[Fam]

its pretty easy. all you need is the red, black, and white/green wires from the aswc. switched power to the red of the aswc, ground to the black wire on the aswc and the brown wire in the factory honda harness (pin 14), and the white/green wire on the aswc goes to green/red (pin 3) of the honda factory harness. done. cycle the key and watch the LED flashes. will auto program in about 15 seconds.

Thanks Yoda.

For the red and black, could I should be able to tap into the stereo wiring harness for those, correct?

For the brown wire, do I remove that from the connector? Do I somehow jump the wire?

Also, I take it t-taps would be acceptable to use?

 

[Yoda E SC]

Thanks Yoda.

For the red and black, could I should be able to tap into the stereo wiring harness for those, correct?

For the brown wire, do I remove that from the connector? Do I somehow jump the wire?

Also, I take it t-taps would be acceptable to use?

all the wires can be attached behind the radio. That is why it is so much better than the other ones by PAC where on some vehicles you have to get wires elsewhere in the car. That and the autoprogramming. Dont use t-taps for the connection of the aswc. multiplex communication like that done with the steering wheel control wire andother data wires, can experience some intermittent issues if not soldered and taped/heat shrunk. That is why it says that specifically in the instructions not to use t-taps. ;-)

 

[Yoda E SC]

For those that want a plug and play solution

this thread shows the metra harness (70-7863) that fully integrates with the element and does what is described at the begining of this thread. some people are having issue finding their answer apparently, so here it is in a stickied thread...

 

[sdelement]

Quick question - my new head unit (Clarion CX201) doesn't have a separate RCA out for the sub. Instead it looks like the rear RCAs are for rear/sub. I have the Metra 70-1725 harness, just wondering what to do next? Do I need a crossover for the rear/sub RCAs?

Many thanks!

 

[AztecRol]

Quick question - my new head unit (Clarion CX201) doesn't have a separate RCA out for the sub. Instead it looks like the rear RCAs are for rear/sub. I have the Metra 70-1725 harness, just wondering what to do next? Do I need a crossover for the rear/sub RCAs?

Many thanks!

How much did you spend on your new HU??
I ask because if its still in the box, I would take it back and get one that
works with the E. How much are you going to spend on a crossover?? You
could add the price of the crossover to what you paid for the Clarion, and
get a better HU. Remember, that if you dont get a crossover with a separate
volume control, you will not be able to adjust the sub volume.

You can use a crossover, but you have the wrong wiring harness. You need
the Metra 70-7863. It has all the wiring for all the amp channels. It is the
correct harness if you are using a HU with front, rear and sub out, or if you
are using a crossover.

I would trade it in for the CX501. It has front, rear, AND sub outs!!! Not that
much more money either.

Do you have the Metra 95-7863 to mount the new HU to the E??
Here is a thread with some really good info:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67403

 

[Gorby]

I have 2004 Honda Element EX trying to install Pioneer AVH-P5200BT I cant get sound work. And can't find right pin out for that model. I tried both speaker wires and RCA no luck.

 

[Magellan]

I recently acquired a new Head Unit: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...vers/FH-X700BT

I noticed the manual says not to use any speaker impedance between 1 and 3 ohm. My center-console sub is as follows:

Brand: Kicker
Type: Non-Enclosed Subwoofer
RMS Power: 150W
Voice Coil: Dual
Model: 40-CWRT672 40CWRT67-2 CWRT672 CWRT67-2
MPN: 40CWRT672

For the time being I am going to wire this head unit directly to the factory amp, but i intend to upgrade the 6 mid/tweet speakers and run them off a 125 Watts RMS x 2 channel amp with inputs from the 40CWRT672 for mid/high

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...eries/GM-5500T

I also have an 800 watt rms amp i intend to run my 2 x 15" subs in the back with (they are currently powered by the GM-5500T). the 15s are 4 ohm and wired to reach a 2 ohm impedance.

So, soon, I will run both amps off the new head unit

What considerations should I make? I know you all have a lot of experience on the topic. and again, thank you all for helping me with my bottom-end project

...

