Cadillac Radio and Subwoofer Installation Notes

1996 DeVille with base sound system (no external amp, no speaker under dash grill, no Bose)

July 2007

8/7/2007 – The project is complete. Everything works. I’m very pleased with everything.

·         You may find this documentation a bit disorganized. A lot will be rambling thoughts of my “after the event” recollections of the installation of a new Panasonic head unit, all new speakers and speaker wire and an Infinity BassLink subwoofer. Hopefully it will be of some help to someone at sometime. Probably more so for future owners of my car.

·         The GM factory service manual set was very important for my installation. It takes time to learn how to use them though.

·         I won’t be creating a schematic of the install, but I will include enough data and information that will help you figure out where the wires go and the logic behind doing what I did.

·         Power for the sub was run through the wiring duct along the right side of the car. You have to remove the carpet retainers & center pillar cover to access this duct.

·         I tapped into the power window circuit (heavy gauge orange wire) located in the right hand wiring duct to supply the new radio’s red wire (switched power) with “Retained Accessory Power” (GM’s term and RAP is the acronym). The power window circuit retains its 12vdc for 10 minutes after the ignition switch is turned off or until a door is opened. If you are interested in doing the same thing without going through all the work of removing the carpet retainers, you can tap into this circuit in the kick panels. I was in the wiring ducts anyway and it seemed a convenient place to tap into the orange wire.

·         I installed new 16 AWG speaker wire throughout. I found WalMart to have the best prices for reasonably good wire. It was Philips brand and its stranding was such that it was quite flexible. It was clear wire, with a polarity stripe for the negative side. The factory stuff was very small gauge, probably 20 AWG.

·         I have a nice variety of Belden 8918 hook-up wire. This is a high quality 18 AWG wire with great handling characteristics. It’s expensive, but when you’re a wiring and IT guy, it’s something I have around just in case a project like this comes along. Here’s a link to a useful site with current carrying capacities of wire. http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm . You can find the pertinent data here.


·         I ran the following cables/wires along the right side of the hump, through the center of the vehicle. I did this because a). My duplex RCA extension cable (subwoofer line level signal from radio) wasn’t long enough for any other routing plan. b). I did not want power cables running near my audio lines. Maybe this was being anal, but I didn’t want problems later and I’m always interested in reducing the number of variables in any diagnosis scenario. The wires were carefully laid flat and taped to clean metal with Tyvek house wrap tape (lasts a long time). The E6 and F6 lines listed below are the two data lines that GM put in the Cadillac for data transmission from the car computer to the radio.


o   RCA duplex subwoofer cable

o   Subwoofer remote gain control cable (flat, black, modular RJ11)

o   Subwoofer remote on signal, blue, 16 AWG.

o   F6 data line, gray, 18 AWG

o   E6 data line, white, 18 AWG

o   E16 ground, green/yellow, 18 AWG. (see note 1)

o   Rear right speaker, +.

o   Rear right speaker, -.

o   Rear left speaker, +.

o   Rear left speaker, -.


·         Not sure if you’ll find this useful or not, but I wanted to know the path of the factory speaker wires, so I took the time to figure it out. They run down from the radio, under the carpet, across the hump and to the right of the car, just in front of the passenger seat mounting points. They enter the right side wiring duct. The front right pair run forward to door, the remaining 3 pair run back. The front left pair then break off at the rear seat mounting point and run left and to the front door. The two remaining pair continue in the wiring duct to the rear speakers.

·         The remote gain cable for the Infinity sub is a “crossed” configuration in case you want to put a new connector on. Look at both ends and make sure the colors are in the opposite order when looking at the same side of the plug.

·         There is a firewall cable pass through that has enough space to add wires. It’s located on the right side of the car, behind the strut tower. Take it apart, dig out some of the compound, run your wires, seal it back up with plumber’s putty, reassemble. I ran two 12 gauge power wires through this.

·         I installed a battery terminal power tap extension to supply power to a new fuse holder. You will need an “Extended Length” adapter (about 2” total length). The short ones won’t work because there are two cables on the battery. I then ran 2- 12 gauge wires to a 30 amp fuse holder. One supplies power to the sub, the other power to the radio and a couple of new cigarette lighter sockets that I’m putting in the front ashtray. I’m sick of losing power to my cell phone, GPS or laptop when the car is turned off.

