posted by
someone claiming to be Juan P.
on
Tue Dec 10 16:16 CST 2019 [ RELATED]
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All,
I just purchased a 1993 940 Turbo sedan from its original owner. Only 168k miles, wonderful car.
However, it has an aftermarket Pioneer sound system that I am not too fond of. This car originally came with a CR-814 radio that was later lost by the prior owner's kids when they installed the Pioneer.
I have a CR-915 radio that I took out of a 1994 NA 940 parts car I scrapped last year. Now I have to ask - can I chuck the Pioneer system and install the CR-915 in the '93 940T? In other words, can the later 915 radio be put into the sound system in case of the original 814 unit, and will said 915 work okay? (I have the radio code for the 915.)
Thanks for the assistance.
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I can't think of any major reason why a CR-915 cannot be used where a CR-814 used to live.
As for connectivity, it won't be plug and play. The connectors on the back of the radio will be quite different especially as the CR-814 used a pre-amp (near as I can tell), whereas the CR-915 does not use a pre-amp. That's no great problem, if there's a pre-amp or pre-amp wiring still present you can just bypass it. The other good news is that both radios support an extra pair of dash speakers (wired in parallel with the main front speakers at the radio speaker connector as I recall, but that doesn't matter). As long as you kept the radio connectors off the back of the CR-915, it's just a matter of locating wires and splicing them in.
To aid you, the CR-915 radio connector wiring is documented here in the FAQ at
https://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/RadioAntenna.htm#CR915Failures
and I found the CR-814 wiring in this old post
https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/692655/740/760/780/cr814_stereo_wiring.html
You will also have to figure out how much butchering of the wiring was done when the Pioneer was installed. If you're lucky they used an adapter harness, but in any case the wires you need should all still be there somewhere.
As for mounting, more good news. The single radio slot is the same height and the face plate looks identical so I quite imagine the side mounting tabs are also the same meaning the radio mounting tray is also the same (actually I believe all 900s and 700s used the same tray with the exception of the fastener locations attaching them to the center console). When the Pioneer was installed, more than likely the original mounting tray was left in place and an adapter single height DIN mounting box was inserted (such as available from Crutchfield). They're typically just held in by bent metal tabs so should be quite easy to remove to leave you with the original tray. At worst you will need another 940 radio mounting tray if someone decided to butcher up or remove the original one when installing the Pioneer.
I dislike the CR-915's I've had for their poor reliability (three dead, one still barely alive). I've also got no need for cassette capability these days, even though I've probably still got a crate full of old cassettes hiding somewhere. The optional CD player was not at all common and there was only one aftermarket model that was compatible, so don't get your hopes up about ever finding one of those. You can find single and multi-CD players that put an FM signal down the antenna wire -I ditched mine when it became mechanically troublesome. CD capability is rather passe these days anyway. Features I want in radios these days include USB, MP3 and bluetooth connectivity, especially handsfree cellular bluetooth. There are a variety of subscription satellite radio capabilities and other assorted features that I also don't care about at the moment.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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posted by
someone claiming to be Juan P.
on
Thu Dec 12 15:14 CST 2019 [ RELATED]
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Dave,
Thanks very much for your response.
However, I made an error when posting the original question here on Brickboard. I checked the faceplate of the radio that I pulled from the '94 parts car.
The parts car radio is a CR-718, not a CR-915 as I originally thought. But - can I still install that 718 radio in my 1993 940T?
Thanks.
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Ah, that may change things a bit.
The CR-718 uses a pre-amp, like the original CR-814 did. If the pre-amp is still present, and it may well be, then you can carry on, just a matter of identifying all the wiring and having connectors on hand that fit the back of the radio. It may make for a fair bit of splicing, but it is doable.
Odds are your Pioneer aftermarket radio doesn't use a pre-amp unless the buyer was specifically looking for one to match the original or wanted to drive larger speakers. But odds are the original pre-amp is still there whether or not your Pioneer uses a pre-amp.
If the pre-amp does happen to have been removed, well you could always go searching for a used one, but honestly is it really worth all the effort?
Apart from being able to support an original optional CD player (as seemingly existed according to one source I read), there's nothing magical about the CR-718s other than it preserves the authenticity of the car for classic car looks and designation and it supports cassettes, which few current aftermarket radios do as CD players are much more popular these days. Even then, CDs players are now also pretty much passe what with the adevent of USB, MP3 aand bluetooth connectivity. You pretty much need to go with a double height radio if you want more function buttons and a player in addition to all the modern features, connectors and larger displays. With effort I'm sure you could put a double height or 1-1/2 height radio in a 740/940, but it would require a fair bit of customization.
