Aftermarket audio head unit installation - Saab 9-5

[Hammy]

Hi Mal,

I've put a new HU in my 2002 2.3t and I notice you have the same connects2 harness I have. Did you get your steering wheel patch to work (the black and yellow wire)? If so, what wire did you tap into? I tried the blue wire going in to the SID, but no luck.

Thanks in advance.

[vaizki]

So, years ago ekasparov thought of sending signal to stock amplifier from a 3.5mm headphone jack. Has anyone tried this one? How do people usually utilize stock amplifiers when installing pad/tablet in saabs?

I'm planning to try out if I could just solder cables to original harness amp pre outs and connect a device there. Amplifier would be powered on by turning the original head unit on, but volume to minimum. So that way original head unit wouldn't send anything else to amplifier but just power on command. Maybe I have to figure out some way to separate front and rear channels to be able to adjust the "fader"

If anyone has tried this or made this kind of cheap and quick aux connectivity I would like to hear of it to not have to invent everything again by my self.

Thx for great thread guys

Dear Frank,

Thank you for the illustration. Glad to hear you are from MI, I'm from Ann Arbor myself.


I have a few questions before I start the following project.

I have taken my stock stereo out of my 2000 saab 9-5 the AS3 system. I have purchased the connector (Amazon.com: Metra 70-1784 Radio Wiring Harness for Audi 88-99/Volkswagen 80-Up: Car Electronics.) I am trying to install a 7" tablet into the space of the stock stereo (not a problem).

I have also purchased the following Bluetooth receiver (Amazon.com: Britelink Bluetooth Audio Receiver: Portable, Bluetooth Music Receiver with Stereo Output (3.5 mm) for Home and Auto Stereo Systems: Electronics).

If I connect the line level outputs from all of the speakers to the wiring harness and then to the bluetooth receiver via 3.5mm.

Will sound come out of all of the speakers without a problem?

Do I have to connect anything else except the 4 speaker output cables? (such as power and control signals)

So basically 4 speaker cables will be connected to a 2 y cables and those cables will be connected to the bluetooth device via 3.5mm male.

The speaker wires run to the amplifier directly as you probably know...

[nordwulf]

If you're keeping the stock head unit, it seems easier to just add aux-in to the Saab head unit. I had that in my Saab for many years and worked great.

More info: http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=28000

[vaizki]

I have understood that there is no such an easy way with optional denso navigator. I could of course take it in part and try to find correct pins. I remember someone telling me that in denso it will be mono then and not stereo.

[nordwulf]

You didn't mention you had the navigation head unit so I assumed it was the regular one. SaabAux does have a version for Denso navigation head units so perhaps that may be an easier way. http://www.saabaux.com/

[vaizki]

Oh, yeah sorry my bad I forgot to mention that in the first place. They do have it, but its also pretty expensive (230€) and in that case I'd rather put couple of euros more in it and install a whole new system.

So back to original cheap idea. Any bets if it works. It sure is quite tempting if it costs like ten euros. Or all the equipment could be found from carage already..

[vaizki]

Ok, just to let you all know that I managed to get it working.

First I cut an RCA cable in half. Not sure if it was the best option but I had one already which had been damaged from middle. I separated the leads and insulated them



Then I opened the connector behind head unit (there is NO ISO connector) and parted it out so that the pins could be pulled out. Important to remember which color was in which hole, since they are not marked.



I cut short ~3mm pieces of small brass pipe which I happened to have in the shelf. Peeled a bit the wires which are conducting the signal to each channel for example "front right (high)" and "front right (low)". Then I put the piece of brass pipe on the cable and pushed the end of the prepared RCA cable in to pipe and squeezed it with suitable pliers. I didn't want to solder them to prevent cracking of the cables by time. Finally I insulated the connection with a piece of shrink tube



Connectors were a bit tricky to assemble again since the contacts/pins are not lining automatically to their places but with a needle it was possible to guide them while pushing the connector parts back in each other.

Finally I pulled the RCA cables into the location I wished them to be. I had to make a strange cable to share one 3.5mm stereo jack to 4 channels but it was possible with parts worth couple of euros and a soldering iron. I use a AUX extension cable to have a bit of play in the cable.



I have used this for a week now and my head unit has not been fried yet, but I don't promise yours won't.
Notes:
-When I want to use AUX connection I start my head unit and put volume on zero or on cd mode and pause.
-With this kind of ok quality RCA cables I do not hear any strange humming or other noises. Except if phone is connected to charger in 12V output.
-Power of a mobile phone aux output is enough for me in volume.
-I'm very bad at evaluating sound quality but way better than radio.
-When listening music through original head unit, it is better to take the phone off the connector, this had an effect on sound quality.
-Annoyingly volume has to be adjusted through phone
-Original head unit balance and fader adjustments do not work if the 3.5mm -> 4*RCA is connected
-Definitely worth the money spent

[nordwulf]

Great to hear you got it working. Your post was stuck in the moderation queue but it is visible now.

[mariop7777]

Hi nordwulf and all the users
,

I have a Saab 95 2L Biopower 2007 and I want it to replace the existing standard radio.

I do have another radio and it is the original touch screen with sat nav functionalities. Obviously the radio is a different fitting altogether including the wiring so I'm looking for information on where I can buy such fittings and wiring?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciate.

Thank you and regards

[blueline]

For anyone new to installing aftermarket radios and confused about the mounting kit like I was, here are a few pictures that might help (it's easy). The large metal brackets with the circular holes sits on top of the skinny, shiny brackets (small tabs sit inside the slots of the large brackets). You may have to experiment with where to place the shiny brackets, but the 3rd and 5th holes from the rear of the head unit seemed to work for me.

Use the flat-top screws provided with your head unit to attach the brackets to the head unit. I used two screws on each side as the other screw holes on the head unit were blocked by the bracket. I used holes marked T.

I also had to start the screws with a screwdriver, as I couldn't get them going by hand (that threw me off at first when I was trying to test fit everything).

When you slide the head unit into the cage, the bracket tabs and screws may catch on the sides of the cage. Slightly pressing in the sides and using a bit of force solved that problem.




P.S. This kit from eBay looks exactly the same as the Connects2 "Saab specific" one, but at a third of the price (and it ships from the US rather than Europe).
Connects2 provides an extra bezel that may fit the 9-5's dash cutout better, but I believe that can be purchased separately.
Had I realized this, I would have gone for the generic version from eBay.

Other notes - on the Metra 70-1786 harness, the wires for switched power and constant power are reversed for some reason. I opted to use the harness rather than tapping the headlight switch wiring, so connect the yellow wire on the radio's harness to the red wire on the Metra, and vice versa. (The radio will only work when the key is in the On position, as noted in the initial post).

I am also trying to use the light around the 12V power outlet (near the heated seat switches) for the dimming function, as it seems more convenient than running a wire all the way under the dash to the headlight switch. I haven't done it yet, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.