Chevrolet Impala Audio

gregrowe17

the car that i speak of in post # 275 is my new monte carlo SS. they have the exact same radios and speakers,from what i've been told. i replaced the door components last week. do the impalas not have a tweeter in the door as well as a woofer?? that might explain why impala owners are not so satisfied with the radio. about the speakers, the 6 3/4 did NOT fit in my car, i used polk audio 6.5" components and they fit almost perfect, no modiifications needed though. as i suggested in my last post coaxials are a bad idea no matter how you look at it ( i assume the pioneers you were talking about were coaxials?). just curious as to exactly what the speaker setup is in the impalas, could you please fill me in? thanks

gdo123

I've seen a couple posts, some people use stranded
18 or 20 guage wire. Others use single strand
higher gauge. Does anyone have a feel for what
would be the best gauge and or stranded vrs non
stranded wire. I'm gonna do this, but I have to
make a trip to Radio Shack first to get my wire.

this_is_nascar

I have the same question about the guage of wire. It sure looks like you need pretty narrow wire to get into the holes. Would single-stranded, solid telephone wire be OK to use?

duraflex

Like the Nike ad says "Just do it!"

People who have done the bypass have used various thicknesses and types of wires. All you need are 8 short strands stripped at both ends to be inserted into the C1 plug.

The wire will cost about $3 max at a Radio Shack or Pep Boys auto store - much less than replacement speakers or a new trunk amp.

Unsure? Buy 3 feet each of various thicknesses at an electrical supply store or home supply store.

I used wire I already had around the house - stranded, probably 20 gauge. It's been in place since 6/10, sounding good with no problems to date.

Others have used thicker,(lower #) solid wire with good results. If you try something and it doesn't work, try something else.

This isn't rocket science.

dankennedy

I have also done the amp bypass and am very pleased with the sound quality. However I do believe that a premium sound system should be just that. Please add me to your list that you will be sending to GM

gregrowe17

i have a question about the wiring of the system. i tried the bypass on my monte carlo SS but it didnt quite turn out like i had hoped because of my previous speaker upgrades. my next step is to replace the stock amp with a rockford fosgate punch 400a4 4-channel amplifier. i will have the amp kit installed professionaly (power, ground, and remote wire), but i will be doing the speaker inputs and mounting the amp myself. my question is: does anyone know exactly what wires are which so that i can properly set up the amp? i don't think they are labeled and i need to know this. i plan on using 2 low level convertors and then have the rca's go into the amp. this should sound great but if you could give me a wiring chart, maybe color coded, it would help a great deal. thanks

duraflex

You sure are doing this the hard and expensive way but to each his own:

jmahler deciphered the wiring diagram about a month ago.

Jump to his original post # 176. Print it out for easy reference.

Another owner kindly posted the schematic on his webpage:

http://members.theglobe.com/reimanjw/

Frankly, I could not figure it out. It had terminology I've never seen before as well as some typos.

Good Luck !

00impala

I did the Bypass a while ago, since then the small wires would come loose, after a few times of getting them to stay in the plug, I completely re-did it with same guage wire thinking if I shortened the legnth I could then tape them together to hold them in place, now when I do it, it is touch and go, I get it to work then when I put a little tape to hold them together I get the crackling sounds, must be a wild strand of wire from being smushed into the hole touching the next wire, I read that I should soldier the tips to get them to stay in place, How does everyone get the wires to stay put in the holes? I am back to having the AMP pluged in out of frustration of getting in and out of the trunk to try it out..and HATE IT!!! When I do the bypass it will work fine and I really like the bypass but I can't seem to get it work right, that is all the wires in place and taped up and out of the way. any simple tips, wire guage, legnths, do you use thinner wire and strip a little more off then fold it in half and twist it to make it thicker or what? or use the thickest wire that will fit in the top holes? I try to get all of the wire inside the hole so the insulation is touching the face of the plug, but they creep out and fall out or contact the one beside it to cause the crackling noise... How does it stay in there BEST?? HELP!!! I know it is very simple but I'f I knew what the general concensus was as far as a worry free By-Pass I would do the same! Going on VACATION in 3 wks and gotta have it done securly and properly by then for the 600 mile journey to the BEACH!! Thanks Don

duraflex

That drawing will take a long time to load from the net.

After looking at it again and comparing it to mahler's solution, I think the drawing (chart)is WRONG.
I recall it stumped me the first time around.
Maybe it was an early edition drawing that was later revised.

Fact is, at least 16 of us have followed mahler's numbers and they work.

duraflex

Ouch - that's frustrating. I wish somebody would find a 24 pin mating plug.

