Stereo Install - Mo'

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

Well, the Sony stereo went into the wife's 1990 200 tonight, 
replacing the Bose head unit.  The adapters Crutchfield supplied did 
work....mostly.  Somehow, the front four (Bose) speakers all work, and 
the rear speakers do not.  I'll have to spend more time with the 
Bentley manual and scope out what the deal is.  I imagine I just 
missed two wires which are the positive leads to the LR and RR.  
Heck, maybe they work as subs and there's only one lead to them!  (I 
remember seeing them in the manual - but it's really tough to 
decipher...)

Also - there is an awfully high level of "hiss" present at all times. 
If this is an artifact of the transformer to drop the amplified 
output of the Sony deck down to line level, something is pretty sick 
in that transformer......OR I'm about to find out how to replace Bose 
speakers with standard models which will allow me to eliminate the 
transformer.  I'll talk to Crutchfield about this, as I'm sure it's 
not an isolated case - and it's their transformer....

A THANKS to Joe Yakubik for his comment about the "four little 
plastic tabs" which intrude into the DIN slide-in area.  These are 
IMPORTANT!!!!!  The chassis for the radio would not slide in - it was 
just too tight - and I was contemplating serious measures when I 
remembered Joe's comment.  The tabs are in fact molded along the 
top and bottom at each side, and they're kind of "runners" which are 
perhaps three inches long front to back, and raised up about 1/16" 
from the rest of the cavity.  But 1/16 top and the same on the bottom 
make 1/8" less to fit a radio into!  A coarse file moved them "right 
out" as Monty Pythons would say...and then the chassis fit, and 
right snugly, too!  At least they cast them into plastic.

So - the radio is in and works; now I get to sweat the details.

OH YEAH - my worst antenna fears were realized.  The culprit for the 
execrable AM radio reception is NOT entirely the Bose radio.  I had 
to connect one antenna - either front or rear - and I chose rear.  The 
iterference from a local FM station on my favorite AM station is 
even WORSE with the new Sony radio!  GAAAAAKK.  I will try using 
only the front antenna, but I strongly suspect there's a fender-mount 
power antenna in this car's future.  I do NOT think antennas belong 
printed on-or in-windows.

And so it goes................if othes are contemplating this mod and 
want the adapter numbers from Crutchfield and the color codes for the 
wires, email me and I'll return them to you when I have it sorted out 
for good.  This could easily be done in less than 30 minutes if you 
are confident of the wire colors before you start.

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Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
Ag Communications                   Fax:    409/862-1202
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
College Station, TX  77843-2112
W3 page - http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/rpe/alpage.htm

"These are not my figures I'm quoting.  They're from someone who
knows what he's talking about."  
                        Anonymous US Congressman.

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