Turns out it WAS working, but I was testing it via BT from my phone and it was just a setting to enable rear speakers for A2DP. Thanks for all the help in here guys, this is an awesome thread.

 

It's nice to see this thread is still helping people.

Can someone please post some info on the steering wheel controls? I'd love to get those working again.

 

alright guys, i have a head unit that im going to attempt to do this with next week and it alllll sounds super confusing. i have a scosche wiring harness and it says i need to get some sort of adapter to use for the BOSE.

i dont think so. i havent pulled the oem out yet but do yo guys think this wiring harness will work? also, i read a bunch of this thread but like i said, its confusing what post is it that will definitely get me working. thanks guys ill post pics of my install when its done.

 

This is what you follow. This was an EASY job folks. Don't let it over-complicate matters.

In the end, the stock sub needs to GO. You don't need much money to get a great sub stage in this vehicle. $100 could get it done but $150 would be a little better.

 

how the hell did you get the equalizer out? those screws dont hold it in in front of it, what the hell are they doing there? either way how do i get it out?

 

lol... it just kinda... falls out if you pull in the right directions. Its been a while since I've been in there, don't plan on going back. I even pre-wired a bunch of other connections and gave myself some leads to solder to (that I can reach in around the dash area) in case I need to ever connect something else.

 

really? shitty, i guess ill try it lol i might as well run RCAs and remote wire while im at it lol just in case....

 

hey guys. I have few questions. I got how you have to connect the wires and stuff, and i think that would be easier to connect stock sub just conecting wires from the sub amp that, from your words, is behind the rear passenger sit.
I was trying to take out the back sit and it's not really working.
Can anybody tell me where is the sub amp exacly is? and how i can get to it?
Thank you, 03 TL

 

Recently got a '03 TL type-S. It came with an aftermarket Pioneer radio, but only my door speakers work, my rear factory sub and amp were disconnected and of course not working. Anybody has any info on what I need to do to get everything to work again? Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

emo6198...i signed on today to ask the very same question. on page 2 of this thread howevere it appears someone drew out a pretty simple diagram.

 

Well guys I don't know what I'm doing wrong here. I've read all 3 pages of this post multiple times, and I am still not getting this thing to work. I installed my Alpine this weekend before seeing this thread. Went back in and did everything that was necessary to get my sub working again. I know the amp is on, and I know the sub is getting a signal because when I connect the cut RCAs to the O/B and B/G I hear the speaker scratching. Polarity is correct, if that even matters. Subwoofer is turned on in the Alpine. Sub level is up.

Could it be the quality of the RCA cables I bought? I am almost certain the HU RCA outputs are fine. Any suggestions you guys might have would be much appreciated.

 

what i dont understand is how you guys got the fucking BOSE eq out, i couldnt get it out for the life of me and gave up

 

Have anyone thought about feeding the Equalizer preamp signals from the new HU so that the factory sub can be driven again from the Equalizer?. Having access to the Equalizer connector coming out of the OEM HU is much easier than getting to the connector to the Equalizer.

 

what?
Laymans terms please.

 

ok, from what i understand, the factory subwoofer wire harnesses go like this...
from the HU to the factory EQ, From the EQ to the Factory amp.
do you connect the rca wires between the HU and the EQ or between the EQ and the factory amp?
there is also a wire to turn on the eq (white with yellow stripe) do you have to connect this wire to the blue remote wire off the aftermarket HU to turn the EQ on?
if some are confused or questioning how i know whats connected to what... i have all the factory wiring diagrams for the car, just need some help how on where to connect the rca wires.
i already figured out that the orange wire off the radio harness turns on the factory amp...
sorry if this is confusing, im going to attemp to get the factory sub to work with my alpine HU this weekend... any help is greatly appreciated

 

I posted a diagram that worked for me a page back see if it helps!

 

it worked after you did this? pin 10 and 3 are the ones going from the eq to the amp, so doing this will completely bypass the eq

 

Yep because your new hu is the eq now. The amp just needs an audio signal to put out and a signal to turn on!

