Installing new Car Stereo - Is there a good place to connect to a GROUND?

[JGBuick]

Grounds are usually a afterthought until there's a audio problem, ground loop hum on AC, so while the vehicle OEM units have been designed to eliminate a possible problem aftermarket equipment may require addtional planning for a clean ground source.

As a side note don't believe the wires colors will always match on the interface and the new radio confirm by looking at the diagrams of the wires description. Had this on the Lesabre as two wires didn't match up on the colors vs the description functions.

Yup. Apparently there are some wiring variables that don't match the respective directions. Contrary to everyone thinking "Oh, it's soooo simple! Just follow the directions..." Uh Huh.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

I "soft wire" everything and plug it in to see if I guessed correctly, then wip out the solder. What should happen and what does are sometimes at odds lol.

 

[JGBuick]

Makes complete sense to me. I'm looking forward to getting this done. Lately, it's been one thing after another. Great cars..but jeeezzz...

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

Yeah... I originally thought I may as well choose to install a back-up cam... and then (Thank God) decided it just wasn't worth the trouble.

I haven't needed a back-up cam in the 45-plus years I've been driving and I just am at a period in my life where Multiple technolgy "inputs" are draining my soul. Nope, Keeping it as SIMPLE as I can.

Like you stated in your post, I've pretty much used all the websites you mentioned. Great minds think alike.

Soooo... Just want to be done with this stuff. I'm seriously thinking about going back to a simple Flip Phone. It's not that I can't deal with technology... it's that I find it sucking the life from me... Google updating and YouTube... Anyhow.... rant over...

Back to the install....

There is potentially a way , if you want a decent flip phone OTC that , i believe, could be used on your network (if you have a big carrier)
It involves buying a.... god I forgot the name. The one where you buy the minutes, big name. not the walmart kind but the ....tracfone that yeah. Go to a walmart, buy a flip tracfone for low amount, and get some service on it. dont use it, then eventually it gets a text that you can unlock it and then i presume means you could then get any network you want.
my gma has both, the tracfone stays in car. they have access to multple networks towers at the downside you cant use that many minutes before it racks up expense. but if its an emergency phone, she can get reception in the ass of no where(Where we are) and she doesnt have to worry if she doesnt have her smart phone if she goes anywehre etc.
Because they can sit idle for a long time with only minutes and the chosen "plan" for the number.
But I dont know if the text thing is based on time.. or if its able to work.. but its a cheap flip which has basic functions, big numbers, no BS, and small like they were in 2008 but not very thick because tech improvements etc.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

LeSabre doesn’t have the rear headrests.

I knew that, some park avenues dont either lol, that wasnt the.. thing i was trying to convey or demonstrate. lol

 

[JGBuick]

There is potentially a way , if you want a decent flip phone OTC that , i believe, could be used on your network (if you have a big carrier)
It involves buying a.... god I forgot the name. The one where you buy the minutes, big name. not the walmart kind but the ....tracfone that yeah. Go to a walmart, buy a flip tracfone for low amount, and get some service on it. dont use it, then eventually it gets a text that you can unlock it and then i presume means you could then get any network you want.
my gma has both, the tracfone stays in car. they have access to multple networks towers at the downside you cant use that many minutes before it racks up expense. but if its an emergency phone, she can get reception in the ass of no where(Where we are) and she doesnt have to worry if she doesnt have her smart phone if she goes anywehre etc.
Because they can sit idle for a long time with only minutes and the chosen "plan" for the number.
But I dont know if the text thing is based on time.. or if its able to work.. but its a cheap flip which has basic functions, big numbers, no BS, and small like they were in 2008 but not very thick because tech improvements etc.

Ever wonder why the average (Android) cell phone wears down it's battery quickly? Well.. it's always "on" and communicating your location data (amongst other data) back to Google. No conspiracies needed. Just dig a little deeper and you'll see why. Yeah... this modern "freedom" comes at a cost.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

Ever wonder why the average (Android) cell phone wears down it's battery quickly? Well.. it's always "on" and communicating your location data (amongst other data) back to Google. No conspiracies needed. Just dig a little deeper and you'll see why. Yeah... this modern "freedom" comes at a cost.

people like to talk politics in life a lot around here, and all over(sure youve seen it before too lol) but something that people dont seem to really get is that the 4th amendment has been on the chopping block for years and its only getting thinner and thinner, and its a lot "further along" on that than people realize. Like, not much left at all. No offense to people who feel strongly about guns, but those rights have been expanding for years despite the worries, notably with court rulings and state legislatures.
But I dont hear them, or people who take strong pro-constitution stances saying much. Its sad because the 4th amendment is actually a very very strong element to protect other rights, esp those dealing with guns, 3rd amendment, protest, even speech to extent, due process, and other un named rights but ones that still are exercised like concepts of doing what you want with your land, or many others.
4th amendment is crying for support and its a shame how comfortable the gov is with private encroachments on it so they can subvert legal processes and then of course just general disregard by themselves and on 3rd parties.

