I searched and searched and still am not found.
I am attempting to install a sony cd/mp3 player. I know that I need to bypass the factory fader, but how much re-wiring do I need to do concerning the amps? (btw this is a 1991 300E). It seems to have two small amps (left and right) and one larger amp that controls, among other many things, the aerial. Should I just run new wiring to all the speakers, cut out the two smaller amps and hook up to the big only enough to run the aerial etc? Or can I just bypass the fader and hook into the wiring harness? How much of the amp wiring do I have to cut out? I am pretty handy, but not experienced in these more complex (read over engineered) stereos. Any suggestions, hints, links, or slaps in the face would be greatly appreciated!
-Matt-

__________________
Currently:
1972 350SL Euro 4spd
1973 BMW R75/5
1981 BMW R80GS
1995 FZJ80 with OM606 Conversion In Progress

You can tap into the wires at the amps to get sound to the speakers. You don't need any amps if your new stereo has speaker level outputs and you don't want to use the existing amps if your stereo has only line level outputs.

The box in the trunk is the tuner. The unit in the dash is a tape player and control center. Aside from having to figure out how to wire the speakers, you'll have to figure out how to get an antenna/aerial cable to the dash. There is an antenna/aerial trigger wire in the dash.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Why is it necessary to bypass the fader? I've seen that comment a few times in these forums but never an explanation. I just bought a 1990 300E that has a new radio/CD deck and dash speakers but still the stock rear speakers. The fader still works on it (kind of -- it will only shut off the rear speakers, not the front). So, it seems that the shop that replaced the deck and speakers did not bypass the fader. Is that a problem?

I kind of like the easy functionality of the fader, so don't really want to bypass it when I eventually replace the rear speakers.
Thanks.

__________________
1990 300E

youll need to check with scott and cleeve at la jolla, but i think the fader is wired before the amps, so if you change the stereo and keep the fader you screwup the sound.

i know in my car it wasnt bypassed, and when i play music at high volumes it gets really hot. really really hot.

also sound isnt quite as good from the back, ive blown a pair of speakers already there. not the fronts or door speakers though?

__________________
'O=00=O'
bmw 2002.
long live the legend

I am at the point of trying to connect the wires of a Kenwood receiver to what was connected to an old Becker. Called a few audio intall places, they said there is no harness available for my car ('91 300E). Is this true? Are you using a harness or are you splicing all the wires together? BTW, they quoted me around $85 to install the new receiver, and the soonest would be next week....

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1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K

For $85.00 it sounds like they don't know what they are getting into..... Or the price of their labor is $25.00 per hr... There is more than one way to do the job but my suggestion is to wire past the amplifiers. Don't worry about the fader control as it is before the amps and is between line level and speaker level. Remember there need to be a coaxial cable run from the trunk to the dash for the antenna to work...


Scott

__________________
The Mercedes Specialists Since 1986

Hi Matt,

Same car, same project - but I don't know where the amps are located on my car. Where were yours on your car?

How is the new install going?

__________________
1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K

mbzr4ever;
Got it all worked out, and not all that bad in the end! New system kicks ass. Now if I could only get the sucker on the road all would be bliss.
Your amps are in the trunk on the right side. You will need to pull all the dark felt-like material off the side and back to see everything that is going on. Pull gently on it and it should come out fairly easy. The only piece on mine that was attached in any way was the back by a few slide in clips at the top. Other than that they basically just sit in there. Both the amps and the tuner are right under the right trunk hinge. I re-wired everything. I un-hooked the amps, pulled the arial coaxial out of the back of the tuner, ran fresh wire straight to the back speakers and and a co-axial to the one I pulled out of the tuner. Found the front speaker wires behind the head unit, cut them and soldered in connections and hooked it all up to the new head unit. For the door subs, I ended up running wire back to where they came into the amps, because I didn't want to tear my doors apart looking for the wires. If you are switching from a factory unit to an aftermarket you will have a much easier job than I did. I had to try and right a botched Circuit City job. They screwed everything up!
I found this link helpful w/ some of the smaller removal stuff:
http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W124Stereo
Feel free to fire away w/ any questions as you go along, as this job is still fresh in my head.
-Matt-