You hit on my solution. Relatively thin wire, stripped and folded on the ends and squshed into the same holes that would plug into the amp.

My wires are short and the picture was posted earlier. I did not use any tape.

Hey - I always said this was an imperfect solution. The least GM could do is send us all a pre-wired mating bypass plug.

You could always go back to using that trunk amp full time - just kidding Don.

00impala

I'm working overtime to get it secure and scratching my head at the same! I know the results so it is frustrating to a point, But what a reward! I am 6'5" and can now perform a contortionist act! Ha ha... No, Losts of room in the trunk, just when I get out to try it and it crackles I know something is wrong and I have to get in there again! Uhhhh... So I just plugged it back in and can't stand it! Don

duraflex

I'm 5'11" and I hate crawling in that trunk.

I went in through the back seat but working on ANYTHING overhead is a pain to me.

hunter39

Heres the solution my father in law and I worked out: we had thin gauged wire and they would fall out if just placed in the slots by themselves. Rather than go get heavier gauge wire we just added some solder to the tips and made them thicker, though they still wouldn't stay in place. the solution to that was to put a cable tie around the whole plug, wires and all and pull it tight to hold the wires into the plug, this did the trick and it has since not moved at all, sound quality is still right up there and I'm amazed at how low I keep the volume and still can hear the music. Of course the 24 pin plug would be the best fix but mine is holding together well with cable tie.

PS I got the crackling sound too when I first turned on the stereo, it was from loose connections, thus the cable tie.

molloni

I too did the amp bypass on my Monte Carlo. I didn't use thin wire; I used thicker, multi strand wire and threaded it into the larger holes (not the really small ones). I tried it over a week ago, and then I properly tinned the wire ends to keep stray strands from crossing over channels. I installed the tinned wires when I got back from a trip to Vermont, and they have been working fine since last week. I cannot believe the amount of bass. Both my John Mellencamp and Fiona Apple CDs sound like they should. And Crystal Method sounds way better!

Duraflex, I'm sending you an e-mail with my e-mail address (I think you can proably click on my name and get my e-mail too, but no big deal). You can count me in!

miric

I completed my installation of Infinity speakers for both the front and rear.I also did the amp bypass earlier. The difference in sound quality
is beyond compare. The amp bypass is confusing
to many posters adn it shouldn't be. There are a couple of ways to do this. The initial solution
was inserting jumpers into the connectors. This will work for awhile until vibration or a poor connection causes problems. I posted earlier about another solution of using type 557 3M Scotchlok connectors which work fine. Another solution is to cut the wires one pair at a time,
slip heat shrink tubing over one wire, twist wires together end to end, and solder. After soldering together slip heat shrink over wires and use a heat source, lighter, etc, to shrink tubing over the connection. I did this for a friend, cut the remaining wires and used heat
shrink to protect the ends, then tie wrapped the bundle next to the amp. If you do this just leave
enough wire from the connector to resolder if GM
has an actual solution to a problem they do not recognize, and then you can reconnect the amp that doesn't work. The remaining wires that are not used for the bypass are power and a switched
antenna lead which I can't find in the manual !!
As long as the power lead is isolated from the body, which would result in a short, there should be no problem with this solution. The choice is up to you, either jumper the connector,
use a pigtail connector, or cut and solder. The solder solution is time consuming, but still should not take over an hour. I have a factory manual, and if anyone wants additional wiring diagrams, I can scan them and email them. Just dont ask for the whole thing, after al its 1500 pages.

buyingimpala

I'll be picking up my silver Impala on Thursday and the first thing I'm gonna do when I get it into the garage is the bypass. My wife and I are making a long road trip this weekend (in the vicinity of 800 miles) and from the sounds of it, I won't be able to live without the "upgrade".

So, count me in for the list being sent to Chevy. I'm already convinced that I'll be quite happy about the adjustment.

smithy_101

For those of you running wire in the car. Do not use solid wire. Solid wire has a tendoncy to get breaks in the wire and will eventually result in speakers working intermittenly or scratching noise. Multi-Strand wire gets around this because it bends much better and if one strand breaks, there are many more there to cary the signal...
As for those of you looking to change speakers...
Go to my web site,, I have many pictures of My Impala taken apart. You can clearly see the speaker locations there... Give ya a good idea if what you will see when you upgrade...

http://www.myloudcar.com

P.S.
If you can not stand to see a brand new car sitting in peices,,, Don't go there..

molloni

sorry, got you two confused and sent my e-mail to both (not that it bothers me), but humahuma, you can count me in on the "petition"...