 

awsome, thanks! now lets try to simplify this for everyone...

if anyone is confused on which orange wire to use...DO NOT use the Orange wire off the Green EQ harness, this will not turn the factory amp on.
to turn the factory amp on, you must connect the blue remote wire from your aftermarket HU to the Orange wire on the factory radio harness or to the blue wire on the metra harness

now to connect the rca wires... there are 2 blue/green wires and 2 orange/blue wires off of the green harness, you must connect the rca wires to the correct ones or the factory sub wont work...
connect the insulated (+) part of the rca wire to the blue/green wire beside the empty spot in the harness
connect the exposed (-) wire to the orange/blue wire inbetween the green and the gray wire

i think this is why everyone is having trouble because there are more then one wire of each colour.
i tried to explain this as clear as possible...
hopefully this solves everyones problems that is trying to attemp this.

 

Wish me luck...I'm going in.

 

I've said it before I'll say it again. If anyone more familiar with this DIY wants to rewrite it to include all the updates and tips and tricks in this thread. Please do so. I keep trying to delete old posts to keep the amount people have to sort through down but have no idea the current situation.

 

i just took apart my center counsel to fine the bose amp or eq (what ever) is all the way behind my freaking navi. i dont know if it makes a difference bu i have a navi with my 03 tl. does it make a difference before i got tapping and splicing into these wires? will this effect my navi? (excuse the spelling).

 

Sorry can't create Albums nor attach images, so have to use words to describe what I meant.

One of the 2 plugs from the OEM HU is for connecting to the Equalizer which connects to the AMP which controls the Sub. Is there any reason why we can't feed the Equalizer the preamp outs from most After Market HU? That way, for those of us having a Navigation unit, we can avoid taking apart the instrument consoles and all other parts just to get to the green Equalizer connector.

Here's what I think we can do:

1. Connect AfterMarket Unit Front or Back Preamp Out to Equalizer connector (the other connector coming out of the OEM HU) wire "B3 (ORN) Equalizer unit (Left Input)" and "B9 (BLU/GRN) Equalizer unit(Right input)".

2. Connect Remote Turn on or Antenna power or whatever in whatever color from your AfterMarket Unit to wire "B12 (WHT/YEL) Equalizer unit (Switched + BAT)".

3. Same Remote Turn on may still need to be connected as described elsewhere to turn on the AMP.

Do you think this will work?

 

ok, so heres the deal... i just finished this on my TL...

to turn on the factory amp...if anyone is confused on which orange wire to use...DO NOT use the Orange wire off the Green EQ harness, this will not turn the factory amp on.
to turn the factory amp on, you must connect the blue remote wire (not the blue power antenna wire) from your aftermarket HU to the Orange wire on the factory radio harness... that was the easy part...

now to connect the rca wires...
you have to get to the green harness thats plugged in to the factory eq which sits behing the heater controls. my TL does not have navi, so i was able to unscrew the 4 screws on the bracket that hold the factory EQ in place and manouver it out withought removing the heater controls. (while its attached to the bracket, the eq will come out with the bracket)

most people will have rca wires with the plugs on both ends... you have to cut one end off and strip them. when you strip the rca wires, you will find that there is exposed wire and another insulated wire (of if u have really old rca wires, they may both be insulated, but dont cheap out... buy new rca wires. i took the 2 exposed wires and twisted them together... same thing with the insulated wires, im sure i dont have to tell you to strip a bit of the insulation off, but i'll mention it cus i want this to be as clear as possible. (this way you are getting both left and right channels going to the factory sub)

now...there are 2 blue/green wires and 2 orange/blue wires off of the green harness, you must connect the rca wires to the correct ones or the factory sub wont work...
connect the insulated (+) part of the rca wire to the blue/green wire beside the empty spot in the harness
connect the exposed (-) part of the rca wire to the orange/blue wire inbetween the green and the gray/red wire

if you have followed these steps correctly, it should work, mine did.

i didnt notice too much of a difference after i got the factory sub working because i have all alpine type r speakers in the car which put out quite a bit more bass then the factory bose speakers. but it does for sure add a little more bass then just having the door speakers. plus im running 2 apline type r subs also. i find that having the factory sub working makes a happy medium between having door speakers and having subs in the trunk.

