are left. I have the four RCAs for the speakers which im guessing i can plug right into the unit now. but for the remaining i have 8 wires and only 5 from the units wires.
1) orange w/ white matches up for illumination
but other than that none match up directly
On the unit i have
1) dark blue wire labeled power antenna
2) dark blue w/ white wire labeled "please connect to remote for amp, equalizer and/or auto antenna (.2A max)
3) Orange w/ white
4) Brown
5) Red wire slightly longer than the others.
On the Harness i have a cheat sheet for.
1) Red/white - P.B. Output (-)
2) Purple/white - VSS output
3) Blue/White - amp turn on input
4) red - acc output(1amp)
5) orange/white - illum
6) green - reverse output(+)
7) blue - antenna on input
8) mystery orange wire

Now to the wires as it looks like the cheat sheet may be wrong if i am thinking the right harness. this from the manual to your new deck. The wires should be (so the one that should come with and plug into the new deck.

off harness coming from back of unit (usually on harness but looks different in manual)
1)Purple with white stripe - Reverse signal wire. connect either to wire at taillights or under dash if you can find the right wire.
2)light green - Parking brake. if you want to bypass the safety feature that doesnt allow you to control stuff like dvd when the parking brake is off just ground this wire.
3)Sub out - this is used to go directly to a sub

on wiring harness that should come with unit
1)Black - Ground
2)Yellow - Constant power (usually to fuse block and bypasses ignition switch. Or find a wire that is always hot and tap)
3)Red - Accessory power (comes hot when ignition is in accessory or on position - switched hot)
4)Blue - Power antenna (needs to be connected as the antennas are powered now)
5)Blue w/white stripe - To remote lead of other accessories (typically to an amp if installed as it turns it on when stereo powers up)
6)Orange w/white stripe - illumination (connects to something that powers when lights headlights turn on)
7)Brown - connects to bt adapter (on the AV61) will probably stay disconnected on yours since you have the av61bt
8)Light blue w/yellow stripe - OE remote adapter (for the steering wheel remote)
9)White w/black stripe - (-)Left front speaker - White (+)Left front
10)Grey w/black stripe - (-)Right front speaker - Grey (+)Right Front
11)Green w/black stripe - (-)Left Rear speaker - green (+)Left rear
12)Purple w/black stripe - (-)Right rear speaker - purple (+)Right rear
13)orange - not needed

Now here is where it changes some with an amp

The sub output connects RCA to the RCA sub input on amp
The FRONT output connects RCA to The Front In on the amp (White is Left (white wires in RCA) and Red is Right (grey wires in RCA)
Ther Rear output connects to RCA to the Rear in on the amp (White is Left (Green wires in RCA) and Red is Right (Purple wires in RCA)

blue w/white goes to the amp lead.

The speaker wires off the new stero harness are at that point not connected. (these are amped from stereo and you use the RCA with an amp so those are Preamp outs, where amp powers it)

the third set of RCA jacks on the back of the unit are a AV input (ipod)


So really there are two different install capabilities this way based on weather or not you have an amp. If you do not have an amp I believe you will have to cut off the RCA heads (these are from Amazon adaptor correct?)

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here is the manual for you new head unit that I am looking at (page 81 on)
http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/105/105KWAV61.PDF

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looking at the amazon adaptor it looks like it is setup to run to an amp. All depends on what is in the truck. Heads will come off if no amp and individual speaker wires sliced instead of RCA
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to me, following that diagram you should be able to leave the RCA plugs on and just straight wire them into unit because if you had them wired to an amp coming out in RCA you could. i can also understand this causing issues cause you dont have a negative to a negative wire directly. So you would recommend i take off the RCA plugs and just strip the wires?
Only if there isn't an amp in your truck. if there is no amp then its wires spliced. If there is amp you would use the RCA and preouts. if you use the RCA preouts with no amp you will have no/minimal sound as there is nothing pushing it.
Glad I could help. Hopefully you enjoy the new stereo
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