1st gen radios not swappable

[AWD EXPY]

What a bummer. My 2000 expy has an ok sounding stock audio system with a few nice features, one being the volume/speed increase. But this truck will be heading for the boneyard after more parts are swapped.

I bought a decent 97 that has a stock system, but the tape won't work (even after taking it apart and verifying connections) It says "no tape" even when there is one in it. CD juke box works ok, but most of my music is on my phone.

The 2 head units are completely non-interchangable. I would have wanted to install the 2000 unit into the 97, but it ain't meant to be...unless anyone has some clever ideas?

 

[GAINMOB]

just buy something aftermarket

 

[stamp11127]

Get the wiring diagrams for both years and the connector pinouts. Do your research to see what the differences are. How much work do you want to do, as it may require extensive parts swapping.

 

[AWD EXPY]

I have been searching for wiring diagrams, but not finding anything useful. I'm willing to make the mods as needed.

For the record, an aftermarket unit is not in the budget.

 

[k9education]

According to this site, the 2000 and 1997 models have identical wiring. Do they have different plugs? What is hindering you from doing the swap exactly?

 

[AWD EXPY]

On my 97, one plug is rectangle, with 2 rows of contacts, just about full of wires. The second plug is a long, skinny, single contacts row.

On the 00, both plugs are rectangle or square. One has 3 rows of contacts, mostly full of wires...the second plug has only 1 wire.

That's a bit of a hold up on the swap.

 

[tsingson]

If you get the aftermarket harness that plugs into the back of the radio and the aftermarket harness that plugs into your trucks wiring, you should be able to splice the correct wires together to get it to work. Any stereo shop will have both harnesses.

 

[k9education]

I would just cut both sets of wires, swap the plugs, and splice them back together using some butt connectors (you could solder them if you're really ambitious). That is, provided you can match up the wires. Since they're both Fords, close in years, and everything I found via Google seems to suggest the wiring is the same, I would check to see if all the wires have direct counterparts of the same color on both sets. If not, does one vehicle have any equipment the other doesn't? (e.g. sub, tweeters, etc)

 

[AWD EXPY]

The 97 has a 6 disc player in the console, and a separate amp behind the heater controls. The amp might be a challenge to splice into, out of the 2000 HU. Both head units have a cd button.

I don't suppose the speed/volume feature would work, as maybe it wasn't an option on a 97? Doesn't that depend on the ecm sending a signal?

 

[SnuffThePunkz]

Sorry to side track, has anyone cut out the cd changer and used it as an auxiliary input in the past?

I'm hunting an radio down right now for my new Expy.