Hello,
I will make this as clear as I can. I just bought a 2003 eclipse GTS, and it has a stock infinity HU. Now I want to install my DUAL HU to use my IPOD on my stereo. While I was trying to do this the lazy way, i went to car toys and best buy to ask how much it would be to install my aftermarket deck. I got quote roughly 300 bucks at both locations. they had said that I need to by-pass my amp(located under passenger seat) in order to not blow my speakers with any new deck i buy because they all have built in amps.

Now I can install my own decks, have been doing it for years (granted they have all been pretty easy, just snip and crimp and they work)but i have never installed from factory to aftermarket, just aftermarket to aftermarket. I was also told i do not need an installation kit, because this years eclipse(or this year and on) just pops out the factory and i just "pop" in the new one and I need to buy a pocket for under my new deck.

So very long and boring story short. Do I need to actually by-pass my stock amp? And if so, is it as simple as I disconnect and re-splice? Much like installing a new deck with an older deck. and when I install said deck, do I need a pocket or an actual install kit?

Please, I have been trying to research for a couple of days and I am still very confused. I would rather do this my self, not to just save money but to learn so I don't get stuck in the same predicament later in life.

easiest way to go about it.

cut your old wires off from the backs of your speakers.

run new wires upto your dash.

make sure to buy 4 different color speaker wires for it.

order online or go to some stereo shops and ask for different color speaker wire.

you may have to go to a few different locations.

some might carry blue only, some might carry red only, and some might have green and purple.

connect the wires to your speakers then run them to your dash.

hook up your power, ground, and accessory wires then all your speaker wires.

turn your car on then your stereo and adjust your fade to the front right speaker.

turn your radio up.

make sure your front right speaker works.

continue in a circle until you are done checking speakers.

if you use this way you will not have to buy the special wiring harness set up for the infinity system.

you can hook it directly up to your deck wiring harness.

all you have to do is find your 2 power wires and your ground.

then turn your radio on and touch to find which ones run your radio right.

factory wires are difficult to figure out without a wiring schematic, but the thickest wire is usually your 12v direct power wire.

the ground is obvious, it won't arc if your car keys are turned to the on position.

accessory is the other wire that holds 12v but is a thin wire.

i hope that helps you, good luck and have fun man.

Simplest answer you'll get is from bobthecow. Email him directly and he'll tell you exactly what you need to do.

NOOOOO TOOO MUCH **** WORK SON.
METRA BYPASS CONNECTOR-SOUNDS FINE FCK IDIOTS-EASY FAST AND RCA CAPABILITY. BETTER IF U THROW A SUB/AMP ON.........ONLY THE INFINITY SOUND SYSTEM IS ABLE TO DO THIS OTHER THAN THAT U GET THE UGLY ADAPTER WITH LIKE 10 WIRES.

Yeah bullet... your way is definately the hard way.

Easy way is to get an adapter

you may be right, but i have never had to work with a infinity system myself. i have had to do an install on a mustang with a internal amp system. from my experience, the guy just said, screw it just do this as fast as you can."

so i ripped out all the plastics in his car, and cut the original speaker wires, 10 minutes.(its nice when you have a electric drill with all the screw driver tips and star tips you need to do a job right!)

hooked up new wires to speakers(flat slot female connectors), ran new wires inside dash, and replaced plastics, 20 minutes.

tossed in the radio harness, and hooked up the speaker wires (clamp type but t connectors) accordingly, 10 minutes.(it goes a lot faster when you know exactly which ones are which. i made sure to have different colors for each speaker, and labeled radio harness wires.)

hooked up the ground wire then turned the key on.

tested the wires with clench on alligator tips. (did it softly so they could be removed easily.)

checked for what way they needed to be connected to hold memory and turn on/off with the ignition, then connected with but t connectors, 5 minutes.

pushed radio in the dash, 5 seconds.

total time 45 minutes and 5 seconds. on a V6 2002 Ford Musting which i have never worked on before, with a system i have never dealt with before, in the parking lot of the 2/3 ACR Rattler Troop single soldiers barracks on Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Co.

now as for the whole amp in the dash goes, i think that any stereo upgrade system should be as the pro's do it. amp mounted to the back of the back seat, or under one of the front seats. (if theres room for one of course) maybe even a custom pedestal or little plastic case to show it off. it needs to be an adjustable amp, and none of those stupid looking none painted aluminum boxes that look like a electrical polished turd (.......LAME) i'm glad that some people are happy with their infinity systems. as for me, i'd rather do my own system than have some stereo system @$$hole decide what would be a good system for my car.

i'm not sure when they first introduced the infinity system in the eclipse. but i bet when they did i still had a better system than that crap. i have always had a system since i turned 17 back in 1998. i even put a system in my dads truck when i was only 15 that sounded better than the infinity system. i say rip the whole thing out and get a real system.