Well, I got it the new receiver all hooked up. Works well. Sounds great, huge improvement, in fact, but I'm noticing that the OEM amp doesn't seem to have the volume that it did with the old head unit. i'm also not sure how to set the high pass and low pass filters, and i'm not sure if i should turn off the low pass filter built into the amplifier. i'm currently running the amp with minimal gain at 80 hz; should i tweak the gain? i had it all tweaked 'just right' with the OEM head unit... looks like its time to learn something new.

...

also, because there were only for RCA outputs, 2x front (L & R) and 2x rear/sub (L&R), i wired the received to the old harness via those RCAs (for front and rear door speakers as well as tweets) and left the subwoofer wires detached. i then spliced the OEM subwoofer wires into the power/output harness wires for the subwoofer and bypassed the factory amp for the subs only. the power/output harness for the head unit has 2 sets of wires for sub: 1 set for 4 ohm and another for 2 ohm (or 70 watts? according to the manual). i spliced into the 4 ohm because i have 2x 4 ohm subs running on separate channels each. maybe i should have spliced into the 2 ohm wires? it sounds fine as is, but maybe it would sound better?

any input would be appreciated. be as mean as you want. i won't take any offense

 

[BigAl205]

I recently acquired a new Head Unit: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...vers/FH-X700BT

I noticed the manual says not to use any speaker impedance between 1 and 3 ohm. My center-console sub is as follows:

Brand: Kicker
Type: Non-Enclosed Subwoofer
RMS Power: 150W
Voice Coil: Dual
Model: 40-CWRT672 40CWRT67-2 CWRT672 CWRT67-2
MPN: 40CWRT672

For the time being I am going to wire this head unit directly to the factory amp, but i intend to upgrade the 6 mid/tweet speakers and run them off a 125 Watts RMS x 2 channel amp with inputs from the 40CWRT672 for mid/high

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...eries/GM-5500T

I also have an 800 watt rms amp i intend to run my 2 x 15" subs in the back with (they are currently powered by the GM-5500T). the 15s are 4 ohm and wired to reach a 2 ohm impedance.

So, soon, I will run both amps off the new head unit

What considerations should I make? I know you all have a lot of experience on the topic. and again, thank you all for helping me with my bottom-end project

Since it only has 2 sets of RCAs, you will either have to Y the front RCAs to run both front and rear channels (with no balance control) and use the rear RCAs to run the sub amp...OR you could Y off the rear RCAs to run the rear channels and sub full-range and use the amp's built-in crossover. With this setup you will not have control over the sub unless the amp has a bass knob.

Well, I got it the new receiver all hooked up. Works well. Sounds great, huge improvement, in fact, but I'm noticing that the OEM amp doesn't seem to have the volume that it did with the old head unit. i'm also not sure how to set the high pass and low pass filters, and i'm not sure if i should turn off the low pass filter built into the amplifier. i'm currently running the amp with minimal gain at 80 hz; should i tweak the gain? i had it all tweaked 'just right' with the OEM head unit... looks like its time to learn something new.

Read http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56823&highlight=balanced

also, because there were only for RCA outputs, 2x front (L & R) and 2x rear/sub (L&R), i wired the received to the old harness via those RCAs (for front and rear door speakers as well as tweets) and left the subwoofer wires detached. i then spliced the OEM subwoofer wires into the power/output harness wires for the subwoofer and bypassed the factory amp for the subs only. the power/output harness for the head unit has 2 sets of wires for sub: 1 set for 4 ohm and another for 2 ohm (or 70 watts? according to the manual). i spliced into the 4 ohm because i have 2x 4 ohm subs running on separate channels each. maybe i should have spliced into the 2 ohm wires? it sounds fine as is, but maybe it would sound better?