 

Damn, this thread is old as sh*t, and yet were all still posting.
So here I go:
I did what Streets told us to do. I wired a RCA cable from RadioShack pre-spliced and connected it to my small Bose amp located in the rear passenger seat. (Removed the seats and all). Ran the long RCA cable under the carpets, under and through the center counsel and up into the back of my Pioneer DVD head unit. My unit didn’t have a Sub port so I had to use the rear left and right ports to get my sub to work, HOWEVER, after all that work the sub cuts in and out. I think my sub is blown. (IDK). When it was on though, DAMN! Did it sound good!! So I’m sure this has been asked, but should I go buy a oem sub from Acura or should I see about upgrading to a better one. I don’t want to have to add any more amps or anything. I just want a direct drop in replacement. I went to BrandsMart and they don’t carry free air subs.

Thoughts...

 

ok sorry a little off direct topic but same field..would it be possible to connect an aftermarket amp for aftermarket subs to the stock head unit?

 

please disregard my last post, found what i'm looking for

 

just a quick question. i already have an aftermarket sub and amp installed and wish to add the stock sub into the equation. is it possible to run the RCA output from my after market amp and splice it to the stock amp and sub? and will the quality sound the same?

 

follow my instructions above, but on your sub output on your hu, used piggyback rca wires, cut the other end off, wire it into the factory green harness. and on the back of the piggyback rca's, plug in the other set of rca's going to your aftermarket amp. worked for me.

 

so you're saying its better to first run the rca to the stock amp and then to the after market amp rather than vis versa?

 

no no, you have to run both amps seperately

 

Do NOT do this. Running the stock sub with an aftermarket sub is not going to result in any improved performance. Pull the stock sub, cover up the hole with grille cloth (because the brake light bleeds through and shows up in your rear-view.) the aftermarket sub if made right and if in the right box (and amplified correctly) will surpass the stock sub's capabilities, and the opening the stock sub once took up will allow the pressurized air the aftermarket sub creates to properly pressurize the cabin as it should.


More subs is not always better, especially when you are mix-matching subs. All sorts of cancellation artifacts, distortion, etc. will result.

 

i took out the stock sub to open the "portal" to my trunk. i see what you mean, the sound is a lot better. slightly louder but more importantly the clarity.. now i really just want some door speakers but i was reading how they are designed to sound good on a sound board and idk how to choose the best speakers... any suggestions.

 

alpine type R or polk audio

 

qa zas S

 

wow i just change my POS factory head unit for a sony cdx700hd and kept the factory sub

OMG this thing sounds awesome!!!!. thanx guys

 

Will possibly be trying this soon....

 

Thank you StreetEffectz, economys, Garrote, fourthmeal, Madnesss, and whoever contributed to this thread that I might have forgotten.
I just install the Pioneer AVH-P4300DVD with your instructions to my 2003 Acura 3.2TL. I think I had “eargasm” or “earasm” or whatever you call it. The aftermarket HU produces much more clear sound than the OEM. When I first finished the installation I was frown because I could not hear the sub (due to the fact that I was on low volume.) When I turned volume up, I thought I was in heaven.
Anyway, my only complaint is the mount kits do not fit. I cannot screw HU back like the OEM one. Also, my headlights are not working. I think that was my mistake for doing the first attempt without your instructions. I removed the dashboard too… I am a happy man if I could get them working again.
The wires that I do not use on 4300DVD are: Orange/White, Violet/White, Yellow/Black, and Light/Green (because I could not locate the parking brake wire)

 

tq2k3, you shouldnt have to screw in the aftermarket hu. you have to screw in the mounting kit/bracket and put the metal sleeve that you got with the cd player inside the new bracket and the new cd player should slide in that sleeve and lock in place.
i guess you already figured out that you did not have to remove the dash to do this, that could be a possibility why your headlights arent working now.

 

Hi,
Can someone guide me how to access the equalizer green harness on 02 TL with navigation? I installed a new HU. But, can't see the equalizer behind the head unit. Do I have to run the RCA cable from the amplifier from the rear if that' s the only option I have? Any guide for running the wires to the driver side. Thanks