 

[msnott]

Sure thing! An were all in the same boat here... just learning.

Crutchfield has really great technical support and that's why I chose them for this particular part:

Axxess LC-GMRC-04 Wiring Interface

Connect a new car stereo and retain warning chimes in select 2000-05 GM vehicles

www.crutchfield.com

If you look at the harness, it just plugs-into the Buick harness. All "you" need to do is make the correct connections from your radio to the harness.

The above part allows for the retention of the door chimes and so forth. From their website:

Axxess LC-GMRC-04
You want to replace your factory radio, but you'll lose your warning chimes. There's a remedy for this: the Axxess LC-GMRC-04 wiring interface retains your GM vehicle's warning chimes, provides 12-volt accessory power, maintains your balance and fade controls, and keeps the Retained Accessory Power (RAP) feature. The interface also provides the outputs you'll need to connect a NAV receiver, including parking brake and reverse. The interface works with non-amplified systems or when bypassing an amplified system.

Now... as far as the steering wheel controls??? (Yes, this get a bit confusing as now you are adding-in another harness:

Axxess ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Adapter

Connects your car's steering wheel audio controls to select aftermarket car stereos

www.crutchfield.com

For me... this is where I am a bit confused about things. (One would think it's just joining wires, but...?) Based on my previous experiences with car stereos, I'm going to rely on the Crutchfied Tech support person to walk-me-through this.

I've played around with joining the harnesses "temporarily" and it's getting a bit heavy. (In the past, it was just basically power and speaker wires. Simple.) Now... you might be adding a back-up cam and microphones and other inputs. Choosing a stereo that fits (Depth wise) is also a consideration as BOTH harnesses take-up space.. This is where Crutchfield and purchasing from them is a great asset.

Lastly... I'm not even halfway there on this project. I have the dash apart and just have to figure out how things will be mounted prior to arranging and soldering wires etc. (Lots of ways that can be done also.)

The reason I asked about "another" grounding point was that the wires coming from the Buick side seem pretty thin. Hooking up larger gauge grounds to a single grounding wire seems a bit risky to me. In fact, the ASWC-1 part says: "Connect to a Ground".

As another post mentions.... No problems after so many years... I'm curious how it all fit together.

YouTube videos on the "LeSabre Radio" are few and far between. Nothing really good! Lot's of shots before & after without any real installation content.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information!

I love this Buick forum. It has already been a life-saver of time and effort, allowing the knowledge and wisdom of others to propel me ahead so I can avoid the time to search endlessly for answers.

 

[JGBuick]

people like to talk politics in life a lot around here, and all over(sure youve seen it before too lol) but something that people dont seem to really get is that the 4th amendment has been on the chopping block for years and its only getting thinner and thinner, and its a lot "further along" on that than people realize. Like, not much left at all. No offense to people who feel strongly about guns, but those rights have been expanding for years despite the worries, notably with court rulings and state legislatures.
But I dont hear them, or people who take strong pro-constitution stances saying much. Its sad because the 4th amendment is actually a very very strong element to protect other rights, esp those dealing with guns, 3rd amendment, protest, even speech to extent, due process, and other un named rights but ones that still are exercised like concepts of doing what you want with your land, or many others.
4th amendment is crying for support and its a shame how comfortable the gov is with private encroachments on it so they can subvert legal processes and then of course just general disregard by themselves and on 3rd parties.

We have all sorts of problems with our Government, That's for sure! I just think technology is far outpacing what the average (Or maybe not-so) person understands they are allowing by using technology. Corporations thrive on data acquisition and people usually respond with: "Well... everyone is doing it...and if I have nothing to hide... And I'm not doing anything wrong.... then why do I care if they have these "powers"...

Well.... those types of people never truly understand what the problem is. They are the same ones that looked at the Trojan Horse and thought it was a good "gift idea".... Sure! Bring it inside! How nice of them.

 

[JGBuick]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information!

I love this Buick forum. It has already been a life-saver of time and effort, allowing the knowledge and wisdom of others to propel me ahead so I can avoid the time to search endlessly for answers.

I'm happy that I helped you also! Yes, this is what a good forum does... share information and help! Let us know how your installation works out!