2007: Busy Year for Upgrades
The year started out pretty much the same as recently... concerns over
the steering, while dealing with all the workload of my career.
One interesting upgrade was something I'd been considering since purchasing the
automobile... installing the factory 12 disc CD unit. Since cassettes were still fairly
current in the mid to late 90s (and homemade CD-Rs were not so common or reliable,
especially with music) I opted for the $150 credit by ordering the in-dash cassette
based radio. I could not justify the >$1000 option price of the CD changer as well, at
the time. I was shortly made aware that in 1998, ordering the in-dash cassette unit
automatically meant the wiring for the CD changer was in place (likely to cut costs at
the assembly line). 2007 was finally the year I purchased a reconditioned unit online
at a fraction of the original price.
First, the hunt for the bundled wiring. I didn't find it here, but I
confirmed the safe location for the installation of the unit.
Removal of the speaker panel not only helped make it easier to work in the
area, but the CD Changer harness was found taped to the speaker wiring.
Double-sided tape on the bracket was an alternative to drilling through the car
metal, something I am not about to undertake on a car like this. The presence of a lot
of sound deadening also meant it would be a hassle to tack weld the bracket in place.
The factory carpet is pre-sliced to allow for the positioning of the bracket and any
screws/bolts. Nice!
Sadly, the unit flashed a Code E32 almost immediately upon connection. Examination of the unit
showed that some of the provided screws might have been too long so the unit was disassembled and only
the shortest screws were used to reassemble. The unit appeared to function superbly from then on (with
the exception of occasionally locking up when the car is parked, which I assume is either a result of
the reconditioning or a factory fault... which I remedy by removing and re-inserting the cartridge or
making sure the radio is off before turning off the vehicle)