So you are running the green wires to one voice coil and the violet wires to the other voice coil? If so, you are running 4 ohms. According to the manual, you could just run the violet wires to both coils in parallel to run 2 ohms. IOW, violet to both + on the sub and violet/black to both -

 

[Magellan]

Since it only has 2 sets of RCAs, you will either have to Y the front RCAs to run both front and rear channels (with no balance control) and use the rear RCAs to run the sub amp...OR you could Y off the rear RCAs to run the rear channels and sub full-range and use the amp's built-in crossover. With this setup you will not have control over the sub unless the amp has a bass knob.

I took your advice and ran all 6 front speakers on the 'front' channel and the subs on the 'rear' channel, then i hard-wired/spliced a 6.75" kicker into the factory sub box. i can use all of the controls appropriately. i really like the head unit.

BUT, both of the front door speakers blew right after adding the new head unit. everything just seems a lot louder and cleaner. so, it looks like i'll be replacing those 2 front speakers with something new. i've heard that pioneer makes decent component speakers for the money, plus i intend to eventually run a pioneer gm 5500t for all front speakers and the front sub, and run the rear subs on a ultralinear 800watt rms from 2004 (which still sounds baddddd asssss). i hear its best to run prioneer off pioneer. i have a pioneer amp and head. and i am pleased with both. but, will running both amps draw too much juice?

i read your factory stereo post about line signal. i get it, but i don't know what it 'means' in this situation.

So you are running the green wires to one voice coil and the violet wires to the other voice coil? If so, you are running 4 ohms. According to the manual, you could just run the violet wires to both coils in parallel to run 2 ohms. IOW, violet to both + on the sub and violet/black to both -

i sealed and filled the sub box with polyfill. I think it's a 4 ohm impedance, but its loud enough that it rattles the dash when i do crank it, but it adds nice ambiance, and more thump, and is nice when i choose no to run the subs. maybe 2 would have less distortion? too bad i sealed the box with silicone

again, thx so much :-D

 

[tranUp13]

This diagram is ONLY for the SC, EX, and EX-P with the factory double-DIN radio, amplifier, and subwoofer. This is NOT for the DX or LX.

The first picture shows how the radio is basically wired from Honda. The radio puts out a line-level(low-level) signal to the amplifier thru the big black harness. It puts out a mono signal for the subwoofer via the small black harness with white guts. The amplifier then sends the amplified signal out to the speakers and subwoofer. Note the sub is dual voice coil but uses a mono signal.

THANKS BIG AL It works!!!!! I AM HAPPY

 

[Spaniard United]

Old thread I know, but sticky so necro is ok, right?!
Thank you so much to BigAl and Yoda. I got the 1721 harness with my HU and had it hooked up and working well, but I missed the sub. Tried the RCA fix but couldn't get it working, but after reading through ~16 of the pages and seeing Yoda's post about the different signals being sent out, I spliced my 1721 into a 1725 and my sub is thumping beautifully. Much love for the EOC.

 

[Ohmoxide]

Steering Wheel Controls

I have 2008 EX.
I have attached 4 pics of my stereo and wiring here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103130724454778776344/albums/6078499877781550561

Which of the wiring harnesses handles the steering wheel controls?

Cheers,
-Rob

 

[BigAl205]

Main harness:
Grn/Red is +
Brn is -

 

[vbourdin]

VX404e

Hello all.

I'm considering doing a HU upgrade from stock EX to the Clarion VX404e. The main idea is to gain Bluetooth connection, DVD playing, smartphone screen mirroring (via HDMI port), rear-view cam, etc...
Besides, the LCD segments of my EX radio are getting worth and worth, I can now barely read the CD tracks etc ...

I therefore have few questions:

1- In addition to the HU, do I only need to get the Metra 95-7863 Dash Kit (or would you recommend another?), and the wiring set 70-7863?
Do I also need that adapter Scosche SLC4 Line Output Converter?
I plan on keeping stock speakers and amp.

2- Should I expect some sound quality improvement from such HU upgrade alone?
What are the general feedback about the EX setup in terms of sound quality?
Subsequent question is from the stock EX setup, which component is the worst, and changing it would get you the best sound improvement for the buck? Please say the HU ...