·         The instructions for the radio adapter housing were not very good. This is the plastic device that you need to mount your new radio into the OEM radio dash hole. Here’s what it should look like when you have cut off the correct pieces.

·         Front door issues - If you have a 6 speaker system, one that has tweeters in the front door panels, I recommend that you get a component speaker set for the front. This will come with passive crossovers that you can mount inside the door panel. You will need a little creativity to mount the new tweeters. I don’t have pictures of my tweeter/crossover installation (sorry). I was in too much of a hurry. I’ll do my best to describe this part.

§  Remove the old tweeters. Cut the tweeter out of the plastic mount, leaving a hole.

§  I siliconed my new tweeter to the inboard side of the plastic mount. I had to drill a hole along the edge of old tweeter hole to get the wires through. I used several small washers between the plastic mount and the door panel screw holes so my new tweeter didn’t touch the speaker grill on the door panel.

§  The crossover was mounted to the inside the door panel. There is plenty of space for it to the rear, under the arm rest. I cut out some of the insulation and siliconed a piece of ½” plywood to the door panel. I then used a large piece of Velcro to fasten the crossover to the plywood. I put the plywood in because the door panel didn’t provide a flat enough area for mounting. You can use screw instead of the Velcro if you wish. I used Velcro so that removal would be easier. My crossovers had a unique cover that would be tough to remove if the base were screwed down. I could have left the cover off, but the compulsive part of me wouldn’t permit it.

·         The woofers in these component speaker kits won’t have a tweeter cone. This is good because tweeter cones may protrude too far and require the cutting of the door panel and use of the grills. This is not desirable if you want to keep the factory look. There isn’t much clearance between the speaker and the panel. I think you’ll be happier with something like what I used, the Polk DB5250.

·         I put Polk DB690 5x7’s in the back. Some home installers are using 3M “Mounting Tape”, part number 110 to hold the rear speakers in. They like this method because you don’t have to drill. I’m not sure that this is a good idea however. If you get in a serious accident, those things could become deadly missiles. On the other hand, the rear deck upholstery panel might keep them contained. If you decide to drill, get a General brand 90 degree drill accessory.

·         Misc. Pics.

o   Door panel removal

o   Wire amperage capacities

o   Scosche Connector Pin Removal

o   Firewall pass through

o   GM03RB Connector

o   GM03B Connector

 

·         The OEM front left speaker was moved to behind the rear seat back to provide my chime that will come from the relocated OEM radio. After installing the seats, the chime is very muted. I decided at the end of the project to run a two-pair wire from this speaker to the front ashtray. I spliced this wire into one of the speaker wires and will install a small switch in the ashtray. This will allow me to disable the chime when I want the radio playing with the doors open.

·         Removing the front carpet retainers (plastic door sill) - Start at the rear and use a upholstery removal tool and pry the fasteners out of their holes. When you have them loose, pull down on the front vertical part and it will slide out. It releases with a fair amount of difficulty. If you wish to remove the door pillar trim, first remove the rear carpet retainer. Reinstall door pillar trim, rear carpet retainer, then front carpet retainer.

·         The Scosche connectors were purchased from audiooutfitter.com. Price was very good.

·         Getting the trim off from around the OEM radio was a bit tricky. I took a couple of pictures of this item after removal and you’ll find them in the compressed file mentioned at the end of this document. This should give you a good idea of what you’re working with. You basically have to pry the trim panel out. Start by opening the glove compartment and pry it with a screwdriver.

·         The antenna adapter supplied by Crutchfield stuck out too far and was hitting the air plenum in the dash cavity. There is precious little room in this area for an aftermarket radio, but it can be done. However, it was impossible to install the radio with this extra inch or two of antenna adapter sticking out. I had to use my dremel tool to cut away the 90 degree metal strain relief. After removal I put JB Weld on the connector to act as a strain relief.


