I know the connector will be right...my current HU is out of a '99 F-150, but will RDS and everything work if I put this or a similar HU in my truck?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...965416345&rd=1

 

plug er up and tell us wut you found. everything should operate like normal if the connectors are the same and you shouldnt have to worry about anything f'ing up.

 

I looked in some other auctions for the same type of HU and the ones that list the vehicles it will fit in all claim that it works in Rangers. At least the CD player should work and that is the main thing...I guess I'll take my chances and get it.

 

should be fine

 

That CD player was never factory equipment in a Ranger, I can't guarantee that it will drive the speakers correctly. It will definitely plug in and come on, but it might not work correctly (some vehicles use an external amp, etc.)

 

Yeah, the fact that Ford never put those HUs in Rangers kind of has me worried, but it apparently fits all (I have not seen any mention of an external amp being required) F-150s built from '99-'03 and my current HU is from a '99 F-150 and it works perfectly, so I'm hoping it will work.

 

Yes it will definitely fit the opening and the connectors.

 

That unit has 2 pin connectors I believe. Our Ranger only use one. Is the other set for controlling a CD changer or are they for an external amp? I can't remember what the back of my head unit looks like.

 

I'm not really sure what the other connector is for. My current AM/FM/Cass HU has the exact same setup though.

 

The HUs that I have seen that are the right size for the Ranger have either one, two or three connector receptacles.

The basic receptacle is the 16-pin which has three power wires and ground connections, illumination and the outs to the four speakers. 98+ Rangers have a connector for this receptacle.

The next is a 20-pin that handles external options like steering wheel controls, speed sensitive volume input and wiring for a remote CD changer.

The last is an 8-pin which has the outputs for a factory subwoofer and its amp.

I have a late 90s Explorer dual-media HU in my 2003 Ranger that has all three receptacles and RDS. It works fine in my truck and is also wired for SSV, steering wheel controls and a six disc changer.

 

So if there are no pins in the space that says "AMP," the HU isn't one that requires an external amp? The one I have now has a space labled "AMP," but nothing there to connect to and the one I am planning on getting is the same way.

 

"AMP" is the brand name of the connector used, not an abbreviation for amplifier. Lots of the connectors all over the truck are labled "AMP".

Doesn't matter whether it has just one 16-pin receptacle or two (16-pin and a 20-pin), it should work fine with the single 16-pin plug on your Ranger's harness.

 

Ok, good. I just don't want to hook this thing up and have no sound because I need an external amp! The conversion kit for premium sound is like $160.

Everything I have seen seems to suggest that an external amp is not needed for these HUs though.

 

No, most of them have an internal amp and feed the speakers directly.

A few (that have the 8-pin) can support an external amp only for the factory subwoofer but the radio usually doesn't need it to function correctly through the regular speakers. The only Ranger that uses an external amp for the door speakers is the newer Tremor with the 6-disc indash HU.

 

Very good to know. Thanks for the info.

 

whats rds?

 

Radio Data System, or something like that. It displays information about radio stations across the display...pretty pointless, but cool anyway.

 

oh, i got that on my tremor radio, i love it

 

It can display call letters, station nickname or the musical genre. If broadcast by the stations in your in your area, it can also display scrolling messages from the station (such as artist and song title) and traffic info.

 

I got my new HU today. I love it! It looks like RDS might not work for some reason, but it may just be that no stations around here support it. I don't know. I don't really care though...I'm just happy to have a CD player! The $10 F-150 cassette player worked for a while, but I definately won't be missing it! I really like the looks of the new HU and it's powerful enough for me.

 

Hey, did you get the one with the little cooling fan on the top of it? I can't remember what year they started putting that on there.. the ones without hte fans got alot of complaints about the discs being really hot, there was never an actual problem but Ford started using a small fan on later ones anyway to quell complaints.

 

No, no cooling fan. As long as the disc doesn't melt in there, I'm good, lol.

 

Try pressing and holding the RDS button to enter RDS mode. The press the RDS button until you get to something like "RDS-off" or "RDS-on". You can toggle between the two with the SEL or +/- button. The push RDS a few times again until something like "SHOW xxxx" appears. Then toggle that one to "SHOW NAME" or "SHOW TYPE". Not all stations broadcast RDS info but some usually do.

 

Thanks...I never would have figured that out. RDS does indeed work on the new HU.