2002 Mustang GT Sound System Write Up.

By: Mixedbreed02GT

Step By Step Tutorial For Integrating an Aftermarket Head Unit with your existing Mach 460 Speakers and Amplifiers

What you need:
Aftermarket Head Unit (preferably 20+ RMS Watts, and 50 Watts x 4 Channels, 3 pairs of RCA Jacks on the back of the unit to connect your sound system)
Metra 99-5026 2001 - 2004 Mustang Dash Kit
Metra 70-5519 Wiring Harnesses (only works on 2000 - 2002)

Tools:
Wire Crimpers
Wire Cutters
lighter
zippy ties
Socket Ratchet and 9/32” socket
Electrical Tape
Soldering Gun
Solder
And you need some patience as well!

Ok you should have 3 wiring harnesses. 2 from the metra package, and one from your cd player.

Take these three harnesses, your heat shrink connectors, and your tools to
a table with plenty of work space. This way you are in a relaxed place, not in a big hurry,and aren’t in doing this in the cramped front seat of your car, dropping tools, and connectors down the sides of your seats, and having to stop to look for them.

On the Factory Plug metra (should be black)...there are a bunch of wires.

Right Rear Speaker
Purple
Purple/Black

Left Rear Speaker
Green
Green/Black

Right Front Speaker
Gray
Gray/Black

Left Front Speaker
White
White/Black
Red – Accessory
Yellow - Battery
Black - Ground
Orange - Illumination/Dimmer
Orange/Black - Dimmer Ground

On your second Metra Adapter (should be white and have RCA plugs attached to it) there are the following wires

2 wires that have RCA Plugs on the end (these go in the back of your cd player)

2 Blue/White wires - These power your Mach 460 amps
2 Black/White Wires - These are your Mach460 amp grounds

CD Player Harness.
You should have the following wires may vary for different cd players)

Right Rear Speaker
Purple
Purple/Black

Left Rear Speaker
Green
Green/Black

Right Front Speaker
Gray
Gray/Black

Left Front Speaker
White
White/Black

Blue - Remote System Control/Power Antenna
Red - Accessory
Yellow - Battery
Black - Ground
Orange - Illumination/Dimmer
Yellow/black – mute

You want to connect all the regular wires normally. Now here's where it gets a little tricky. Take the 2 Black/white amp grounds on the RCA plug harness, and solder these, plus your dimmer/illum. ground (orange/black)and solder them to the metra adapter ground along with your radio ground, now take your 2 blue/white amp wires on the RCA plug harness, and your blue remote system wire and solder all three of these wires together.

Avoid using connectors if you can, solder works better, and ensures a better connection. (make sure to tape off the connection so it won't ground out, or short circuit anything.

Now you're ready to install the head unit.

take your new head unit which should be mounted in the dash kit and awaiting installation, and your 3 wiring harnesses and tools, and go out to the car.

Pop your hood, and disconnect the battery! Do this before starting any electrical work…no exceptions!!! Factory battery requires a 5/16" socket with ratchet.

Also while you're at the battery take a wire brush and clean off both of your posts by scrubbing them really hard until they are bright again..this will help the battery terminals conduct electricity from the battery.

if you have a drill or air tools, take some tape and tape a piece of sand paper about 9 or 10" long to a drill bit, then wind the sand paper around the drill bit really good...stick the drill bit w/ sand paper through the battery terminal ring, and then release sandpaper and let it fill the ring terminal, now squeeze the power trigger, and sand the inside of the ring terminals out until they are shiny, as this will remove the dirt and grime, and help conduct electricity better.
remove your shift ****, and firmly pull up on the shifter bezel, and it
should pop right out.

now pull on the trim plate that surrounds the radio and a/c panel...it too
should pop right out, make sure to unplug the 3 plugs on the back of the
panel...now put both the shifter bezel and trim plate in the back seat so
they are out of the way.

now using your socket ratchet and 9/32 socket, remove the 2 bolts that hold your factory head unit in place. now carefully slide the mach460 forward(you may have to play with it a little bit, but it will come out).

unplug the antenna, and the 3 plugs from the back of the radio, and take the head unit and put it in the backseat so it's out of the way.

take your wiring harnesses and plug the 2 metra harnesses into the factory
harnesses. now connect your cd harness plug to the back of the cd player. Put the 2 RCA's from the metra harness into the "Front Output" RCA Jacks on the back of your aftermarket unit. Connect your antenna.

