Full Sound System Install ( Lots of Photos )

[miamiheat3332]

thanks man, and no i never tested db's etc. I was going for a clear sounding highs and lows, loud, good bass system and so everything matches (highs,mids,lows). For what i put into it, i did not hear a better system yet around here, nor one for the smallish amount of money i have put in if you compare it to 1.5-3k systems, which isnt too much either.

[loudest qx4]

Has anyone on here done "the big three"?

1. Battery positive (+) to alternator - From the positive terminal on your battery to the alternator positive (+) post
2. Engine block to chassis ground - From engine block to chasis. This is to strengthen the ground.
3. Battery ground (-) to chassis ground - From the negative terminal on your battery to your car's chassis.

The "Big 3" is a very easy mod to your car's electrical system that will help it maintain higher voltages for more power hungry amplifiers. I think I am gonna do it soon.

i have done it. its a b**** tho to do on the 02 qx4 because the alternator is at the bottom of the block and all you have to work with is a little cubbyhole under the truck

[jroo]

I would say do big 3 before adding a cap to your system. I have seen several times that after doing big 3 the cap wasnt needed. You get the voltage from chance from doing it. Yes, place the biggest wire you can fit for big 3. Alot of audio guys say caps are nothing but band aids for other issues/deficiencies in your system

[jroo]

I sent miami heat a pm, but others may be able to answer my question. Is there something online that shows how to pop all my panels off including door and hatch? I want to start laying cables for my 04 path but want to get everthing off first without breaking anthing or clips. I might do some dynamat while its off as well

[miamiheat3332]

Just go slow and steady, use common sense, dont yank to hard or s*** will snap. Use a flathead with cloth over it, or a strong 2in spackle blade with cloth over it, other time since i did this so much, i can run my fingers slowing along where i know the clips are and it comes off fine.

If you break any, you can get universal ones at autozone or advance for like $4 for 10. In some places even if you break a clip it still may hold perfect, other spots you might need to put in a new one if it doesnt stick right.

[K03sport]

It was more of a budget build, i would have dynamatted the whole thing like you, but that's probably an extra 200-400$.

There is other sound (vibration) deadener material out there other than Dynamat -- edead, Fatmat, RAAMmat, b-Quiet, Damplifier, etc. that can be used. Also, there are different types of product for different applications. There are even liquid versions of the mat stuff, so options and budgets are endless.

If you can't afford Dynamat, there are lesser expensive alternatives when compared at the price per Sq/ft level.

For your reading pleaure, if you haven't read it already. Sound Deadner Showdown

[CanuckQx4]

Can you possibly post a pic of the speaker wire on the front doors?? I dont quite get where the best place to come OUT of the cars interior is

Im also quite curious as to the technical name of this tool, seems like it would make things a breeze!!



Knowing how to cleanly get the wires out of the car and into the door is what Id really love to know though!!

[SBK03SE]

Random question:
If I wanna spend sub $500 on a new set up and not have a GIANT subwoofer eating up my much needed cargo space, how should I go about it? Is it even worth it? Will have to factor in labor because I've never done something like this.

[Chris.m]

Turns out I have the exact same head unit as you. Clarion vx400

But I am running stock bose speakers...

Does the bluetooth randomly unconnect itself each time even after seleting the connect auto function?

Have you hooked up a parking brake bypass?

[miamiheat3332]

I dont really use the bluetooth, and about the bypass, yeah i did one but you cant just do a simple grounding the wire bypass like other units, what i did was take a switch, wired up ground and the parking brake wire ( if i recall the green one ), and then you have to flip the switch 3 times, not fast though, and then the dvd or movie, or whatever your trying to get to play will play. I never use it to play movies or anything but i did do the bypass regardless. So yeah it is kind of dumb how you have to do it with the switch thing, but i think alot of new units you need to use that method.

[sicwitit]

SBK03SE - $500 won't get you far my friend. unless you can find some amazing deals somewhere on the parts that is. If you have a friend that works for best buy, or some other place that sells car audio, you might have to become better friends and ask to use his discounts. For a complete install like whats pictured in this thread, its very possible to eat through $500 in labor alone. getting someone to make you a sub box that's somewhat stealth is going to have to me made from fiberglass, and those boxes usually start in the $300-700 range.

But if your in Vegas, I might be able to help.

[Chris.m]

I dont really use the bluetooth, and about the bypass, yeah i did one but you cant just do a simple grounding the wire bypass like other units, what i did was take a switch, wired up ground and the parking brake wire ( if i recall the green one ), and then you have to flip the switch 3 times, not fast though, and then the dvd or movie, or whatever your trying to get to play will play. I never use it to play movies or anything but i did do the bypass regardless. So yeah it is kind of dumb how you have to do it with the switch thing, but i think alot of new units you need to use that method.

I only ask about the bypass becasue I bought an interface that a guy makes out of flordia or something, hooked it up and couldn't get it to work.