__________________
Currently:
1972 350SL Euro 4spd
1973 BMW R75/5
1981 BMW R80GS
1995 FZJ80 with OM606 Conversion In Progress

Hi Scott,

Should have taken the '91 300E to your place before shipping it here, but the sounds were decent at the time...the car came from north SD county 18 months ago. Then, one front speaker went out, then one rear speaker quit, and just recently, the cassette player died on the Becker...so, now, here we are.....

"Here" is on the Big Island of Hawaii..need I say more about why this is a DIY project? Consequently, we really appreciate your input....

There is an antenna cable already, and fits into the new receiver.
So, are you saying to run new wire from the receiver direct to the speakers, bypassing the fader and amps?

Will I have a problem attaching the 6 speakers (front, door and rear) to the 8 wires out of the receiver?

The new receiver powers up OK, spliced the wires....thanks to this forum I have gotten this far...

__________________
1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K

Sounds like mbzr4ever has the 1480 with integral tuner and wdba123190 has the CD changer ready 1432 with separate tuner.

The door and dash speakers are impedance matched (to 4-ohms?) so tapping into the original speaker wires is a good way to go.

You might be able to find the front speaker wires in the behind front kick panels close to the door hinges. You can tap into the original speaker wires there and save yourself routing that many more wires to the trunk.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

So maybe I'm OK with the antenna/tuner??? Don't need to do anything with it.....

Matt, found the 2 amps in the back...glad to hear you are happy with your new set-up. Your story about undoing Circuit City's "work" is the exact reason I prefer the install shops here NOT touch my car...

But if I can get the front kick panel off and locate the original speaker wires, I can just splice into them there, close to the HU?

Sixto, you mean just the dash/door speakers, don't you? Not the rear speakers....

I guess I'll find out if I can get the panels off....

__________________
1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K

Exactly. The impedance (load) of the front corner, door and dash, is the same as the rear speaker.

Maybe you don't have to pull the kick panels. Since the front corner set is wired in parallel, you should be able to tap into the dash speakers (easier to find) and drive the door speakers as well. Just leave the amps disconnected.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

for anyone interested in more wiring info, these may be helpful:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=47188

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=3293

__________________
1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K

You will not have a problem running all the stock speakers with your new radio. To get the dash speakers along with the doors without running wires to the rear for the front door speakers (tie the front speaker outputs of the new radio both to the dash speaker wires and the wires that were plugged into them coming from the amplifier and this will get the door subs) Then as long as you leave the amps disconnected then you have the front speaker problem solved. Then you can run 2 pairs of wires to the rear for the rear speakers...

Scott@lajollaaudio

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
The Mercedes Specialists Since 1986

Ok, disconnected the 2 amps in the back .

Then, just for the front left, connected the top speaker wire with the wire underneath (looking at scott's photo) with the front left speaker wire connection for the HU.

IT WORKED GREAT!

However, the antenna did not work - thought it would be just an easy connection between the coaxial cable coming out of the dash to the HU. But it did not go up like it usually does, nor did I get any reception from the radio, just static.

Found a new roll of 18 guage speaker wire - can I use this to run the 2 lines to the rear speakers? Or should I get a fatter guage...?

Should I save those euro-clip-covered-with-sponge connectors I cut off? Does anybody save those? I don't think they can be reused, but I don't want to throw something away that I may be looking for later....

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and patience....

Off to radio shack to get more connectors....

__________________
1991 300E 124.030 103.983KE 722358 03 412178
207K

1979 240D 123.123 250K (Project car)

2000 Ford Ranger, 187K

2015 Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 37K