Struggling with VW camper head unit upgrade?

[jakedavies8]

Hi all,

This is my first post so please bear with me!

Currently trying to upgrade the head unit in my '73 VW Westfalia, it currently has a JVC KD-S670 but I have been down to Halfords and bought a Sony DSX-A200UI so I can plug my phone in for music...

I popped out the old head unit and (please excuse my relative inexperience when it comes to wiring and head units) the plug from the old unit did not fit into the new one, it was slightly larger, therefore I could not connect it up appropriately. I am not sure what to do now, I gather I may be able to wire it manually or get hold of some form of adaptor?

I will attach images of the old stereo (wired) and new stereo.

Thanks in advance!

Jake

[fredd589]

You'll need something like this which plugs into the other end of where the current cable plugs into the headunit, should be a simple swap over with the new cable!

[pixelatedJH]

Further down from that connector there should be one of two things - either two rectangular block connectors (in which case simply disconnect them and reconnect the new wiring that came with the new stereo) or wires that have been joined together with tape/bullet connectors/solder and heat shrink (from van loom to stereo loom). If the latter is the case, you'll have to cut the old stereo wiring and connect the loom from the van (preferably solder/heatshrink) to the new stereo wiring (match colours with what's on there at the moment).

Hope that helps

[jakedavies8]

fredd589 said:

You'll need something like this which plugs into the other end of where the current cable plugs into the headunit, should be a simple swap over with the new cable!

Is this cable that came with the box the one you are referring to? If so.. how do I connect the larger existing plug that went into the old head unit to this one to then plug into the new head unit?

thanks

[jakedavies8]

pixelatedJH said:

Further down from that connector there should be one of two things - either two rectangular block connectors (in which case simply disconnect them and reconnect the new wiring that came with the new stereo) or wires that have been joined together with tape/bullet connectors/solder and heat shrink (from van loom to stereo loom). If the latter is the case, you'll have to cut the old stereo wiring and connect the loom from the van (preferably solder/heatshrink) to the new stereo wiring (match colours with what's on there at the moment).

Hope that helps

thanks for the reply, what I have is a load of taped wires, is there a way to do it that doesn't involve soldering and would the wires need to be connected to this y shaped lead that came with the Sony stereo (pictured above).

thanks

[scorcher]

Google 'car stereo adapter plugs ' which will allow you to marry up existing wiring with the new.

[scorcher]

Google 'car stereo adapter plugs ' which will allow you to marry up existing wiring with the new.

[pixelatedJH]

jakedavies8 said:

thanks for the reply, what I have is a load of taped wires, is there a way to do it that doesn't involve soldering and would the wires need to be connected to this y shaped lead that came with the Sony stereo (pictured above).

thanks

Not ideal but if you just wanted it to work you COULD take the adapter you posted above, cut the two connectors off and strip about 1cm off the end of each wire.

Then remove tape and old stereo wires one by one, replacing with new stereo wires of the same colour as you go, tightly twisting and sealing well with insulation tape. That should work. However obviously twisting and taping the wires is not a perfect jobt.

A half-way house would be to use bullet connectors crimped to the wires or block connectors like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/BLOCK-CONNECTOR-STRIP-joi... - although again insulating them well.

[TooMany2cvs]

jakedavies8 said:

The end you're holding is (head unit) manufacturer specific, often varying even between models of the same manufacturer.

The other end, though, is a bog-standard ISO connector block. Except it didn't used to be bog standard - so whoever first put a stereo in your Bay didn't bother fitting one, they just wired directly.

You can either do the same, or you can put in an ISO block now, and make life much easier for the future.

You can buy 'em from eBay or any local stereo shop - even Halfords. But, for some bizarre reason, they're often more expensive with bare ends than they are with a moulded connector on the other end as an adaptor to car manufacturer-specific connectors... So, whenever I need one, I buy the cheapest manufacturer adaptor, and snip that end off...

Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150669072352

[jakedavies8]

pixelatedJH said:

Not ideal but if you just wanted it to work you COULD take the adapter you posted above, cut the two connectors off and strip about 1cm off the end of each wire.

Then remove tape and old stereo wires one by one, replacing with new stereo wires of the same colour as you go, tightly twisting and sealing well with insulation tape. That should work. However obviously twisting and taping the wires is not a perfect jobt.

A half-way house would be to use bullet connectors crimped to the wires or block connectors like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/BLOCK-CONNECTOR-STRIP-joi... - although again insulating them well.

Thank you very much for your help, I am going to have crack at it tonight and see how it goes!

Jake