1985 GSL SE Double Din DIY!

So finally figured out and finished my Double din project which took about a day and some beers. Since I couldn’t find much info about GSL SE radio wiring on the net, I thought I’d share what problems I fell into while doing the install. This is a use at your own RISK thread, just giving people some guidance that don’t know too much about radio installs.

First when I bought the Double Din, I was told that a 86-93 rx7 wiring harness would work, Sure it kind of helped, paid 20$, but it was not the correct harness. I used 3 out of 4 plugs that came in the kit, so it looks clean and is easy to detach the radio from the main hardness, without me butchering up the main harness.
Now if any of you google search GSL SE wiring, you may find wiring diagrams for the none SE models(or some say that it is for a GSL SE), and from what I experienced, It is not the same wiring. Colour codes are different, and 2 plugs are completely different.

The kit comes with 4 plugs, one 1pin constant 12v plug, one 4 pin front speaker plug, one 3 pin illumination/power antenna/12 volt (key ignition) and also one 4 pin rear speaker plug.

So I took it all apart, and found that there is 1 constant 12 volt wire, a 6 pin connecter, and a 4 pin connecter hooked up to another 4 pin connecter. This is where I got stuck, nothing made sense. Well of course I didn’t have the right wiring harness and I knew it was not going to be as easy that I hoped it would be.

Found out there is an amp of some kind between the 2x4 pin plug (one male and one female). This is connecting the front speakers to the amp. You can test this but using a multimeter, and the speakers won’t give of any reading, and the other plug going to the amp, gives off readings to the plug.
So this is what I did.

1) Unplugged the 4 pin plugs, used male end and mate it with the 4 pin female plug from the kit. The speakers line up correctly (+ to +) (- to -) and left and right. (this is the plug going up into the dash, not the one going down and under the carpet. These are the fronts. Easy.

2) Now rears, since there is a so called amp inline, I seemed to have no choice but to bypass and rewire the rears. Ran 2 new speaker wires (pairs 1+ and 1 – for each speaker) one for the rear left and rear right. I did not use the 4 pin plug from the kit, just wired it right to the radio (you could put quick connects, for easy access to remove the radio. ) Ran it nice and clean under the carpet. MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE WIRES.

3) The ground, I connected to the metal inside the dash, got a great ground there. Seems like the radio was getting a ground from another plug running from the amp. Not sure though, since I couldn’t find a GSL SE wiring diagram.

4) Also had another problem with the key ignition. Setting it up with the 3 way plug(yellow wire on kit for me), the actual wire in the OEM harness doesn’t send the 12v to the radio, that lines up with the yellow wire from the kit, so it will not work. I routed it over to the 6 way plug, and found the correct wire, blue/white I think. Just take a multimeter, or test light, and see which one in the 6 pin plug will turn on when you switch the key on, and off.

5) Parking brake safety switch. You legally should connect it to the parking brake wire, but for those who want to understand how it works. It just needs a ground to activate. That is what the parking brake does when it’s up, and when it goes down, it breaks the connection in the circuit which doesn’t allow you to drive and watch dvd’s.

6) Power antenna would not go up. You have to run the power antenna, in my case it was the blue wire from the kit, and ground it.(you do not connect it to the radio) It is under key ignition, so when you turn the key, it will complete the cycle. So if you ground it permanently, it will only go up when you turn the key, and back down when you turn the key off. Just like your old radio, or you could also put a switch in between, but I didn’t bother to do it since I don’t mind the antenna. The old radio actually grounds the wire, in new decks it gives power +.

7) I had to also buy an antenna extension, too short to plug into my double din. 4$ for a 3' cable at my nearest hardware store. It was the shortest I could find.

8) I could not order a pocket for it. So I used the old pocket, grinded down the little stubs that come out, so it’s nice and flat, and drilled some new holes. This made my double din fit perfect.

For those who wanted to know what I installed, I put a JVC kw-avx720 and Bose speaker front and rear. Haven’t got around to installing a sub yet, but I want to fit those into the back of the truck, where there’s spots for 2x8” subs.
Those are the problems I ended up with, Would of been much quicker, but I wasted a lot of time testing wires, and to find out that no matter which + or – rear wire you checked, they all came back to the same wire, seemed like a power wire. Along with the antenna not going up and etc.

Hope this helps someone and saves them some time. But please do not burn your car into ashes, if you have no idea what you’re doing, maybe a professional should do it. Btw I won’t take any responsibility for anything, if something goes wrong.