2k_impala_ls

I had to replace a switch on a circular saw my father gave me. the wires pushed into the switch and they were braded. the interesting thing was that the stripped part of the wire had a coating of solder in it which made it act like solid wire but the rest had the flexibility of stranded. I may try it for the bypass.

2k_impala_ls

HAS ANYONE THOUGHT OF RELEASING THE WIRES FROM THE SOCKET AND THEN PLACING THEM TOGETHER. YOU COULD RELEASE ONE SIDE THEN PLACE THE WIRES WHERE THEY BELONG, LIKE A PLUG-IN. I HAVE RELEASED OTHER WIRES BY PLACING A PIN DOWN INSIDE THE SOCKET TO RELEASE THE CRIMPED PIN FROM THE HOLDER. I WILL GIVE IT A TRY AND LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES.

indydan

Sorry for taking so long to report back, but the connector I ordered from Mouser will not work..it is much too small. It was hard to tell for sure, so I am out about 5 bucks, counting the shipping.
I still haven't given up my search, though!
In the meantime, I think what I will end up doing is soldering each end of the wires to small pins that can be inserted into each of the holes. That should keep things secure until something better can be found.

Dann

duraflex

Thabks for the info on the Mouser plug.
I was waiting to hear from you before I ordered one.

indydan

No problem, sir. I am still looking..here has got to be something out there that you don't need to order a million of at one time. I've been to the Molex site, but navigating around there is a real treat. I think I will go speaker shopping one night this week to find some better 6 X 9's for the rear deck. I'll be bock!!!

Dan

buyingimpala

All-

Got my new LS on Wednesday and I'm loving it. The stereo doesn't sound as bad as on some of the ones I'd test-driven. Maybe I'm just blocking out the poor quality since it's mine, now. I'll check on the model # of the amp and post it here. Maybe they fixed the problem on later-built cars. I will say, however, that the sound is still not GREAT, though. And I'm gonna try the bypass anyway, if for no other reason than to listen to the difference. I'll keep you posted.

cookie00

I had my brother look over the instructions for the bypass and look over the amp. He thinks I'm nuts and that the sound is just fine (but he's like.... 45, so what does he know????)
But he said he'd do it for me! He wants to get the right type of wire, then hopefully I'll shoot up there and have him do the deed. Hopefully by August, I'll be a bypass fan as well.

Wish me luck!

Cookie.

00impala

The schematic and the "Instructions" will just tend to confuse and Scare some people, It is easy as can be...And the results are Great! I rented a 2K Base Monte Carlo with Cass and no Amp and the AMP Bypass Sound in my Impala is far better! Way Better!!! Needless to say the next time I rent a car it will be an Impala over a Monte Carlo, Too cushy with the Cloth Seats and soft shocks and lack of Headroom w/o Roof, I have more headroom in my LS w/Roof! Stop delaying that Musical Gratification and get in the Trunk Quick! Ha you don't know what you are missing..You will REALLY REALLY love your Impala then!! Makes it cool to drive when the low volume bass is there, Like a DJ talking, makes the station signal seem STRONGER!

Duraflex and others...I finally "Tinned" the Wire tips on my Byass jumper wires and it is secure now! Thanks for all the Tips! take care Don

cookie00

Joe (the brother) isn't afraid of the bypass, he just doesn't see (or hear) anything wrong with the stereo.. But I know there's a promised land... And I'm looking forward to it!

molloni

It doesn't take much for more head room, even with the sun roof; you just have to adjust the seat. I love mine, and the ride is awesome. I wish I could find someone with a new Impala because I wish I knew how they ride. But I digress...

I've noticed a vibrating sound coming from my left front speaker...I'm going to check the connections, but I don't think that's it. Anyone have any ideas? I haven't pushed the system to even come close to blowing it, so I don't think that's the problem...

duraflex

I don't remember you replacing your front speakers so on the assumption that you still have the stock speakers, here's some info.

Using the fade and balance controls, you can isolate the FL speaker and silence the other three to confirm that IT is the source of the vibration noise.

On the Impala, the front 6.75s are held in with some light glue and 4 torx screws. The 1"tweeters are glued in to the plastic speaker mounting frame.

If you go to this link

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/impala2000

and go to "photos" and look for duras impala, you will see what it looks like. (2nd pic)

Perhaps a retaining screw is loose. Or maybe you did blow a speaker. Although they sound okay withOUT the trunk amp, they are cheaply made.

Also, the Impala does not have speaker enclosures or any surrounds on the speakers. The audio catalog people CRUTCHFIELD offer such things and call them "waterproof foam baffles".

