bradnic here from r3v.. sorry I missed your post and this vid. GREAT job following the schematics. The 'twisted pairs' for speaker wires in the stock harness are only present on standard radio only car installs. age of the E30 doesn't matter. Cars with trunk amps absolutely came with premium sound from the factory. They don't have the twisted pairs to the radio as you found out. They *are* present though all the way to the trunk amp. Premium sound setups run the speakers from the amp, not from the radio.I always cringe when folks cut the factory radio / amp harnesses, because it's very difficult to source parts to restore them if you ever want to return things to stock. That said you did everything right for your setup - the conti is a great BT radio for these cars. The 8 blade connector you cut wires on is the old style fader connector for 2 channel radios, 84-87. BMW switched to a round pin fader connector after this. the fader looks cosmetically different too, with the blade fader having very fine lines on the fader knob, the round pin fader having wider spaced ridges. The 8 pin fader connector is present on every E30 i've inspected, even the 4 channel radios. this is is explained in that "Understanding E30 speaker and amp wiring" post I wrote to help folks out. The premium amp bypass is indeed a pain, and different for 2 and 4 channel setups. I tried sourcing parts for 2 and 4 channel amp bypass harnesses but it's just too expensive. To make the bypass docs that exist even better some detailed pics of each of the 4 wiring version would be great. I'll keep posting pics as I can (my 3 E30s have 3 of the 4 configs). Would be great if the community updated the thread with pics too.
The man the myth the legend! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and helping others out, me included! I have wanted to replace the HU in the old girl for so long but was always hesitant due to the amp in the trunk and all of the variations, etc. The car has been in my family for quite a long time and I even drove it through college! As you said and thinking about it...I should have just pulled the wires from the amp plug and removed the male pin ends and then spliced the wires together. That way I could go back to stock much easier and "cleaner" if I ever wanted to. But I doubt I ever will 😉 Thanks again!
@@alsaku33 some comments on your vid - finally had some time to review in detail @2:32 those are both positive, blue/black for rear, blue/red for front. same for the yellow pair. The 2 channel premium sound cars used a common brown/black ground wire between the radio and the amp. That wire was then grounded to the chassis. You can see all this in the 2 channel BMW Sound System schematics showing the "digital radio" and the "amplifier". There is no "speaker ground wire" going to the radio in this setup. @2:59 you have brown/black wires connected to the positive speaker wires so you've ended up reversing polarity on each of those speakers. if all four are reversed then you won't notice a lack of bass from phase shifted speakers. It would have been cleaner to just do the 2 channel amp bypass described in the "Understanding E30 speaker and amp wiring" thread. Here's what you could have done, under the rear seat, no need to cut the trunk harness and leaving all the speaker wires alone: speaker + to radio + - blue red to grey white (right front +) - yellow red to grey violet (left front +) - blue black to black white (right rear +) - yellow black to black violet (left rear +) speaker grounds to radio out ground - grey brown, black brown, grey violet, black violet from speakers can be tied together, then to a separate added speaker ground wire run to the radio chassis ground (keep separate from speaker ground) - thin brown black to brown
@@bnallc Got it. Now the under rear seat method is making more sense to me. I did read up on it but was too scared 😅 So is the common ground setup and how I performed the install going to be a problem? I also think I understand what you are saying about the fader wires. I didn't even think to look them up in the schematic as my understanding was it really didn't matter once I was performing the amp bypass (at the amp plug) since I am now dictating what the pairs will be (+/-)? Thank you!
Thank you I have been looking for a video on the radio setup for 87 bmw factory radio. I couldn't find any good wiring diagram online and nobody makes a conversion harness.
Thanks for this video. I'm wondering: did your head unit have Mic+ and Mic- terminals on the harness, and did you have to connect those to power/ground somehow? The unit I ordered today looks like it has mic wiring on the harness, but I'm not sure.
Mic should just plug into a single aux. looking port. on the back of the new HU using a little adapter harness. The wiring you are seeing is probably the little harness for "steering wheel controls" which doesn't apply to the old girl e30 😅
Great video. A previous owner installed an aftermarket HU and I've been wondering if they bypassed the factory amp correctly like you did because the stock speakers don't sound good at all. No bass response at all. I have a late model "iS" with premium sound.
@@laidback93 🤣I feel ya. Use this thread below. It is better than the "original" 38 page thread. www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/e30-technical-forums/car-audio-electronics/387356-understanding-e30-speaker-and-amp-wiring Do/did you have a fader in the dash? What year is your e30?
@@laidback93 Dude...I just posted to the thread because I think I made a mistake 😂...but you should be able to follow the "4 channel Premium Sound" write up to verify what the previous owner did or didn't do 😅
The radio will turn on with the key in the 1 position, and obv while running. It’s a wired in function. Look in the video, you will have 12v ignition wire, and 12v constant wire. Hope this helps.
@@alsaku33 mine is plugged in with iso connectors. And i can turn it om when the car is on. But it wont auto turn on with the car. My previous radio was plugged in the same way and it worked
@@flex_gore8537 I think you have your 12v ignition wire hooked up improperly. What year? Premium sound system or not? Look in the video description for the two forum threads I used. Read them, they will help. Good luck! 👍🏼
@@alsaku33 My 1988 had the Red/Green as dimmer and Grey/Red as constant. I've heard there are a couple variations floating around out there. This video was a HUGE help!
bradnic here from r3v.. sorry I missed your post and this vid. GREAT job following the schematics.
The 'twisted pairs' for speaker wires in the stock harness are only present on standard radio only car installs. age of the E30 doesn't matter.
Cars with trunk amps absolutely came with premium sound from the factory. They don't have the twisted pairs to the radio as you found out. They *are* present though all the way to the trunk amp.
