1998 Dodge Caravan Radio Wiring Diagram
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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
1997 Dodge Grand Caravan ES
First stereo installation ever.
I was given a working, stock CD/Cassette infinity stereo (model# p04704382AC). The connections looked simple enough: black harness to black socket, gray harness to gray socket, antenna plug to antenna socket. I thought that there should be a ground wire involved, but saw no wire. I tried it anyway, and received full sound in the driver front speaker but only barely audible sound in the passenger front and also barely audible sound in both rear speakers. If I moved the lever pointing to either rear speaker or the passenger front speaker, the driver speaker would cut off, and the others would perform as described above.
After I pulled the stereo out and dug around the back compartment, I found a gray woven strap, which looks like it should be fastened to a large screw on the back of the stereo. (I've not been able to confirm that online yet.) I also found an unattached black/green wire, which definitely looks like it belongs to the stereo. Both the strap and the wire were shoved down the sides in the back of the compartment. They look orphaned and need a good connective home. Any comments would be appreciated.
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Before attempting Infinity swap, I'd recommend thinking twice. It certainly a cheap way to have somewhat decent sound system, providing that speakers and amps are still in good condition; they're 15-19 years old by now and many aren't. My van had OEM Infinity from the factory, with head unit delete which allowed me to choose a much better one and for the first 10 years or so it was quite allright. Not hifi by any means, but good enough for background music and news. Amps are definitely on their way out by now and speakers aren't in great shape either.
A carefully chosen set of modern component speakers/drivers, with proper installation and a decent amp, along with adjusting the frequency response with measuring equipment does wonders and doesn't need to break the bank either. I'm not talking about subwoofers the size of washing machines here, just proper, good quality components in OEM locations and some tweaking. Even the rear 6x9" locations are perfect for "stealth" subs, using the body cavity as an enclosure with some damping material and, for example, Tangband W69-1042J drivers. 3rd gen minivans are a very good platform for subtle, great sounding budget hifi system and IMO there's little point in settling with the Infinity system. Unless it's dirt cheap and you don't mind mediocre sound quality, of course.
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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
hq, thanks for replying. We want to install the stock radio because this is now our 2nd van, used to transport the dogs to places for walks and/or their innumerable vet visits. We want to keep the cost low; the stock radio was a gift and the speakers/amps are already in place.
If anyone has any thoughts about the orphaned wire and cable--or anything else that might be causing the low volume in the problem speakers--we'd love to hear from you.
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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
Here is a pic of the 2 harnesses, the strap and the black/green wire:
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Discussion Starter · #6 ·
SOLVED--I re-attached the strap. The problem, however, was the loose wire that had no place in either the black or gray plug, so I twisted the bare tip around a metal prong on the back of the stereo, and full sound on all speakers.
Posted by: notifemo.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.chryslerminivan.net/threads/infinity-stereo-installation.106554/