Jeep TJ Stereo mounting instruction guide

In this write-up I will dismount my factory tape deck and install an aftermarket Car Stereo.
Prepare the following items for the replacement of the factory tape deck with an aftermarket car stereo in your TJ.
Tools needed:
Flashlight
faceplate adapter
soldering iron
Phillips head screw driver
10mm 1/4" drive socket and ratchet
heat shrink tubing
solder
OEM wiring adapter
Attention: disconnect the negative battery terminal unless other instructions require. Disconnect the negative battery for your safety.

1. Wire Harness

Purchase an OEM wiring adapter from any oem car stereo store for about $15 for TJ, which can help you save the problem of having to cut off the original stereo connector. It is possible that you may sell out your TJ to other sometime, you could put the factory stereo back. Both the new stereo and adapter will have a diagram telling you what wire is for each colored wire and what should to be connected. Connect each wire on the adapter to its partner on the aftermarket stereo harness and then cover it with a piece of electrical tape, which is just temporary so you can confirm the proper connection.

2. Disassembling the dash

Remove the dash upper trim panel, which clips into place. Grab it at the far front left or right corner with your fingers and apply proper force to pull up until it pops out of its clip. Pull the panel out of the clips. Leave it lifted up and laying against the windshield or dismount it all together. You should unscrew the two screws that hold the top of the panel to the top of the dash to remove the dash center trim panel. After removing the two screws, you can pull the panel away starting at the top. This panel uses the same style of clips as the upper trip panel so you' will feel them popping off as you go- 4 clips are in total.

3. Remove the factory stereo

You can see that four screws in the front and one nut in the back hold the factory stereo in place. The screws are in plain site, while the nut is a bit hard to reach. Swing the climate control panel out of the way. Remove the screws which hold it in place and then unplug the two connectors for the left and center control knobs. Leave the right one in connection because it features all the vacuum lines going to it. In order to reach into the dash under the stereo, you should swing it down and out of the way. The 10mm 1/4" drive socket and ratchet are required for dismounting the nut from the theft deterrent bar. Feel around to find the nut – of the three holes in the theft deterrent bracket, the nut is in the farthest hole on the right side. Loosen and remove this nut and the stereo will be away from its mounts. Disconnect the antenna and the factory wiring harness and remove the stereo.

4. Test the new stereo and its harness

Connect the harness to the connector of the new stereo in the back. Then connect the other end of the OEM adapter to the factory harness's connector. Connect your battery again and turn your ignition to accessory. After that, you should be able to operate the stereo and all the speakers should be in function. If all the things function normally, turn off the ignition and disconnect your negative battery terminal again.

5. Connect your wire harness

Having everything connected in a proper way, set up the harness for permanent installation. Before soldering wires, cut all of them to the same length on both of the separate harnesses, which will make it more compact and easier to tuck behind the stereo into your dash. Group everything accordingly -Slip a piece of heat shrink tubing over two wires (for example the negative and positive wires for the left front speaker) and then another piece of each wire individually. After you have soldered each connection, shrink the tubing over the connection. After soldering both wires, you should insulate with the tubing, slide that first piece over the two connections and shrink that together. This step can help to make the harness neater to a great extent when it's finished. By making all the wires the same length and then grouping them together, you will find that it kept the harness very clean and uncluttered.

6. Mount the stereo to the faceplate adapter

The faceplate adapter is what you mount the stereo within, which keeps the stereo from bouncing around while it's sitting in your dash. Remember- the sturdier it's installed in this adapter, the less likely of having your CD's skip. The directions with these adapters are pretty thorough – just put the stereo into the brackets and attach it with the provided screws. Use screws coming with the adapter, since they are designed to be just of the right length. Longer screws may thread into the stereo's chassis too far and lead to damage to the sensitive electronics or mechanical linkage.

7. Install your new stereo

Connect your new wiring harness to the stereo and then to the factory stereo connector. Next plug your antenna to the back of the stereo. Gently tuck all the wires to the side and/or below the area where the stereo will slide back into. Slide the stereo into the dash, once the wires are clear. Watch the wiring harness to make sure that it doesn't get jammed or pinched behind the stereo. Once it is sitting flush, mount the 4 screws into the front of the faceplate adapter to hold the stereo tightly against the dash. Reinstall the climate control panel. Connect the two connectors that were disconnected earlier and remount the panel with the two screws.

8. Reassemble the dash

Start by lining up the top of the dash center panel with its two holes at the top of the dash. Press the panel into place allowing the four clips to seat themselves. The panel will sit flush with no noticeable gaps around the stereo faceplate, the sides of the panel and the climate control panel. Then install the dash upper trim panel by seating one end into a mounting clip first. After one clip being popped into place, go on with the panel seating the remaining clips until the panel is great.

9. Installation finished and Enjoy your time

Connect the negative battery terminal and play your new car stereo. There is no doubt that the sound is much better than that coming from the factory car stereo. Surely, you will have a grand day.

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