Infinity BassLink Subwoofer Wiring Information

An AMP Mate-n-Lock 3-position connector is installed on wires 4, 5 and 6 with a corresponding connector on the wiring.

I installed blind nuts on the spare tire cover and fastened the sub to a ¾” piece of plywood. I put together a couple of thumb screws and use them to hold the plywood to the blind nuts. This allows easy removal of the sub if I want the luggage space. It’s a little wobbly, but secure. I’ll see how it will work out and design something else if necessary.    Sometime Later… this is going to be fine. Pictures of it can be found in the compressed file mentioned at the end of this document.

#

Subwoofer Terminals

Cable Source/Type

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

1

RCA Jack, Front right

cablesforless.com, 12 Foot Stereo Python Cable, $6.99

From trunk, under rear seat, down center of vehicle, along the right side of hump.

Radio subwoofer out connectors

2

RCA Jack, Front left

As above

As above

As above

3

Remote Gain Control, RJ11 port.

Factory supplied, 4 wire modular phone cable, black, RJ11 connectors, crossed configuration.

As above

Remote gain potentiometer located in front ashtray

4

Ground

Belden 8918, green/yellow

As above, but only to grounding point

Ground point behind rear seatback

5

Rem

Belden 8918, blue

From trunk, under rear seat, down center of vehicle, along the right side of hump.

Radio, External Amplifier Control Power Lead

6

Battery, 20 amp

Belden 9912, black

Wiring duct along right side of car and through firewall pass through.

Connects to aftermarket Buss 30 amp fuse in engine compartment


Panasonic CQ-C8803U Head Unit

1AMP Mate-n-Lock 3-position connector is installed on wires 1, 2 and 3 with a corresponding connector on the wiring.

2 AMP Mate-n-Lock 2-position connector is installed on wires 4 and 5 with a corresponding connector on the wiring.

3 AMP Mate-n-Lock 8-position connector is installed on wires 6-13 with a corresponding connector on the wiring.

4 The power window circuit is part of the Cadillac “Retained Accessory Power” (RAP) feature. By using this circuit for the Acc/Ign power (red) on the new radio, I will benefit from the delayed (10 minute) power off on this circuit. The power will turn off after 10 minutes or when a door is opened, whichever is first. This circuit is on a 12 AWG orange wire and can be found throughout the car. I tapped into it inside the right wire duct because I was in there anyway. You may find it easier to connect to it inside the right or left front kick panels.

 

#

Radio Connectors/Wires

Cable Source/Type

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

1

1Switched power, acc or ignition, red

1Common 18 AWG hookup wire, red. (Didn’t have red Belden)

Down from radio opening, across and under dashboard  to right kick panel and into right wire duct

4Power window circuit, orange wire, 12 AWG.

2

1Constant battery power, yellow

1Belden 8918, yellow

Down from radio to inline fuse

Spliced into the black Belden 9912 via a 15 amp inline fuse.

3

1Ground, black

1Belden 8918, green/yellow

Down from radio opening, across and under dashboard  to right kick panel

Fastened to factory ground screw.

4

2Power antenna, blue

2Not applicable

Local connection

Pin F3 on Scosche GM03B connector and then to the OEM radio harness

 