On the Monte, do you have to take the whole door
panel off to get to the front speakers?

Good Luck and please post your results.

smithy_101

Yes,,,
Looking in the Service book, they are both assembled the same way... Just a bunch of plastic pins holding the panel on...

gregrowe17

the door panels on the Monte Carlos are held on by plastic pins AS WELL AS 4 screws. 3 of them are around the door opener, one is up by the dash close to the window. just be careful because 2 of the screws are star shaped, i guess chevy didnt want us messing w/ our sound systems or doors. also, the tweeters are screwed in from behind, not glued. the screw goes directly into the magnet of the tweeter, so don't try to pry it off. hope this helps

molloni

I was playing around with the balance and fader, and it is the front left speaker. What is strange is that the vibrations only seem to happen when I'm listening to certain radio stations (all the one's I listen to play the same basic format, so I don't think that's the problem). Over a long trip this weekend, I did go through several CDs and a few radio stations. I'm having a hard time identifying what is causing the buzz/rattle. I'll work it out...I have another trip coming this weekend and I do some more checking. I just love driving my Monte! I can't believe you have to practically take the door apart to get at the speakers.

duraflex

It's so simple to get at the FRONT speakers of the IMPALA - just prying off the grill over the each speaker. Are you saying you have to take the whole door panel off the Monte?

Does the vibration occur at certain frequencies - like just certain high or low sounds? If so, my guess would be that you might have blown either the large or small speaker on that left side. If the vibrations are on random frequencies, it could be just about anything.

If you can't find the cause, the simplest solution might be to undo the bypass and take the car back to the dealer - probably for a replacement speaker.

Incidentally, do the Montes make engine cradle noises like we're writing about on Impala VII?

duraflex

It's so simple to get at the FRONT speakers of the IMPALA - just prying off the grill over each speaker. Are you saying you have to take the whole door panel off the Monte?

Does the vibration occur at certain frequencies - like just certain high or low sounds? If so, my guess would be that you might have blown either the large or small speaker on that left side. If the vibrations are on random frequencies, it could be just about anything.

If you can't find the cause, the simplest solution might be to undo the bypass and take the car back to the dealer - probably for a replacement speaker.

Incidentally, do the Montes make engine cradle noises like we're writing about on Impala VII?

molloni

I'm not sure what it takes to get the speaker off. I was just commenting on the other two posts. They made it sound like it was difficult to get the speaker out.
The vibration is only every now and then, and it's really hard to detect; the noise kinda blends in. I don't think I blew the speaker...I never listened to anything too loud. I don't recall clipping the sound, and that would have been the first sign of trouble. I gotta play with it more.
As for the engine cradle, I've heard something on the Monte board about the Impalla, but I can't say that I hear any noises. Does the Impalla engine have two mounting points or one?

molloni

Sorry - Impala...one "l"...

duraflex

This chopper guy seems to have a handle on the cradle stuff:

www.townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=Sedans&f=0&t=3690&q=139

Read Post 139

duraflex

That link is not working for me but it's Impala VII post #139.

hondo822

I will be getting a new 2000 Impala Police car next month. Unfortunately it has the dull AM/FM radio installed. I'd like to replace it with an upgraded factory AM/FM CD combo. Here's the questions....After looking at the car removing and replacing the radio doesn't appear all that easy. Can someone tell me or direct me to a place where all the steps are listed? Secondly what will work for this car. Obvoiusly I can't cut wires and I need to know what GM radios are interchangeable with this car. Thanks in advance.

duraflex

You posted this question a few days ago on Impala VII. Several of us responded to you there - mine was post #135.

Seems to me, if you're ripping apart the dash, you're going to have to spring for the factory service manual - about $130.

duraflex

That didn't take you long. Glad you like it.

For me, that pre-bypass radio sound overshadowed the car's qualities for months from February to June. I'm glad we put our heads together and the patch was as cheap and easy as it turned out to be.

My wife noticed the big difference too and finally forgave me for fussing about and spending so much time on this site until we came up with the bypass. Now she hears what I was after.

Had it not been for the internet and this forum, it could and would not have happened.
I worked for a big computer company in the 1980s in the earlier days of "data communications" and I do NOT take any of this amazing technology for granted.

I will never forget Joe Mahler for figuring out the exact jumps. Thanks again Joe!

Incidentally, teo is another satisfied bypasser. He did his on 6/18 and let me know by e-mail.

There are probably others.

Enjoy!
duraflex

duraflex

It's almost 2 months since I did by trunk amp bypass and my wires have not jiggled loose - yet.