Now go reconnect your battery. Now go turn your aftermarket head unit
on and make sure it works. Listen to a radio station, then put in a cd.
Make sure the bass sounds good...if you think it's not working, unplug the
RCA's from the back of your aftermarket head unit. If you hear the sound
quality and loudness decrease dramatically, then it was working properly
when the RCA plugs were in the back of the head unit. If you hear no change,check your wiring as you probably have something connected wrong, or not connected at all.

The RCA for the mach amps, should go into the middle set of inputs on the back of your head unit (if it has three sets...if not refer to your cd player's manual). Amp rca's should go in the bottom set, and if you have an EQ, then the RCA's from that should go in the top set.

Now unplug battery again (5/16" socket)

Make sure you connect any accessories, such as Ipod, Sirius Satellite Tuner, Bluetooth Interface, Amplifier RCA Cables, Etc.

Once you're satisfied, use some zippy ties and tidy up your wiring harnesses. No need to super tighten the zippy's, just enough to hold the wires in place.

Now put your head unit/dash kit, into the hole, and secure with the 9/32 bolts.

Grab your trim plate, plug in your 3 plugs (defrost, TCS, Fog lights) to the
back, then firmly pop it back into place.

Now get your shifter bezel, and pop it back into place, and put your shift
**** back on.

Now get that manual out for your head unit, and set your settings to your
liking and enjoy a killer sounding Sound System for the price of only
an aftermarket head unit, a wiring harness, a dash kit, some heat shrink
connectors, and a little bit of your time.

Contrary to popular belief, if you follow this you should not hear any popping sounds when you turn your radio on. If you do, you either don’t have a built in crossover, you have a bad connections somewhere, or you have a bad ground.

What Did I Use For My Install?
Metra 70-5519 Wiring Harnesses
Metra 99-5026 Dash Installation Kit
Pioneer 5900IB Aftermarket Head Unit
20 GB Ipod.
Pioneer CD-i200 Ipod Interface Cable
SIRIUS Satellite Pioneer Tuner/Receiver Model# SIR-PNR2
Alpine MRP-M850 Amplifier

Once I got everything wired up, and installed, I couldn't believe how great the sound was. It was probably 50% better sounding and louder than the factory Mach 460 Head Unit. The good thing about this setup is, it saved me from having to remove all the Mach 460 Amps, and the speakers, and having to rewire the entire car. This was a simple solution, that provided a quick, efficient, and affordable way to get great sound without having to spend big money.

 

Ipod Installation
Also, I put my ipod in a small plastic baggy, and taped the end shut to keep moisture and dirt from affecting the ipod's circuitry. I sliced a small hole in the adapter plug-in side of the bag to connect the CD-i200 cable to the Ipod. Then I attached a piece of very strong Velcro to the plastic bag. I then stuck some fuzzy Velcro to the right side of the inside of the shifter housing. I then mounted my Ipod in the shifter housing on the right side on the trim. This way it's not in the way, it's out sight of criminals who might want to steal it, and it won't get something spilled on it. My Ipod is accessed through the faceplate buttons on my head unit, and I have total control over song selection, and shuffle/repeat options.