#

Radio Connectors/Wires

Cable Source/Type

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

5

2External Amplifier Control, blue/white

2Belden 8918, blue,

From radio opening, down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

Rem terminal on sub via AMP Mate-n-Lock connector

6

Front left speaker, +, white

Phillips speaker wire, clear, 16 AWG

Across and under dash to left door

Line in on Polk component crossover installed in door panel

7

Front left speaker, -, white/black

Same as above except clear with stripe

Same as above

Same as above

8

Front right speaker, +, gray

Same as item 6

Across and under dash to right door

Same as above

9

Front right speaker, -, gray/black

Same as above except clear with stripe

Same as above

Same as above

10

Rear left speaker, +, green

Same as item 6

From radio opening, down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

To + terminal on Rear right speaker

11

Rear left speaker, -, green/black

Same as above except clear with stripe

Same as above

To - terminal on Rear right speaker

12

Rear right speaker, +, violet

Same as item 6

Same as above

To + terminal on rear left speaker

13

Rear right speaker, -, violet/black

Same as above except clear with stripe

Same as above

To - terminal on rear left speaker

14

DC to DC converter bundle

Factory supplied with connector

Local

To DC converter box to the right of radio on dash frame

#

Radio Connectors/Wires

Cable Source/Type

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

15

Auxiliary in, RCA, right, red

Manufactured RCA extension cable

Down to ashtray

Male stereo plug will remain in ashtray

16

Auxiliary in, RCA, left, white

Manufactured RCA extension cable

Down to ashtray

Male stereo plug will remain in ashtray

17

Subwoofer out, RCA, right, red

Manufactured RCA extension cable, cablesforless.com, 12 Foot Stereo Python Cable, $6.99

From radio opening, down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

Sub, RCA Jack, Front right

18

Subwoofer out, RCA, left, white

Manufactured RCA extension cable, cablesforless.com, 12 Foot Stereo Python Cable, $6.99

From radio opening, down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

RCA Jack, Front left

19

Antenna, black

Coaxial with adapter

To factory harness

Antenna, keep as far away from RCA cables as possible to avoid signal cross over.

20

Preamp outputs

Not used

Not used

Not used

 


Factory Radio Harness

1Connections not shown under the “Harness Pin Number and wire color” column are not used by the GM radio harness.

All unused pins in the Scosche connectors were removed. I moved the green and green/black speaker pair to E and F6 for the data circuit. Here’s how to remove the pins.

2 I did not want a floating ground on the relocated OEM radio, so I ran the same ground from the radio harness to the radio. Reason: To reduce variables associated with the data line extension/relocation. If the chime function doesn’t work (it did), I’ll know it’s not likely due to unusual grounding.

#

1Harness Pin Number and wire color

Function

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

1

F1, orange

12 v power

Not used

Not used

2

F3, dark green

Antenna power relay

Local,  connects to Scosche GM03B, then a 2 position AMP Mate-n-Lock

Blue wire on radio

3

F4, orange/black

16 volt reference for dimming circuit

Not used

Not used

4

F5, black

Dimming circuit ground

Not used

Not Used

5

F6, purple

Data

Connects to GM03B pin F6, then out on a green/ black wire to a gray wire. The gray wire goes down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

Scosche GM03RB, pin F6, green/black wire and relocated OEM radio in spare tire cavity

6

F12, tan

Front left speaker, +

Not used

Not used

7

F13, gray

Front left speaker, -

Not used

Not used

 

#

1Harness Pin Number and wire color

Function

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

8

F14, light blue

Rear right speaker, -

Not used

Not used

9

F15, dark blue

Rear right speaker, +

Not used

Not used

10

E5, gray

Interior lamps, dimming

Not used

Not used

11

E6, purple

Data

Connects to GM03B pin E6, then out on a green wire to a white wire. The white wire goes down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

Scosche GM03RB, pin E6, green wire and relocated OEM radio in spare tire cavity

12

E7, light blue

Cell phone

Not used

Not used

13

E8, dark blue

Cell phone

Not used

Not used

14

E12, brown

Rear left speaker, +

Not used

Not used

15

E13, yellow

Rear left speaker, -

Not used

Not used

16

E14, dark green

Front right speaker, -

Not used

Not used

17

E15, light green

Front right speaker, +

Not used

Not used

18

E16, black

Ground2

Connects to GM03B pin E16, then out on a black wire to a green/yellow wire. The green/yellow wire goes down to hump then along the right side of hump, under rear seat, to trunk

Scosche GM03RB, pin E16, black wire and relocated OEM radio in spare tire cavity

 


OEM Delco Radio, relocated to spare tire cavity in trunk

I relocated the radio to the trunk for a couple of reasons. a). I wanted to retain the chime function. To me, it’s not just an annoying sound. It’s the way the car gets my attention when something requires it. b). some Cadillac owners who installed new head units AND removed the OEM radios were having problems with their security systems and remote entry key fobs (cars were going into a special low power mode and shutting down everything). I didn’t want to take any chances considering the scope of this project. The computer in Cadillacs communicates with the radio. All chimes are generated by the radio on command of the computer.  The data lines on E and F6 communicate to the radio, “Please send this kind of chime” and the radio responds by sending the chime to the Front left speaker. My particular year may not have the level of integration of later years and I might have been OK by just removing the radio. An interesting point that I will mention: the IRC codes that get set are related to the radio communications system. Some folks got IRC codes set when they removed their radio. I did not get codes which sort of reinforces the thought that my model year is not as integrated.

