cj1o

Blanco,

Your tests I think show the relays to be working properly. I may have the switch wired in reverse.

Since I didn't have a continuity tester I took my RCA "hand wrapped" female jacks to my indoor CD player/amplifier and interposed them to the normal male to male RCA jacks. They are OK.

So I guess I mis-wired the conntector at the back of the CD Changer. I'll drop the glove box tomorrow and take a look. Hoping someone tells me my error may be somewhere else before tomorrow ... bad back.

Thanks again for analyzing my mod and thanks to PD and O for their prior posts.

cj1o

I dropped the glove box to recheck my wiring and I think I’m OK. If anyone has successfully done this mod on a 1999 GS300 stock radio and tapped into the output connector for the CD changer, I would appreciate your comments on my pictures. If I have the wrong wires, please let me know.

The first picture is the connector into the amp. Following the pinout instructions for my model posted earlier in this thread, I identified my pin numbers for the corresponding wire colors. Referencing pin 1 as the top left pin, I note:

pin 2 as black (R+),
pin 3 as red (L+),
pin 5 as white (R-),
pin 8 as green (L-).

See picture 2 for the backside of the amp connector showing wire colors and backside pin locations. (Note: pin 7 appears white due to flash wash-out. It is a gray wire,)

As others have discovered, the amp connector wire leads are a bit short for easy splicing. I did as they did -- went to the output connector of the CD changer to identify the same wires.

Picture 3 shows the output connector to the CD changer. I found the same colored wires as those going into the amp on the CD changer’s connector at pin 4 (green), pin 5 (white), pin 9 (red) and pin 10 (black). See picture 4 for the backside of the CD changer’s connector showing these colors.

Picture 5 shows another wire white/black stripe coming out of the CD changer connector. I did not splice into this wire since its black stripe differentiated it from the white wire with gray hash marks going into the amp as shown in picture 2.

I believe all the correct wires, black, red, green and white, based on those going into the amp are hashed with gray.

With Blanco’s help I’ve eliminated bad relays and bad RCA jacks as problems. The wiring looks good to me but if those who have successfully modified a 99 GS300 with a standard radio could confirm the wiring looks good, I’d appreciate the feedback.

If the feedback is positive – my wiring is OK, then I would have to think that my telephone wire novelty is the poblem. Perhaps the resistance of this 24 gauge wire is degrading the MP3 signal back to the amp across the ~ 3 or so feet it must travel. Does that make sense to anyone more familiar with electricty than me? That would include most on this thread. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

rehr0001

Hello all - thanks for this awesome thread.

I've just spent a few hours doing this and now I'm stuck.

I've got a 96 LS400. I'm using a 4pdt relay, spliced in behind the head unit, 12v SPST switch, and have my ipod cable hooked up. Now my problem:

I have sound just fine from the cd changer and radio - when I flip my switch, though, the audio source doesn't change - my cd changer still plays through the speakers. The switch has an LED and lights up and turns off correctly. I also went out and bought a different switch just in case and unfortunately, nothing.

Where do I start my troubleshooting?

Thanks

rehr0001

Rey,

Is this correct when wiring between the head unit and changer? I followed this and get no switching between the changer and aux. Looking at schematics, I'm thinking for my configuration I need to have the head unit on 1,2,3, and 4 and the changer on 9,10,11, and 12.

With that configuration, the head unit will always be active and the switch will go between the changer and the rca's.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

if sound is coming through the aux port properly (in stereo, all 4 main speakers and the sub) but you can't shut out the cd changer, you probably didnt wire the solenoid iin the relay properly.

das1960

This is a great post. Would anybody know where to tap in to the audio system on a 2002 ES 300? I have no clue where the amp is, but I am clear it is not under the seat.

Lexanna

I have the 95 ES300 It did not come with a disk changer... I found one at the junk yard and plugged it in and the OPEN light is lit... If I press CDcmp on the radio - nothing happens.. The changer does not have a cassette - would this cause the source not to change ??

I do not plan to ever use the cd changer or listen to cds I only got it because I saw that it is required to make this hack work... Thanks

Blanco

iTrader: (8)

Does it have the disc magazine in it?

Lexanna

NO - I could not open it at the jy - it does not have a magazine

Blanco

iTrader: (8)

Not familiar with the 95 es. Does the changer have a magazine by design, or just a slot for cds?

Lexanna

I found magazines on eBay for about $16 cheap enough - except I do not know if the changer actually works. It does require a magazine - there is just one large cavity when you open the door on the changer

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

reread the first few pages...

if it doesn't have a WORKING changer (at least enough to get the headunit to swap inputs to the headunit) then this setup will not work well/at all.

also, make sure the changer you're trying to use is one known to work on your model car...

Blanco

iTrader: (8)

That's the direction I was heading. Was thinking having the magazine in the changer might be the key to getting the inputs to swap. I think that's how mine is. (98 GS)

Lexanna

Magazine in the changer before HU will switch - Makes sense.. To jy to see if any others have magazine....Would the changer from a 1991 LS400 be the same.. I will see in the a.m.
Or order one on eBay Thanks

ReneV

I think I might have mentioned this before: there's a wee switch towards the back on the right side of the changer box that the magazine touches when it is inserted. If you press the switch in without the magazine being present, the headunit will go into error mode for the CD channel. When in error mode, you can select the CD channel at will. In fact, after sending the headunit into error mode, you can disconnect the changer box and the headunit will remain in error mode until it loses power (battery flat/disconnected). In the meantime, you can change channels at will.

I have bought a spare plug that matches the bigger of the two plugs that goes into the changer and have hooked my audio up to that. When I do lose power, I just need to unplug, plug, re-plug.

(I may have slightly fudged the details above ...)