Premium sound setups run the speakers from the amp, not from the radio.I always cringe when folks cut the factory radio / amp harnesses, because it's very difficult to source parts to restore them if you ever want to return things to stock. That said you did everything right for your setup - the conti is a great BT radio for these cars.
The 8 blade connector you cut wires on is the old style fader connector for 2 channel radios, 84-87. BMW switched to a round pin fader connector after this. the fader looks cosmetically different too, with the blade fader having very fine lines on the fader knob, the round pin fader having wider spaced ridges. The 8 pin fader connector is present on every E30 i've inspected, even the 4 channel radios. this is is explained in that "Understanding E30 speaker and amp wiring" post I wrote to help folks out.
The premium amp bypass is indeed a pain, and different for 2 and 4 channel setups. I tried sourcing parts for 2 and 4 channel amp bypass harnesses but it's just too expensive. To make the bypass docs that exist even better some detailed pics of each of the 4 wiring version would be great. I'll keep posting pics as I can (my 3 E30s have 3 of the 4 configs). Would be great if the community updated the thread with pics too.
The man the myth the legend! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and helping others out, me included! I have wanted to replace the HU in the old girl for so long but was always hesitant due to the amp in the trunk and all of the variations, etc. The car has been in my family for quite a long time and I even drove it through college!
As you said and thinking about it...I should have just pulled the wires from the amp plug and removed the male pin ends and then spliced the wires together. That way I could go back to stock much easier and "cleaner" if I ever wanted to. But I doubt I ever will 😉
Thanks again!
@@alsaku33 some comments on your vid - finally had some time to review in detail
@2:32 those are both positive, blue/black for rear, blue/red for front. same for the yellow pair.
The 2 channel premium sound cars used a common brown/black ground wire between the radio and the amp. That wire was then grounded to the chassis. You can see all this in the 2 channel BMW Sound System schematics showing the "digital radio" and the "amplifier". There is no "speaker ground wire" going to the radio in this setup.
@2:59 you have brown/black wires connected to the positive speaker wires so you've ended up reversing polarity on each of those speakers. if all four are reversed then you won't notice a lack of bass from phase shifted speakers.
It would have been cleaner to just do the 2 channel amp bypass described in the "Understanding E30 speaker and amp wiring" thread. Here's what you could have done, under the rear seat, no need to cut the trunk harness and leaving all the speaker wires alone:
speaker + to radio +
- blue red to grey white (right front +)
- yellow red to grey violet (left front +)
- blue black to black white (right rear +)
- yellow black to black violet (left rear +)
speaker grounds to radio out ground
- grey brown, black brown, grey violet, black violet from speakers can be tied together, then to a separate added speaker ground wire run to the radio
chassis ground (keep separate from speaker ground)
- thin brown black to brown
@@bnallc Got it. Now the under rear seat method is making more sense to me. I did read up on it but was too scared 😅
So is the common ground setup and how I performed the install going to be a problem?
I also think I understand what you are saying about the fader wires. I didn't even think to look them up in the schematic as my understanding was it really didn't matter once I was performing the amp bypass (at the amp plug) since I am now dictating what the pairs will be (+/-)?
Thank you!
Thank you I have been looking for a video on the radio setup for 87 bmw factory radio. I couldn't find any good wiring diagram online and nobody makes a conversion harness.
Thanks for this video. I'm wondering: did your head unit have Mic+ and Mic- terminals on the harness, and did you have to connect those to power/ground somehow? The unit I ordered today looks like it has mic wiring on the harness, but I'm not sure.
Mic should just plug into a single aux. looking port. on the back of the new HU using a little adapter harness. The wiring you are seeing is probably the little harness for "steering wheel controls" which doesn't apply to the old girl e30 😅
Great video. A previous owner installed an aftermarket HU and I've been wondering if they bypassed the factory amp correctly like you did because the stock speakers don't sound good at all. No bass response at all. I have a late model "iS" with premium sound.
Your setup will be different. You will have "twisted pairs" unlike mine.
@@alsaku33 Gotcha, thanks for the info. I haven't dug into it yet as I get anxious every time I look at the write up on R3V.
@@laidback93 🤣I feel ya. Use this thread below. It is better than the "original" 38 page thread.
www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/e30-technical-forums/car-audio-electronics/387356-understanding-e30-speaker-and-amp-wiring
Do/did you have a fader in the dash? What year is your e30?
@@alsaku33 perfect timing. I’m on page 2 of the 38 page thread lol. I have a 90 325is with no fader.
@@laidback93 Dude...I just posted to the thread because I think I made a mistake 😂...but you should be able to follow the "4 channel Premium Sound" write up to verify what the previous owner did or didn't do 😅
So my amp isn't actually functioning. If I install a new stereo, will I have to be sure the amp is functioning?
Nope. There is no need to re-use the old amp. Thanks for watching.
does yours tun on with the car? is it a settings option or wire in?
The radio will turn on with the key in the 1 position, and obv while running. It’s a wired in function. Look in the video, you will have 12v ignition wire, and 12v constant wire. Hope this helps.
@@alsaku33 mine is plugged in with iso connectors. And i can turn it om when the car is on. But it wont auto turn on with the car. My previous radio was plugged in the same way and it worked
@@flex_gore8537 I think you have your 12v ignition wire hooked up improperly. What year? Premium sound system or not? Look in the video description for the two forum threads I used. Read them, they will help. Good luck! 👍🏼
@@alsaku33 My 1988 had the Red/Green as dimmer and Grey/Red as constant. I've heard there are a couple variations floating around out there. This video was a HUGE help!
@@remoaustin2056 Yup! 87/88 model years get weird. Lots of variations during that time frame. Glad I could help ya!