However, if I could substitute those 8 little jumper wires with a good plug, I'd feel better about it.

Thanks.
duraflex

buyingimpala

I agree with duraflex. There's got to be a mating connector to that plug out there somewhere. I'm an avionics engineer and work with connectors quite a lot. However, I haven't found one in the catalogs that I have here at work which will fit. We'll all just keep looking and agree to post any answers we get to this forum.

indydan

I'm still looking..I have been through several electronic parts catalogs and also a bunch of webs sites with no luck. Likewise, my jumper wires are holding up quite nicely until something better can be found. I am starting to wonder if this is a special-made deal for GM?

Dan

chevyrulz

I haven't climbed into the trunk of my Impala LS yet,( I just found this forum yesterday)but I'm going to tomorrow. I saw where someone had a post that ended with "now onto the antenna problem", I was just wondering if anybody had checked to see if the antenna connection on the plug had power to it.If it does, you could hook up an "antenna booster" like the type you can buy at auto zone or wal-mart. Does anyone know if the antenna lead has a connector at the rear of the car before it runs up to the radio unit? Or has this deal already been discussed and rejected?(I know a lot about cars, but not that much about the stereos.

duraflex

Good Luck with your amp bypass. You will notice a very big difference.

I never did attack the antenna problem but it continues to be a pain - especially on distant AM stations. The signal fades out or gets severe interference at the worst times - like in the middle of a big news story or a stock report.

This is most noticeable around power lines next to two lane roads - especially out in the country. My wife's Camry (also with window antenna) is not nearly as susceptible to the same problems on the same roads. Other posters have service manuals that detail the wiring.

The schematic on the main plug that someone sent me seemed NOT to match what the actual wiring in the car. I do know that the first generation of service manuals was replaced. Maybe that schematic was from an early edition.

duraflex

The schematic on the main plug that someone sent
me seemed NOT to match what the actual wiring in
the car turned out to be.

I do know that the first generation of service manuals was replaced. Maybe that schematic was from that early edition.

Sorry about that.

chevyrulz

Well, I tried...I had to fix the wife's a/c before I could do anything to MY car. Finally got down to the nittty-grittty...found some wire out in the shed,cut me up 10 piecesto solder up the ends...went back out to the shed to get my soldering gun, came back in, wife had thrown the dadburn wire pieces in the garbage! Cut some more,plugged up the gun, looked in the small parts drawer for the solder...wife used it for tie-wraps on garbage bags...went to Wal-Mart, bought another roll of solder. Got back home, son had cut all the wire up intoabout 1/2 inch long strips." I'm helping you, Daddy!" Back to Wal-Mart,get a roll of wire AND another roll of solder.(Starting to think ahead, now!)Remember the gun? I get back home,the wife has unplugged it and put it up somewhere,then walked across the street to her parent's house.Can't find the gun, so I go out to the tool shed to get the propane torch.Wife comes in, tells me she put the gun in the freezer to cool it off.She has to leave for a little while,kisses me goodbye.(YEAH!) I finally get the wires done,copy down the schematic,(AFTER my daughter gets off the phone with the kid that lives 2 houses down!)gather everything up, go outside,NO CAR! Wife took it because MY trunk is not full of old stuff for goodwill(which she's been riding around with in hers for about six months).By the time she gets back, I'm too dadburn tired to work on it! SO,maybe I can do it during lunch at work one day.

duraflex

I smiled through reading your post all the way to the end.

You mentioned schematic - I found the schematic drawing worthless. The jumps I first tried based on the drawing did nothing.

However here's a copy of POST #176 from jmahler. He was an engineer for a big telephone company. Joe decoded the thing and these are the jumps we used.

He wrote:

"I have a copy of the Amp. Plug wiring diagram
and suggest you use these strappings for an
8-speaker system with amp.
Left spkr Right spkr
B1-to-B9 (LF-) A1-to-A9 (RF-)
B2 to B10 (LF+) A2 to A10 (RF+)
B3 to B11 (LR-) A3 to A11 (RR-)
B4 to B12 (LR+) A4 to A12 (RR+)

END QUOTE

chevyrulz

Thanks for going to all the trouble to look this back up,but the post with the connection jumps was what I was talking about. I had all of this written down, but guess what? IT GOT PUT UP! Now nobody has any idea where it's at. (And people wonder why women live longer than men!) Oh well, I have to go fix the bathroom sink,now. An " I dunno" broke the drain pipe off, and put it on the cabinet floor for me.( I guess they thought that an hour or so without anything to repair was just too much to bear.) Now if I can only find my channellocks! God bless & have a good night.