I've tried the method mentioned above, but I'd rather have an automatic bypass like the interface was supposed to be.

I thought you'd maybe used the same thing - oh well worth a shot

It turns out, the guy isn't selling them on ebay anymore, so I couldn't give you a link

[04LEMASS]

Is the installation of the head unit easy? Does it fit exactly or does it need a trim or something? And is the max volume not loud compared to the bose? because i use my bose on 15 to 17 usually

[miamiheat3332]

If you use this headunit with the bose speakers, it will make them less loud due to bose using wierd impedances and ohms etc.

With a system like i did, its a whole nother story, the headunit goes up to 40, with the speaker setup i have now, i never took it above 28 yet.

At 17-18 volume its pretty loud, 20-22 is good for maybe 40seconds-1minute and your head will hurt, 22+ i dont even want to listen to it that high and maybe take it to that level like once every 2 months. 28 was ridiculous, im not taking it above that until its time.

[BoostMyQX4]

which pioneer Double-din is the one that sync's with your phone, i thought i saw it once on youtube but i cant remember what was called.

[miamiheat3332]

I dont know but now-a-days most of the units have bluetooth and can probably be setup for that.

[BoostMyQX4]

ok ok i have a question here.

I want to change the head unit but that's all for now and maybe add a bazooka tube in the back.
What is the OEM-1 PAC good for? is it used to eliminate any noise? and can i use the factory amps with the new head unit and just add a new amp to the head unit for the Bazooka tube?
It is not necessary to do a full wiring unless im changing speakers all around and by-passing the factory amps, right?

[miamiheat3332]

I will answer your question more in depth tommorow as its late here, but no the only reason i ran new wiring is cause i wanted it to be there if i upgraded even MORE in the future, and it will give my 80w RMS speakers better sound quality along with the factory wiring it wouldnt be safe to push that much power anyways, they are thin wires.

Headunit change all you need is a dash kit ( either single din or double ) and wiring harness. You can get those 2 off amazon for under $20, if you need specifics ask and i can link you.

And yes you can do what you said in terms of adding a new HU, keeping factory speakers, and adding a subwoofer with an amp aka in this case the bazooka kit. Thats how i had mine setup at first with just subs before i did the whole system.

Also what makes you want to go with a bazooka? I have a 10" Kicker CVR in a sealed enclosure and a 300watt RMS Clarion amp in my Audi and its a nice and cheap setup with quality parts.

Heres a pic:



Oh and if i forget to reply to this thread or something tommorow shoot me a PM im real busy lately.

[Turbogst]

I need to get in and replace all my stuff. My factory cd player doesn't even play cds anymore.

[BoostMyQX4]

I will answer your question more in depth tommorow as its late here.
Headunit change all you need is a dash kit ( either single din or double ) and wiring harness. You can get those 2 off amazon for under $20, if you need specifics ask and i can link you.
Also what makes you want to go with a bazooka?

See reason i was asking about the OEM-1 PAC is because i was giving a new one by a friend and he said that if i was ever wanted to change the head unit in the QX4 to use it because it will be no need to cut any wires from the factory set up and it comes with 4 RCA outputs, but wouldn't i still need a wiring connector so that i can hook up the new head unit to the PAC?
As the Bazooka choice, i have always preferred Bazooka over a box i don't know why.

[BoostMyQX4]

I need to get in and replace all my stuff. My factory cd player doesn't even play cds anymore.

Ditto, my CD player doesnt work either and the Volume knob is also messed up, reason why i want to change head unit.

[miamiheat3332]

Im not sure 100% about what the OEM-1 PAC does, it looks like it MAY solve the issue of boses weird impedances so it doesnt play lower output sound when you put in a new headunit.

The wiring harness i was talking about is this

http://www.amazon.com/Metra-Amplifier-I ... ng+harness

Then you just splice in the wiring coming out from the new HU, without hacking up the factory modules.

The CD player is a common issue. Mine was replaced under warranty about a year after i got it in 2003. They put in a refurb unit, but the original was skipping a TON when it was cold.

Fast forward like 6-7 years later it had the same issue, along with just skipping alot even in warm weather, and then just half working half not. My uncles 03 maxima with the bose he has the same issue, so it was common on these units, just dependent after how much of a time frame it actually went to s***.


Edit: Also that wiring harness is probably wrong for your car, i just seen in your user thing, that you have a 96. Just lookup 1996 infiniti qx4 wiring harness on amazon and you will find it. You might have to add the word "bose" before wiring, if the non premium connectors are coming up.

[BoostMyQX4]

Edit: Also that wiring harness is probably wrong for your car, i just seen in your user thing, that you have a 96. Just lookup 1996 infiniti qx4 wiring harness on amazon and you will find it. You might have to add the word "bose" before wiring, if the non premium connectors are coming up.