The CR-718s are also just as prone, as many older radios are, to the volume rheostat wearing out which manifests itself as crackle through the speakers, dead/intermittent speakers, difficulty in fine tuning volume levels, balance or even getting enough volume to listen. If I really hated the Pioneer, then I'd think of looking for a different aftermarket radio that suits my tastes and has modern features (start by checking Crutchfield.com). I'll be honest with you, the newer radios (as in this century) tend to be a single push knob with nested menus that are nowhere near as simple to operate as the older radios, but the sound quality is generally just as good or better and of course you get a lot more features, many of them rather useful. You will eventually get used to a newer style radio, just don't accidentally drive over any cliffs in the process of trying to read the manual, looking at the button labels or trying to decipher tiny icons.
Just a note with non-Volvo radios. If you've got a power antenna, as most sedans do, then you need to ascertain whether the radio provides a power antenna signal. If not, then you need to determine which wires to connect to in order to maintain antenna functionality, even if it's just to splice into the power feed from the ignition switch and have it go up every time you turn the key on. Separate dash toggle switches are often used for over-riding antenna operation, such as the later 740s. Additionally, if you've got a 940 wagon with the FM antenna in the left rear quarter window glass then you have to connect the antenna amplifier located at the rear to power. Do it exactly as you would the power antenna, the wiring in the vehicle is the same other than the connections at the rear.
Another option if the pre-amp is no longer present or working and if you really hate the Pioneer, is to go looking for another single height slot genuine Volvo radio that fits the 700/900 series and doesn't use a pre-amp. The CR-915 is an example, I imagine there may be others. Used Volvo radios can often be had from yards and on eBay for like $25-$45, but again, make sure to get the rear connectors.
Radio lock codes can be obtained from Volvo through your Volvo dealer using the radio serial number (on top of the radio) and/or VIN (request both to be safe). You can now also do it yourself online, but only using the VIN, which of course is only good for the factory installed radio
A quick search did not find the wiring connections for the CR-718, but I'm sure with a bit of effort it's out there somewhere, either in a copy of the green Volvo electrical and wiring diagram for your year or elswhere in a blog or Volvo user site.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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Hi Juan P. and Dave Stevens,
The Mitchell wiring diagrams hosted here:
http://www.v8volvo.se/mekartips/volvo/index.html
Click 940. Shift (New Browser Window) Ctrl (New Background Tab) + Click the 1993 and 1994 PDF electrical diagrams.
1993 940 PDF page 16 displays the typical 1993 940 North America market stereo. The radio head unit connects to a remote amp using a shielded DIN cable. That head unit, not the separate amp, also powers the left and the right dash speaker (tweeter and mid for imaging as sound is bounced from the windshield into the cabin). The separate amp powers the door speakers. Or, if fitted the rear hat shelf speakers in the sedan can exclude rear door speaker use.
Configurations vary.
The system is Alpine old school. The speakers are Dynaudio.
1994 940 diagrams includes two unique stereo configurations.
PDF page 52 shows the option of the I believe the higher end integrated head unit receiver / amplifier. No separate amp. May have another DIN connector for separate CD player control.
PDF page 53 shows an option like that detailed in 1993 940 PDF page 16.
Juan P., you'll need to assess what changes were made in the aftermarket integrated stereo head unit.
A proper aftermarket head unit install in your 1993 Turbo as with the Pioneer you mention will:
- Disconnect the wire harness connector from the separate amplifier (power to amp, output to speakers not from the stereo, ground)
- Disconnect the wire harness connector from the factory head unit (power to radio, power aerial connection, powered speaker out to dash speakers, ground)
- Map 1993 940 stereo harness insulation wire harness connectors (former amp connection - connect speaker wires only, radio connection) with the aftermarket head unit. Remove factory amp.)
- Installing in the 700-900 dash is somewhat terrible yet procedure exists in the links Mr. Stevens provides you Juan P.
Yet in most instances, not so bright people whether owner or professional auto audio installers will not reuse the quality Volvo wiring harness. Slash and crimp.
See YouTube for videos that treat the topic.
Hope that helps you Juan P.
Questions?
Perpetually Unemployed Technical Writer Living in Credit Cards.
--
Jonathan Harshman Winters III: The Mightiest, Greatest, & Most Powerful North American Comedian & Comedic Actor in Perpetuity
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