3- I have looked at various forum pages about such upgrade and can find a lot of information (such as this page and some others), but not being sure what might no longer be relevant (given recent wiring kits), do you have any high level recommendations, gotchas I should be aware of, and/or should I be prepared to splice wires?

As you must have noticed, I'm no expert in this area and am hoping for a simple installation with or without sound quality improvement (but not worth than stock EX).

Further reading awesome posts from BigAl205, it looks like changing the factory amp would make the wiring easier (4 vs 8 volts) ... but seems to require a new budget not planned for at the moment ... For future reference, any after market amp replacement recommendations (for similar performance as stock)?

Thanks,

Vince.

PS: Was on vacation in Honolulu last month .... been a while since I have seen so many Es on the road around me ... (while driving a rented Jeep :? )

 

[Menteng]

Hi Vince, I'll try to answer some of your questions:

1- You cannot go wrong with Metra 95-7863 Dash Kit and the wiring set 70-7863. You won't need the Scosche line output converter, since you're using the stock amps. But you may want to buy a relay, if your passenger wants to watch DVD while you're driving. There's a thread on how to do this mod, just do a search.

2- By upgrading your HU, you'll hear some noticeable improvement. But remember, you still have the factory speakers (those are 12 years old by now). To really enjoy your new HU, I highly recommend upgrading all your front and rear door speakers. The popular brands I've seen here were Alpine, Polk Audio, and Pioneer. If you don't care about too much bass, then just keep your stock subwoofer. If you plan to upgrade that in the future, I suggest getting the JL enclosure but it might be too pricey though. You just won't get the proper low range in the factory sub enclosure.

3- If I remember correctly, using the wiring set is basically plug and play. If you don't care about the watching DVD while driving, then skip the relay mod. However, if you plan to install back-up camera, you'll need to learn how to tap to the reverse wire. And you need to remove some trims when routing the wires to the rear. But you don't need to be an expert to do all these, just take your time and read all the instructions and you'll be fine.

What I would suggest is to do the upgrades in phases. Definitely upgrade the HU first before it craps out. Then plan for the speakers next, then the camera, etc. And before you know it, you'll be addicted to modifying your Element :-D

Good luck!

 

[vbourdin]

Hi Menteng,

Many thanks for your awesome and right-on reply!
I appreciate the time you spent providing your input.

This is exactly was I was looking for ... you even guessed by plans with a step-by-step installation, basic HU installation first (I like the idea of plug and play ...) including parking break bypass (I had found this vid for instructions), then rear-view cam in the spring, time allowing (I'm now not even 100% sure I need this, I lived without and without knocking anybody down so far, so might be an unnecessary gadget, but I figured since this HU has the option why not use it ...).
Then I also thought that changing the door speakers at some point might be simple enough to get some improvements. Just need to get some good ones I suppose.

Ok, I'll get started on the HU and kit orders ... Christmas is coming...

Thanks again!

My kids are going to be thrilled (I already have a ceiling mounted read monitor ...) ... and I'll be able to focus on driving .... the video bypass is for y wife indeed.

Vince.

 

[Ohmoxide]

None are correct

I swear, you might be lucky, you might not, there is no harness kit that works for all aftermarket stereos and for all original Honda stereos.

I wish I would have just taken it to Best Buy for an install.

The issues:
1. Honda made 2 stereo options, 4 speaker and 7 speaker
2. Honda made 2 stereos for the 7 speaker, they literally have two different wiring harnesses depending on the month and location the Element was assembled.
3. Metra made the 7863 with RCA jacks, and your after market may or may not have have RCA jacks for those speakers.

I had to cut the leads with RCA on the Metra and solder them to the aftermarket stereo leads.

It sucked, and I still don't have the subwoofer working...

Sigh.

-Rob

Hello all.

I'm considering doing a HU upgrade from stock EX to the Clarion VX404e. The main idea is to gain Bluetooth connection, DVD playing, smartphone screen mirroring (via HDMI port), rear-view cam, etc...
Besides, the LCD segments of my EX radio are getting worth and worth, I can now barely read the CD tracks etc ...

