Anyone ever replace stock radio in '97 Honda Accord? (1 Viewer)

[Don_Houle]

I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience replacing their stock radio/CD player in their late model Accord?

I have a '97 Accord SE that came with the standard in-dash CD player/ radio combo. A friend of mine who owned a 97 Civic (the same radio and dash configuration) said that he had some problems when he tried to add an after market radio.

According to my friend, the radio was part of the built-in security system and removing it disabled the alarm and remote keyless entry. I can't confirm this since he doesn't own the car anymore.

Has anyone heard of this or had any experience with this type of thing? I'm looking to add a more powerful tuner with MP3 and CD capability, but I don't want to lose either of these two functions!

TIA

 

[Dave E H]

Hmm. never heard of that.

As an FYI though - theives LOVE stealing radios from Accords & Civics though. My experience has been with aftermarket head units - my girlfriend has had hers stolen THREE TIMES since she got it ('98). f*cking BS. For me, I'm NEVER going to buy an aftermarket after going through all the hassle with the car.

 

[Scott "E"]

Yes, it's true, but it's easy to get around, well kind of . Any local car audio shop should have a wiring harness that has 3 ends on it, one for the factory harness, one for the aftermarket radio and one for the factory radio. On this adapter you will have 3 wires going to the plug for the factory radio. They will be yellow (12V constant), red (12V ignition), and black (ground). You simply need to plug this in to the radio and then the task of stashing the factory radio begins . With most of the Accords there is enough room behind the dash to hide the factory radio, just make sure that there is enough length on the wires. You don't need to worry about the factory radio at all after that, it just needs those 3 wires and your keyless entry will still work.

 

[Aurel Savin]

my suggestion is to check www.crutchfield.com or call them at 888.955.6000
These guys have all the answers to all these type of car audio questions. They seem to know every car in an out.

 

[Romar Armas]

You can also ask us at www.torontoaccords.com
I have a 90 accord which I replaced the entire sound system on my own and never had any problems.
You can find a lot of answers regarding accords on that site.

 

[George Martin]

ok the 97 civic has a security system wired through the radio. however the 97 accord does not. To swap out the radio in the accord.

1. Remove items from the center console storage then remove rectangular cover from the bottom remove the two screws.
2. remove the cup holder just behind the shifter remove the three screws two on the bottom one on the upper right side
3. remvoe center console.
4.remove two screws on the rear of the black peice that shrouds the radio then remove the hidden screw behind the ashtry.
5. remove the shroud.
6. under the radio you will find two 8mm bolts remove them and the radio will come right out.

be fore you start this go to your nearest car audio dealer and get the following parts

metra- dash kit/ honda accord with pocket
metra- honda wiring harness

 

[Don_Houle]

So, Scott E, you're saying that the original radio actually needs to be hidden somewhere in the car for the remote keyless entry to still work? Wow! Who's great design was that!?

I called Crutchfield about this about a year ago when I first had thoughts of replacing the stock tuner/CD, and they didn't know anything about it. I was surprised because I'd always heard that they had excellent "tech" support! So, I kind of gave up on the idea for a while. I'd like to do the installation myself if it's not too difficult.

I just don't trust most of those "installers" - espcially the Circuit City, Best Buy kids. No offense if anyone works there, but my wife had a new radio installed in her car a while back and they did a bit of a hack job. Any suggestions for good installers in central New Jersey?

 

[Scott "E"]

ok the 97 civic has a security system wired through the radio. however the 97 accord does not.

It depends on the Accord, 90% of the EX's have the same setup as the Civic's. However, it's been a couple of years now since I got out of installing, so it might be the later year Accord's that this applies to. I could have sworn however that the Accord had this feature added a year after the Civic, with the first year for the Civic being '96. Only one way to find out I guess .

 

[Ted Lee]

i've had pretty good experience with both gg & cc when it came to car installs.

if you're concerned, just take it to them but ask to speak to the car-audio manager first - i think the install department usually has their own manager too. let him know how you felt about your wife's install...tell him what your expectations are for this install. of course, he'll say "no problem..." but at least you can corner him later if you're still unsatisfied.

fwiw, i've never heard of a car integrating it's audio components with it's alarm system. that seems counter-intuitive. i mean...what are they trying to accomplish there?

 

[Jason Wilcox]

hmm.....i remember there being a website that documented replacing the head unit in that model....

i'll look for it....i know you start by doing something in the center console....at the bottom of it....and then something under the cupholders....

 

[Scott "E"]

Wow! Who's great design was that!?

When replacing the factory radio it can be a pain, but putting in an alarm takes literally 20 minutes .

 

[Christ Reynolds]

I just don't trust most of those "installers" - espcially the Circuit City, Best Buy kids.

i know how you feel. the trouble is, i used to work at best buy with them. i may have been young, but i was completely trustworthy. i suppose it didnt hurt that i knew my shit. some of the kids i worked with on the other hand, did some shady things, and thats another post altogether. ok i've sounded like a know-it-all for long enough tonight. go red wings!

CJ

 

[Don_Houle]

Christ Reynolds stated:



Are you pretty positive about this?

Two more questions:

Now my front driver's-side speaker isn't working! I should probably just replace all 4 speakers anyway, but I'm wondering how difficult it is to remove the door panels to gain access to the front speakers. The Accord SE has electric windows, so does that make things easier or harder?

I've heard that a lot of aftermarket CD player installations tend to skip after a while. This is true with my wife's one year old CD player as well as a couple of friends' players. Does this depend on the installation or the quality of the unit, or both?

Thanks a lot! I've been looking for this information for a long time. I knew I could count on my fellow HTF members!

 

[Jason Wilcox]

i emailed you don

 

[Scott "E"]

not to sound like an elitist or anything, but to do a full alarm install, which includes hiding it so potential thieves cant get to it takes more time than that.

How many alarms have you done in Civic's with the keyless built into the radio? Did you know that all the wires for an alarm install (no remote start) are behind the radio, minus the siren wire? Did you know that you don't have to take any of the dash off to get the radio out of a Civic? Honestly, after doing Car Audio installs (including IASCA competition cars) for over 10 years, you pretty much know were everything thing is, and yes, I can, and have many times installed an alarm in a Civic in 20 minutes and it would take anyone not watching me install it more than 10 minutes to find the brain.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

however I'm pretty sure I remember at least one Accord that I worked on had part of the security system integrated in the radio and would not work correctly with an aftermarket

i think youre right about a few of those accords having some security features, but i was talking about the 'problem' with the keyless being in civics only. and you also have to do the trick with the green plug to get the domelight working if the factory radio is out. tying a jumper between the green/red and green/black wires, if my colors are correct.

CJ

 

[Scott "E"]

i didnt want you to think i was trying to one-up you last night, just trying to prove my point.

Not at all, Christ . I hope you didn't take my comments that way either.

 

[Don_Houle]

You guys are the best!

Scott, that PDF link you gave me is perfect! I appreciate all the help that everyone's given me on this.

Any comments on accessing the front speakers?