Originally Posted by christiansmith6

So I'm installing an aftermarket stereo into my 1996 Disco and I'm having some issues....

I have the new stereo hooked up to the speakers and the AMP correctly, but whenever I try to play music through it I have to turn the volume up all the way to get any noise at all! Anyone have any idea what could be the problem?

Originally Posted by calebbo

amp bypass walk through:

what you will need:

about 12 feet of speaker wire (16 to 12 gauge will work although 12 is harder to run through the dash, also pick a speaker wire that you can easily tell polarity I would suggest a red and black set)
electrical tape
wire stripper and crimper (either all in one tool or 2 separate tools)
at least 8 - blue T taps ( and maybe a small pair of pliers to close these)
at least 8 - blue male spade connectors
at least 11 - blue butt connectors
handful of zip ties for a cleaner install (the zip ties are optional)
you can get all of this at Walmart

step 1: remove the radio, remove the glove box, locate the amp and unplug the plug/harness.

step 2: hold the plug in hand (do not let go until the next step) and locate the 8 speaker wires in that plug. The 8 wires should be as follows:
Black/Brown = left front -
Black/White = left front +
Black/Red = right front -
Black/Pink = right front +
Black/Orange = left rear -
Black/Yellow = left rear +
Black/Blue = right rear -
Black/Green = right rear +
each set of speaker wires will be twisted together a couple inches from the plug (for example the black/brown wire and black/white wires will be twisted together for the left front speaker)

step 3: you can now let go of the plug. Crimp the T taps on to each of the above wires roughly 4 inches from the plug that was just in your hand. (these wires may all be wrapped up together a few inches from the plug, just try to remove a few inches of this wrapper)

step 4. cut your speaker wire into 4 equal lengths of 3 feet each. Label each length LF,RF,LR, and RR at each end with some masking tape (see step 8). (if you have the zip ties you can zip tie the 4 runs of wire together into 1 thick run of wires)

step 5. crimp the male spade connectors to one end of the 8 speaker wires

step 6. connect the male spades to the T taps be sure to align your labels to there corresponding wires. (example your front left labeled wire will be attached to the black/brown and black/white wires).

step 7. run the other end of your wires up through the dash to the back of the radio. this will take some time, and I will warn you there is nothing safe behind the dash, I have drawn blood about 75% of the time doing this part of the job! you may find using a straightened metal coat hanger will help you run these wires where your hands can't get.(when your done, zip tie the wires clear of moving parts like the glove box and heater cables)

step 8. determine what wire is what at the loose ends of your new speaker wires. Hopefully you labeled them correctly, if not you will need to "pop" the speakers with a AA battery (hopefully you won't need to do this but if you do I will walk you through it)

step 9. connect your new wires to the wires on the back of the aftermarket radio with the blue butt connectors.
aftermarket radio colors are as follows:
white = front left +
whit/black = front left -
gray = front right +
gray/black = front right -
green = left rear +
green/black = left rear -
purple = right rear +
purple/black = right rear -
you can use your Metra harness for the yellow, red, and black wires (power wires).

step 10. connect the antenna and test, if it works then install the radio in the dash and put everything together.

Originally Posted by christiansmith6

So I'm installing an aftermarket stereo into my 1996 Disco and I'm having some issues....

I have the new stereo hooked up to the speakers and the AMP correctly, but whenever I try to play music through it I have to turn the volume up all the way to get any noise at all! Anyone have any idea what could be the problem?