Pictures up on riocar.org
here
I bought the Outback 2 years ago with only a tape deck because at that time I fully intended to create my own mp3 player much like the Empeg. I got as far as buying an LCD screen that would fit my dash perfectly, creating a power supply for it, writing a driver for the LCD, then _frying_ the LCD with crossed wires, a $100 mistake. Then came moving, marrige, buying a house, moving again, EMPEG PRICE DROP!!
When the Empeg arrived I frantically measured it and compared it to my dash. Durn it. The dash is too small (it's never a problem with the Empeg, only the car). This means I am going to have to cut my nice plastic faux woodgrain trim. I put the install on my to do list. 2 months later, it's finally in!
I reviewed the notes that Michael Butkus Jr. had made on installing an aftermarket stereo into the Outback
here and went about taking apart the dash. His instructions are very good and come with good pictures. I have a manual transmission, so I could unscrew the shifter knob and get the bottom trim out of the way.
Important note: make sure you take out the screws that are above the ashtray, the trim is not coming off with those in! You'll need a snub nose screwdriver to get at them.
After I removed the trim, I took out the assembly that holds the stereo, the climate controls and the two spacers in the dash. These all unplug from the dash except for the temprature setting on the climate controls. I needed to remove the climate conrols from the dash also, so I undid the wire that ran to the temprature adjustment by notching the clip that holds it onto the module. I notched it just enough so that it would squeeze out and then fit tightly back in.
With the dash out, I removed everything from the dash assembly except for the factory stereo. I then placed the Empeg sled against the stereo, and bent the assembly sides down around the sled, and secured them to the bottom spacer. The bottom spacer had to have 2-3mm trimmed off the top in order for the screw holes to line up correctly. I bought some T-nuts at Sears to secure the sled to the assembly sides, since I could see no way to bend the tabs to secure the sled. The sled had to be drilled, and on the inside the flat nut is used. This makes sliding the Empeg into the sled very snug.
With the empeg slid into place below the radio, I needed to cut 4-5mm extra on either side of the trim to allow for the Empeg to slide into place. This was done
very carefully with a Dremel and the straight cutting bit. I cleaned up the edges of the trim with a razorblade and sanded them smooth. This trim piece is 100$ at the dealership, so if I ever sell the car, I will need to buy one to replace the one I cut.
Electrically, I spliced the power, illumination, and memory wires from the factory stereo harness. Everything in the installation was soldered and heat shrink tubed, then taped. I got the ground from an auxillary plug for something or other that was floating around in the back of the dash. All the connections have 1/4" solderless quick disconnects for easy removal. These can be found at Radio Shack (part no. 64-3049a). The wiring diagram for the Outback stereo is below:
/------------------------\
| 1 2 3 . . 4 5 6 |
| | <== pins on socket (header) that plugs
| 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 | into factory radio
|------------------------|
Harness EIA
Function Pin Color Color
-------- --- ------- -----
12V 10 YEL RED
MEM 6 BLU/RED YEL
GND 11 BLK BLK
ANT 14 GRN/ORN BLU
ILLUM 1 WH/GRN ORN
RF+ 2 RED/YEL GRAY
RF- 8 WH/BLK GRAY/BLK
LF+ 3 BRN/WH WHITE
LF- 9 GRN WHITE/BLK
RR+ 4 BLU/RED VIOLET
RR- 12 RED/WH VIOLET/BLK
LR+ 5 WH/RED GREEN
LR- 13 RED/BLK GREEN/BLK
(diagram taken from
this Usenet post)
The colors are for a 1998 Outback, but mine matched somewhat. The positions are what is most important anyway. Again, I spliced wires 1, 6 and 10.
To make the Empeg play through the factory stereo, I used an Audiovox FMM100 FM modulator. I wanted to keep the factory stereo for the tape deck and the weather band option (useful when on a skiing or climbing trip). The Audiovox is placed inline with the antenna plug, and switches the antenna off when it is in use. Therefore it must be switched, and I did not want to put a visible switch in my car. I solved this problem with a SPST relay from Radio Shack (part no. 275-226). Radio Shack calls this a 30 Amp Auto Relay. I used a diode across the coil to ensure the Empeg would not be damaged by the negative voltage spike when the relay disengages. This is explained on
this page linked to from the FAQ. The relay is wired to the amp turn on wire (blue) of the Empeg sled harness, and it switches the power line for the FM modulator. This ensures whenever the Empeg is powered up, the modulator will be, too.
After testing the whole setup in the car, I finally fitted it all into the dash! I added an RCA cable that runs out by the passenger's feet (stuffed under the carpet for now) that is connected to the AUX in of the Empeg. I can hook up my laptop to this input and watch DVD movies on trips.
I almost had a heart attack when I started up the car for the first time because the Empeg cut out when I put my foot on the brake. What I realized about 5 seconds later was the battery had been drained while I was testing the install in the garage, and there wasn't enough power to drive everything. After the car was started, all was fine. Now all that is left to do is fine-tune the equalizer to sound good in the car! IMHO, the FM Modulator sounds fine, and with the factory speakers, I would not expect super high SQ from any setup. Eventually I might upgrade the system in the car, but then I will add a head unit with AUX in and get rid of the modulator.
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