I don't like mounting on the back of a seat because the wires can get crimped easier, and I don't like under seats because they heat up too fast.

I prefer smaller amps to be mounted on the sides of the trunk/hatch and larger ones to be mounted either behind the subs, in front of the subs, or on the box itself.

only crappy amps pushing high watts heat up enough under a seat to cause problems. if your using it to push your sub woofers i'd say, "don't put with it under your seat." however, pushing your front and rear stock speakers, there shouldn't be a problem with a smaller amp.

as for mounting your large amp that pushes your sub woofers in a enclosure it is best to place it on a stationary place, so straight to the seat or under the back window sill is optimum.

if you have some way of stabilizing your enclosure in your trunk. then i would say mount it to the box, but if that box slides far enough and you don't have the proper length of wire, you may be looking at a live 12V wire and a ground wire ripping out and flopping around. in a area surrounded by carpet, not exactly my idea of a great mixture. i know you know that Nick.

you run into a similar problem with mounting it on the under side of the trunk/hatch. extra wires need so the trunk lid (maybe more so for a traditional trunk than a hatchback) may open and close freely. when shut wires can hang down and the box can pull on them if it slides. it can possibly rip the wires off again causing a fire hazard.(i have burnt through enough trunk carpets to know, trust me)

the only ways i would recommend mounting a amp in your trunk is on the seat back, upside down on the underside of the rear window sill, (for cars with traditional trunks, not hatchbacks) and to the enclosure if you built a frame to keep the enclosure from stationary in your trunk when you drive around. if you have a custom made enclosure, of course it will be stationary so that is not a problem, but as for the guys using the "universal enclosures". having longer speaker wire instead of a power, ground, remote, and RCA wires is just plain safe and more economical.

hey Nick do you know the formula for making vented boxes, or a site with the formulas. i want to make my own custom 5 turn folded horn vented box.

a universal box only has 2 walls meaning compression at the entrance (considered to be one turn) , then another turn, and the outlet.

i want to build one with a entrance port with 4 turns then a outlet . giving the sub capabilities for both punchy bass and deep long tone bass. good for rock and rap, a very hard thing to achieve.

the specs say for VAS (cu.ft.) is 4.146. i'm assuming thats the best setup for a sealed box, so what would be the measurements i need for a ported box? i don't know how a sealed box cubic feet translates into ported cubic feet. i know that the boxes are generally bigger, but how much bigger is the problem i find myself asking.

There is a program called bass box pro, go check it out,

cool man thank Nick

Thanks guys, very helpful. Just some more quick questions..

http://www.autotoys.com/x/product.php?productid=5448

Is this what I would need> I assume that I would just take out my amp, connect the two harnesses together, and run the wires up to my dash? Or am i looking at the wrong bypass? Or maybe a cheaper place that you guys know of.

Thanks again, I am very new to anything beyond simple installation.

not to be an **** but bullet are u a meth head man u talk alot on simple subjects.

No he just tries to explain things in as full detail as he can.

first of all, i like weed, not meth. for one i live in california, two i have serious problems with my shoulders thanks to the U.S. Army, and third i'm a stay at home father. so most pain killers due to my past abuse of weed i have to take so much to ease my pain i can barely function. so the doctors here suggested medical marijuana. i legally smoke pot, jealous much?

second, i prefer to anticipate second, third, and forth questions. instead of making a single topic take 12 posts to ask questions and give answers. it takes me maybe 2 of my own posts to answer most questions that would be related to the subject in question. that way it only takes someone maybe 2-3 days to figure out whats wrong.

i'm here to help people out, and i have been there when someone asks a question about something in particular, and another member would give a simplified answer to something that needed to be explained in detail.

i hated it when it happened to me, i hate it when other people do it, so i refuse to do it to others.

cough tweaker cough.

Not to popular among Washingtons Doc's, but we're getting there. Im jealous!
Dude if I tried to type that much Id be on the computer all the time except to use the toilet,but your posts are among the most helpful.Sorry Im off topic...

There's nothing wrong with your long posts Bullet. You can NEVER have enough detail.

why is this topic even still open the issue was resolver wasn't it?