Sirius Tuner Installation
First thing I ran my sirius antenna...this took a little thought and creativity. The best spot I could find for my antenna was on the passenger side, just above the top right corner of the back glass. The magnet holds it in place on the roof, and I ran the wire down the C-Pillar,to the trunk area, then underneath the bottom part of the C-Pillar, to the part where the glass trim and the 1/4 glass meet. Then I used a small flat head screwdriver and gently pulled the trim away from the glass, and ran the wire down there, and up to the passenger side door jamb. Then I pulled the push tabs out of the rubber seal in the door jamb, and ran the wire behind that. I then secured the push tabs back in the rubber seal, then pulled the wire gently until most of the slack was gone, and tucked it underneath the vinyl/plastic door trim towards the front of the car. I continued to run the antenna wire underneath the kick panel up to the edge of the carpet near the firewall then underneath the carpet and to the back of the center console so it can be connected to the Sirius Tuner box. I plugged the white harness plug into the Sirius Tuner, plugged the antenna in, and plugged the media cable to the back of the tuner, and the other end into the back of the head unit. I put my Satellite Sirius Tuner underneath the carpet close to the firewall on the passenger side near the center console, and put Velcro on the bottom of the sirius tuner, and some on the metal surface underneath to hold it in place. Again, the sirius tuner is out of sight from potential thieves, it's out of harms way, and everything looks nice and neat.

Sound Destroyer Mat (Same As Dynamat)
Next Up I am putting Sound Destroyer Mat on the floorboards of my car, the trunk bottom, sides, and the area underneath my rear seats, to make the inside nice and quiet, so nothing will rattle, and it will lessen the sound of the exhaust coming inside the vehicle. Sound Destroyer Mat will also be placed on the rear side of the license plate to keep them from rattling as well.

Amp & Subs
I put in my brand new pair of 12" Kicker subs, a brand new Alpine MRP-M850 Class D Monochannel Amplifier, custom made 2002 Mustang Subwoofer Enclosure. My amp will be protected by a 1 Farad Audiobahn Stiffening Capacitor which keeps my battery and alternator from being drained. I also am using gold plated ring terminals, fork terminals, and spade terminals. Premium 12 gauge speaker wire and pin terminals will make the connection for my subwoofers. A 150 Amp Fuse block is placed between the battery and amplifier to protect the battery and vehicle from catching fire. A ground loop isolator is placed between the Head Unit & Amplifier on the RCA Wires to eliminate any electronic sound interference the vehicle's wiring system or alternator might create. 4 gauge wire will be used for the power and ground wires, and a gold plated grounding terminal will maintain a nice clean full metal contact ground.

Graphic Equalizer Install
If you desire, you can also install a Graphic Equalizer to help fine tune your system. You will have a wiring harness that outputs to the speakers, wire them to the speaker wires by following the diagram, make sure you solder the connections. Then run a set of RCA interconnects from the EQ to the Head Unit. Now Cut the speakers wires on the harness of your cd player, as this will leave only the wires from the EQ attached to the factory wiring harness adapter (metra 77-5519). Doing this gives you total control over frequency adjustment on your speakers. Your head unit's built in EQ will still work, so adjust it first, then use your EQ to fine tune to your liking. When you wire the power and ground, make sure to run a separate power wire to the battery, and ground to the chassis (not the wiring harness, cause you'll get interference). Also make sure you install a second ground loop isolator between the EQ and the Head unit to eliminate any ground loop noise.

Grommet Install for Amp Wire
On all Mustangs there is seal in the area where you door hinges are. You can take a flat head screwdriver and open your driver door, when the door opens, you will see seal. Take the flat head from the outside of the vehicle and push the seal in. Then take your Stinger 7/8” grommet, and find a socket that will go around the small part, but not the big part. Now put a thin extension on the end of the socket. Get the end of the grommet lined up with the hole, and using a mallet firmly pound the grommet into the hole, but be careful not to bang up your door or front ¼ panel. You don’t need to put the caps on the grommet, so make sure you take the caps off from both ends of the grommet before you fit it in. Now run the cut end of your amp wire through the grommet, and it should come right out into the driver side floorboard. You will have to unbolt your front ¼ panel, to run the 4 gauge amp wire up to the battery. When you do this make sure you put some plastic wire loom around the amp power wire, this will keep salt, dirt, mud, grease, snow, water, etc from eating through your amp wire, and believe me it will happen, because I have had it happen to me before. Also VERY IMPORTANT do not forget to put the fuse block between the battery and the amplifier, and within 24” of your battery, otherwise you can start a fire in your car.