Nahhhhhh you got it right its a 97
I put 96 because in the plate on the door frame it says it was born in 96, so i figure they lie to us by putting 97 instead of 96 .

Thanks, ill get the wiring harness and once i get the new HU i will try it with out the OEM-1 then with it and maybe i hear any difference.

[smancer]

Awesome write up! I also got fed up with the junk bose system that ate up all my CD's and sounded horrible and took the plunge and did a DIY install on mine. It took me a while to do since I had to study how to wiring the components properly and I ran new speaker wiring and sound deadened all doors and side panels. But it was all worth it in the end, couldn't be happier! Great to have your pictures as a guide.

Here's my setup for the curious ones:
Pioneer DEH-7400HD headunit used a scoche double din conversion and harness
MB Quart ONX 216 Component Speakers for front (didn't use rear speakers for the "concert like" sound)
MB Quart ONX 4.60 4 Channel amp
12" Rockford Fosgate R2D2 Sub in Sealed box with polyfill
B-Quiet Extreme sound deadener
4 Gauge Amp Wiring Kit
16 Gauge Speaker Wire for components and 12 Gauge Wire for Sub
Streetwires RCA

Total damage to my wallet is CAD$750 and probably 32 hours of my time since I really took my time to run and mount everything as clean as possible.

[miamiheat3332]

You better have taken pics of the install... Post up a thread with some pics or put them here on mine.

[smancer]

Here's pics of my install hopefully this will help those who want to DIY also!

Headunit - I can now finally play CD's, USB, iPod, and connected my XM Snap to the Aux In. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the wire jungle behind the headunit...



Amp power wire run - Excuse the filthy engine bay...I snipped the positive terminal cover and folded it a bit so that I can still put the cover down properly with the amp wire terminal on. Then to run the wire through the firewall, I removed the blank clutch plate on the drivers side then cut out a template with some scrap plastic, popped the grommet on and cut out a template using some sound deadener to seal it up from inside the cabin and the engine bay.



Sound Deadening - This took most of my time and was really messy but is totally worth it. Improves the sound quality in the cabin and really dampened road noise. For the front doors and rear hatch, I dampened the inside portion and sealed it up, for the rear doors I only sealed them up. As you can see I'm a noob when it comes to putting this stuff on hence all the small cuts here and there.



Component Speakers - So I had to improvise a bit to mount my mid bass speakers in front because I didn't have any mounting adapters. So I used the stock bose speaker mounts, gutted the individual amp circuits then mounted my new mid bass speakers on them and sealed it up with some sound deadener. Then for the tweeters.. I used a butane torch with a soldering tip to cut out the mesh portion of the tweeter to expose the new tweeter, then I used plastic weld to mount them on the pillars. I also ran the new speaker wires through the factory door grommets which took up a lot of time and gave me an epic stiff neck!



Crossovers - I stuffed the new crossovers behind the front console and used 3M velcro to make sure they don't slide out into the foot area. I placed the crossovers there so I can easily access them to change my variable tweeter settings.



Amp & Sub - I placed the amp in the rear compartment for easy access and hidden look. I also drilled some holes on the sides of the plastic compartment for better ventilation. Sub and box doesn't take too much space and I used gold plated banana connectors so I can easily remove the sub if I need the space.



Hope these pics help! Now all I need to do for the future is get the steering wheel control module and figure out how to wire it.

[yngw13]

Guys...do you have the instructional for the door panels? I might start installing wires soon...then subs and a crossover....I heard you can buy these at carstereohelp.com.....for $5
Or do I need that?

[smancer]

Guys...do you have the instructional for the door panels? I might start installing wires soon...then subs and a crossover....I heard you can buy these at carstereohelp.com.....for $5
Or do I need that?

It's pretty simple actually. Pick up a panel removal tool from your local auto parts store. For the diagram, I just looked at the service manual to see where the clips and screws were on section BT-33. You can look at the service manual if you check Towncivilian's - Pathfinder / QX4 General Information and FAQ thread.

Anyways to remove the door panels it's pretty much all the same.

1. Pop off the panel with the window switch and disconnect harness.
2. Pry trim on door handle.
3. Take any 10mm bolts out. (Front doors you have to pop the armrest trim off also to access more bolts)
4. Then with the door panel removal tool carefully lift the edges and locate the clips along the sides of the panel, insert the notch of the tool on the clips and pry til they pop out. There's quite a few to pop out so if the panel is not lifting off yet just take a good look to make sure you popped out all the clips.

Just take your time and don't force them out or you will break the clip or tear the board on the panel that the clips hold on to. Hope this helps.

[yngw13]

thanks a lot! Will look up that tool...been opening door panels...kinda tedious...

Btw can you show a pic of how you stuck the ring terminal to the battery? Pic? Might try to saw mine but have to change the + terminal....so I dunno yet

[pmaropak]

this looks like a great upgrade, and a neat/clean install. thanks for all the pics