#

Radio Pin numbers

Function

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

1

F1

Power

Yellow 18 AWG wire goes around left side of trunk to fuse panel on the left, behind the rear seat back

I spliced it into the orange radio fuse wire that comes off the 10 amp radio fuse.

2

F6

Data

Connects to GM03RB pin F6, then out on a green/ black wire to a gray wire. The gray wire goes around left side of trunk, to the front center of the trunk , then under rear seat, along the right side of hump, up into radio hole in dash

GM03B, pin F6 located in front dash

3

F12

Front left speaker, +

Connects to GM03RB pin F12, then out on a white wire around left side of trunk.

Positive terminal on one of the old front door speakers that I mounted behind the rear seat back.

4

F13

Front left speaker, -

Connects to GM03RB pin F13, then out on a white/black wire around left side of trunk.

Negative terminal on one of the old front door speakers that I mounted behind the rear seat back.

 

 

 

 

 

#

Radio Pin numbers

Function

Routing Path

Destination

 

 

 

 

 

5

E6

Data

Connects to GM03RB pin E6, then out on a green wire to a white wire. The white wire goes around left side of trunk , to the front center of the trunk ,  then under rear seat, along the right side of hump, up into radio hole in dash

GM03B, pin E6 located in front dash

6

E16

Ground

Connects to GM03RB pin E16, then out on a black wire to a green/yellow wire. The green/yellow wire goes around left side of trunk , to the front center of the trunk ,  then under rear seat, along the right side of hump, up into radio hole in dash

E16 on radio harness in front dash

 


Following provided by http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

 

Load Carrying Capacities

 

The following chart is a guideline of ampacity or copper wire current carrying capacity following the Handbook of Electronic Tables and Formulas for American Wire Gauge. As you might guess, the rated ampacities are just a rule of thumb. In careful engineering the insulation temperature limit, thickness, thermal conductivity, and air convection and temperature should all be taken into account. The Maximum Amps for Power Transmission uses the 700 circular mils per amp rule, which is very very conservative. The Maximum Amps for Chassis Wiring is also a conservative rating, but is meant for wiring in air, and not in a bundle. For short lengths of wire, such as is used in battery packs you should trade off the resistance and load with size, weight, and flexibility.

 

 

 

Removing pins from the Scosche connectors:

o   This doesn’t require a lot of force. Use a gently sustained push on the correct spot while pulling the wire out. You’ll need to remove the gray plastic retainers from the GM03RB connector before you can remove the pins.

 

 


Cadillac Door Panel Removal

 

1.       Remove the plastic covers from the door pull handle. Pry from the outside edges (front and rear).

 

2.       Remove the plastic panel from behind the handle used to open the door.  Pry the rear side out gently.

 

 


3.       Remove the #1 Philips screws from the pull handle.

 

4.       We’re going to remove the panel containing the door lock switch. Wiggle the panel around a bit until it comes off the door handle. Remove the connector shown below. This connector provides power to the illumination lamp above the door lock switch.

 

 

 


5.       Release the clip on the door lock switch and remove.

 

 

6.       Use an upholstery removal tool and release the triangle shaped piece of plastic that covers the mirror bolts.

 

 

7.       Wiggle the door panel upward until the “legs” disengage from the door. Lean the top in, put the bottom legs back into their holes and start removing the connectors. Remove the following.

 

·         Tweeter connector

·         White courtesy light connector

·         Depress the metal clips on the seat switch panel and pull up. Then disconnect everything there.

·         Remove the door panel completely and store


Firewall Pass Through

 

 

A too short battery power tap. You’ll need one about 2” long. Try your local stereo installation shop.

 

This is the one you need.


Chime speaker

 

Here are all the pictures I took in a compressed file. It’s 88 meg.