I therefore have few questions:

1- In addition to the HU, do I only need to get the Metra 95-7863 Dash Kit (or would you recommend another?), and the wiring set 70-7863?
Do I also need that adapter Scosche SLC4 Line Output Converter?
I plan on keeping stock speakers and amp.

2- Should I expect some sound quality improvement from such HU upgrade alone?
What are the general feedback about the EX setup in terms of sound quality?
Subsequent question is from the stock EX setup, which component is the worst, and changing it would get you the best sound improvement for the buck? Please say the HU ...

3- I have looked at various forum pages about such upgrade and can find a lot of information (such as this page and some others), but not being sure what might no longer be relevant (given recent wiring kits), do you have any high level recommendations, gotchas I should be aware of, and/or should I be prepared to splice wires?

As you must have noticed, I'm no expert in this area and am hoping for a simple installation with or without sound quality improvement (but not worth than stock EX).

Further reading awesome posts from BigAl205, it looks like changing the factory amp would make the wiring easier (4 vs 8 volts) ... but seems to require a new budget not planned for at the moment ... For future reference, any after market amp replacement recommendations (for similar performance as stock)?

Thanks,

Vince.

PS: Was on vacation in Honolulu last month .... been a while since I have seen so many Es on the road around me ... (while driving a rented Jeep :? )

 

[vbourdin]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the head's up.

Here is the wiring for my HU (not ordered yet ...)

Does it look like it could still just be plug-and-play?

Thanks,

Vince.

 

[vbourdin]

Also I don't like the reviews I see here about the Metra Dash kit:

Metra 95-7863 Honda Element Double DIN Kit 2003-up

Is is possible it doesn't nicely fit the Element dash opening?
Any reason for these bad reviews?

Is the following Scosche® - Single / Double DIN Stereo Dash Kit a better fit?
http://www.carid.com/2003-honda-element-stereo-installation/scosche-stereo-dash-kit-16843411.html

I'm getting worried about this dash kit ...

Thanks,

Vince.

 

[Ohmoxide]

Adapters and such

Hello Vince,

Your wiring looks much better for the Metra 70-7863:
http://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-7863-Amplifier-Retention-2003-2011/dp/B004YTNRRQ

That Metra 70-7863 has the main wiring harness for the aftermarket deck as well as the adapter for the subwoofer(single RCA jack) and the adapter for the Aux Input(dual RCA jacks)

You will also need an antenna adapter because Honda is run by some jerks:
http://www.amazon.com/Metra-40-HD10-2005-Up-Antenna-Adapter/dp/B000K4YOCG

You will not need the dash kit, the bracket bolted to the HU screws right into any standard aftermarket deck.

You will not need that Scosche, well I did not and it does not look like your deck did.

I know you said you did not care about running a DVD while the car is moving and that is fine, but this little adapter here:
http://www.amazon.com/MicroBypass-AVH-X1500DVD-AVH-X1600DVD-AVH-X3500BHS-AVH-X3600BHS/dp/B00F6X1ZPK

This keeps you from having to run a long wire to your E-Brake, you will save a ton of time not dismantling your dash and center console and running the wire under the flooring, well worth it, and you can have the passenger watch something while driving.

As far as dash dismantling, I only took off that small edging of plastic around the stereo itself, NO OTHER pieces, used a screwdriver with electrical tape over the flat tip to pry it up.

I don't use Sat-Radio so I don't know about that adapter, but I am guessing you will need one.

Lastly, you will lose steering wheel controls. What sucks is that the steering wheel controls are apart of the main wiring harness, which the Metra does not incorporate, so if you do want the controls to work, and I wish mine did after 6 years of using them, I think the only option is to cut wires and buy an adapter.

Cheers,
-Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the head's up.

Here is the wiring for my HU (not ordered yet ...)

Does it look like it could still just be plug-and-play?

Thanks,

Vince.