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Replacing 1-CD radio with 6-CD radio

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by Bachelor boB, Jul 12, 2022.

  1. Bachelor boB

    Bachelor boB Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    My 2007 Prius came with a 1-CD radio and a 6-CD changer below it. The changer died and the radio got a knob snapped off, so I purchased a used 6-CD radio to replace both.

    Never in my wildest nightmares did I imagine that the radio wiring harness would be specific to the radio the car came with! The Gen 2 Prius had at least 3 radio options; possibly more. Why and where on Earth did an electrical engineer decide to go with a wiring harness that only connected to one radio?! Or did the 6-CD radio have an adapter / dongle between the 'base' harness and the connectors on the radio?

    I cannot even cut the 1-CD radio connectors off the harness and splice in the 6-CD radio's connectors because the used radio did not come with any external wiring (its connectors).

    Any suggestions, information, or assistance would be greatly appreciated. I allotted 10 minutes to swap out these radios. I'm already 10x over that expected time investment and have gotten nowhere.
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    IV
    I agree it's messy. Probably the best way to find out how messy it's going to be for you is to look in your wiring diagram:

    Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat

    and look especially for the wires and connectors shown with numbered asterisks. Those are the ones that are different between versions of the wire harnesses, and you'll see a legend on the page somewhere showing which option each numbered asterisk corresponds to.
     
  3. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    I'm sure lots of people are wondering...what is a CD?
    :)

    Mike