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Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2013
- Messages
- 56
- Reaction score
- 15
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Boise, ID
- Vehicle Year
- 1995
- Make / Model
- Mazda
- Engine Size
- 2.3
- Transmission
- Manual
Tldr: The Metra 70-5514 looks like it plugs in under the kick panel but it doesn't. It plugs in on the amp side of the wire that connects there but is too short to reach where it needs to go. I recommend making a pigtail like I did with both ends of the amp wiring. You could also cut the kick panel end of the amp wiring and graft it to the end of the Metra wiring after cutting off the end. I would not recommend cutting the permanent part of the harness with the three connectors that stays attached to the wall under the kick panel.
About six years ago I installed an aftermarket head unit because I wanted Bluetooth. I didn't want to have to run new wires and I'm not an audiophile so I used the simplest install method which integrated the factory amp. The new head unit had more power than the amp and eventually there was horrible static and I just quit using the radio.
Fast forward to this year. I had to gut the interior after a stray cat got inside and peed on the passenger seat and water got inside after a major rainstorm. Since I had the carpet and trim out anyway I figured it was time to address the radio and ordered the Metra 70-5605 which is recommended for this job.
Not sure if this is the case on later trucks but on my 95 the amp is over the passenger side jump seat and has a bundle of wires that runs to three connectors underneath the passenger side kick panel. One of the connectors has nothing but speaker wires. The other two I presume went to a CD changer or sub my truck doesn't have.
I took out the amp and disconnected the wire bundle. Here's where it gets nuts...
The connector with the speaker wire down under the kick panel is the match for the black connector on the end of the Metra harness. The wire is exactly the right length to reach this plug. There weren't any instructions so I presumed that's where it went, plugged it in and wired everything up on the stereo and reconnected the battery. The stereo had power but no sound. Cue lots of cussing and tearing my hair out.
I pulled out one of the speakers and tested the continuity between the speaker and kick panel connector. Was fine. I tested the continuity between the head unit and the end of the Metra harness and that was fine too. I was starting to think the Metra connector was defective so I pulled it out and took a close look at the pins. They don't match up to the wires on the Ford side. Some of the pins didn't even have corresponding wires on the Ford connector.
Then I took a closer look at the factory harness that goes from the three connectors to the amp. Lo and behold the connector that goes into the amp way the hell back under the B pillar is the same shape as the one that the speaker wires go into on the other side. Which the Metra harness is not nearly long enough to reach. Since I had the wires out I plugged the Metra connecter in on the amp side and everything worked great.
That left me with approximately a mile of extra wire. I ended up cutting the wiring bundle that went to the amp and making a pigtail to link the Metra harness directly to the kick panel connector. That left me with a more manageable length that I shoved into the space where the passenger side air bag would have gone if it had one, which it doesn't.
About six years ago I installed an aftermarket head unit because I wanted Bluetooth. I didn't want to have to run new wires and I'm not an audiophile so I used the simplest install method which integrated the factory amp. The new head unit had more power than the amp and eventually there was horrible static and I just quit using the radio.
Fast forward to this year. I had to gut the interior after a stray cat got inside and peed on the passenger seat and water got inside after a major rainstorm. Since I had the carpet and trim out anyway I figured it was time to address the radio and ordered the Metra 70-5605 which is recommended for this job.
Not sure if this is the case on later trucks but on my 95 the amp is over the passenger side jump seat and has a bundle of wires that runs to three connectors underneath the passenger side kick panel. One of the connectors has nothing but speaker wires. The other two I presume went to a CD changer or sub my truck doesn't have.
I took out the amp and disconnected the wire bundle. Here's where it gets nuts...
The connector with the speaker wire down under the kick panel is the match for the black connector on the end of the Metra harness. The wire is exactly the right length to reach this plug. There weren't any instructions so I presumed that's where it went, plugged it in and wired everything up on the stereo and reconnected the battery. The stereo had power but no sound. Cue lots of cussing and tearing my hair out.
I pulled out one of the speakers and tested the continuity between the speaker and kick panel connector. Was fine. I tested the continuity between the head unit and the end of the Metra harness and that was fine too. I was starting to think the Metra connector was defective so I pulled it out and took a close look at the pins. They don't match up to the wires on the Ford side. Some of the pins didn't even have corresponding wires on the Ford connector.
Then I took a closer look at the factory harness that goes from the three connectors to the amp. Lo and behold the connector that goes into the amp way the hell back under the B pillar is the same shape as the one that the speaker wires go into on the other side. Which the Metra harness is not nearly long enough to reach. Since I had the wires out I plugged the Metra connecter in on the amp side and everything worked great.
That left me with approximately a mile of extra wire. I ended up cutting the wiring bundle that went to the amp and making a pigtail to link the Metra harness directly to the kick panel connector. That left me with a more manageable length that I shoved into the space where the passenger side air bag would have gone if it had one, which it doesn't.
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