Removing a headunit from a 5th gen - I need help!

This is a very simple thing to do. Here are the steps.

The plastic surround is held by clips. Carefully pry it out from the bottom, with a flat head screw driver wrapped in tape to prevent scratching. Once this is out, you will see a metal cage surrounding the radio, held by four phillips screws, two on each side. Removing this will allow you to separate the metal cage/radio unit away from the dash. Then unscrew the phillips screws on the side of the bracket that are screwed into the radio, undo the harness, and voila, the radio is out. (Man, how many times did i say screw in this paragraph!)

Neel

You need to get at the plastic trim that surrounds that entire area(square in shape), by carefully pulling the edges with a flathead screwdriver. Work lil by lil on each side and pull out slowly. Cover the end of the screwdriver with a piece of cloth to prevent scratching the plastic trim. Once you get this piece out, rest is pretty much self-explanatory, as there will be four screws holding the head unit to the dash, two on each side. pull it out and attach your new receiver. I don't know if Sony units plug right in to the factory harness(I doubt it), in which case you will need to get a adapter for easy install.

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kimchi cures cancer

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by vabeach_lude:
I checked the faq and couldnt find the correct removal of the headunit for a 5th gen. I have an aftermarket CD player but the shop in which I bought it from installed it since I am no where close to being an audiophile. My question is - what do I need to do to correctly (without breaking anything) get the cd reciever out? I am switching to a Sony reciever now.

Thanks.
Chris

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Is the plug on sony HU the same as the stock unit? I want to know because I am going to get a Sony MD player too.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Joon525:
No plug on any aftermarket HU is the same as any car. Must buy a wiring harness.

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thanks joon.

you dont have to use a screw driver from the front to pry the plastic piece out. if you wedge yourself back behind there(on the passenger side), you can reach your hand or a screw driver from the back and get to the pins this way(a flash light may help to see what you're looking at). This way there is NO chance of making any marks on the outside. I found this not that difficult and there is no way of snapping the pins off. Its also the same technique i used in getting the plastic off from around the cruise/dimmer/sunroof switches to install my JDM fog switch. from there its self explanatory (four screws and the unit is out). hope this helped

that's a sweet azz h-u.
what's the model number. i know sony has a few that look like that but i want the es series (like yours).

CDX-M610 is the model number.

It costs $400 but I got mine from a friend used. Mine is a little messed up (the left hinge that folds is way off its track and I have to "help" it) and I have the warranty so I will be sending it out and getting a brand new one. Its VERY VERY bright at night.

It has capabilities of adding MD, CD changers and TV's. It has a source button which makes it pretty easy to do. I am not in to audio but I really enjoy this headunit.

I will take pictures of it soon.

I worded that wrong. I spliced the old panasonic harness w/ the sony one. No I didnt cut any stock wiring.

nahh, there is room for your hand back behind the head unit piece. about the dimmer switch part you need a really really long flat-head screw driver to get to those pins from the back and you have to lie on your back.. it was kinda a pain but it was worth it not to break any pins or mess up the front of the dash.

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1997 Prelude SH
Eagle F1 tires
Iceman CAI,
cleared side markers
Cleared signals
JDM fogs
Clifford G4 alarm

my friend has that HU, it doesn't look good in pics. it looks really nice in person!!!

[This message has been edited by imagepree (edited April 02, 2001).]

when swapping the headunit do you need to do something with the ActiveFeedbackSystem amp?

Yeah, there were a couple plugs for amps I believe but I didn't hook those up. The headunit is great because it is ready for ANYTHING like a MD, changer, video, or dvd. Comes in french, english, or espanol, has a contrast feature to change the sharpness of the din. It flips down and then moves upwards. When you turn the car off and the face is down, the face will then fold back up.

I have heard that they skip a lot since it is a sony, but it hasnt skipped yet on mine and I go thru tons of potholes and bumps.