Finding the Necessary Parts
Where Can you find the Metra Wiring Harness?
Ebay or Parts Express: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=265-790

The Part Express shows this as working for 2000-2001, but it does work for a 2002. If you have an 03-04 Mustang you will need Metra 70-5521

Where Can You Find the Metra Dash Kit?
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=265-805

100 Square Feet of Sound Destroyer Mat
http://stores.ebay.com/B-D-COOL-STUF...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

99-04 Custom Subwoofer Enclosure
http://stores.ebay.com/Zonix-Enclosu...Q3amesstQQtZkm
(If you use the sub enclosure above be sure to send the seller a message and let him know you specifically have a Mustang GT that still has the Mach 460 Amps and Amp Rack installed, so he can build you the right box).


Heat shrink butt connectors can be found at any hardware store, electrician supply store, or parts store, and you can even find them on eBay.

Now if you read this and you followed it to the tooth, you should have zero problems getting your system to work properly. Take your time, make sure your connections are solid, clean, and firm. Make sure you do things right, don't do it sloppy, or half-assed, because if you do, you will get crappy results.

How Long Will It Take To Install?
Wiring the harness should take about 20 - 30 minutes.
Removing the trim plates, pulling out the old unit, and connecting your new one should take about 10-15 minutes.
reinstalling the trim plates, and buttoning everything up should take about 5 - 7 minutes.

So this install should take no more than 60 minutes to put a head unit, ipod, and sirius tuner in your car.

It will take significantly more if you have an amp and subs to install.

460 Watts for Interior Speakers/Head Unit
800 Watts for the Subs & Amp
1260 Watts of Pure Ear Drum Pounding Crystal Clear Music!

If you're wanting to put an IN DASH DVD Player in, do it the same way, except you won't need the Dash Kit. Harnesses are still the same and you will get the same quality results, and the rest of the steps are the same as well.

Questions? Email me at red97svtinkc@yahoo.com and I'll be glad to help...be sure to put “Sound System” in the Subject line or it will go to my spam box.

 

Hey thanks for putting this up. I'll probably be swapping out the OEM unit this winter, and this should help. Best Buy wanted to rape my wallet for this install. Post this up in the "The Reference Section", or maybe an admin can move it.

 

screw best buy, with my directions a kindergardner could install this thing.

just take your time, and the instruction are to the tooth, so now worries.

also do your wiring inside at the kitchen table, that way it's nice and warm, you're not freezing your butt off and hurrying try to get it done real fast, that way when the wiring's all done, it will only take you 15 minutes to get the old one out and the new one in. cause there is no actual wiring to do inside the vehicle, you just plug it in, and zippy tie your wires, then stick it in, bolt it down, and button everything up, and it's a done deal!

 

great job mixedbreed. Outstanding contribution.

 

no problem man, i know how much of a P.I.T.A it was for me to find all the answers to my questions, so I figured it was just high time to do a write up on it, that way it's out there for everyone now.

 

good write up. I vote sticky

 

what about an 03? I see that the harness only works with 00-02. is there one for 03?
edit: never mind I found the one sentence in your gigantic post that told which part...lol

 

ah grasshoppa you must luhn to reed betta...Metra 70-5521 is whut u kneed to mayk instol happin',

guud luk in ur endevers.

 

can we get a sticky on this?

 

stuck.

 

Will this work with the mach 1000 set up also????

 

i don't see why not, but i can't say for sure as i haven't been down that road before.

give a try and let us know how it works

 

Will let you know next week!

 

Hey mix

I installed some aftermarket front speakers on my car 6x8's. I think I hooked them up right. I tested the speakers before I hooked them up. And no matter which way I touched the wires it still worked. But now my speakers fade in and out. Everything is connected good. So maybe I hooked them up backards or something. But I want to make sure before I tear into it again. So which is the postive and negative? The wires in the door are one black/white, and one green/black. This on a 2001 gt vert whith the mach system.

 

it will not work on the mach 1000 system just to let you know b/c there is a special harness that will allow you to keep your subs working even after you get the correct harness there are 2 blue wires tht you will have to t-tap together to keep the mach button on on position giving full power to your subs at all times after the new radio is put in

 

How sturdy is the Metra 99-5026 bezel? I bought a Scosche brand bezel and it might as well be made of paper and the the metra one is about 10 bucks cheaper. lol