Guide to replacing your 2001 Mach 460 head unit

mesc7 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-13-04, 09:22 PM

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the replacement of a Mach 460 head unit in a 2001 Mustang. I switched mine out with the help of many people in this forum, so I figured I’d compile all of my information together and post it. This may apply to the 02 and 03 setups, but I am not sure if the system is exactly the same. Someone would have to verify that.

First, an overview of the system. The system consists of 4 tweeters, 4 subs, and 3 amps. I’m not positive on the size because I’ve never removed them. I believe the subs are 5x7s though. The first amp is actually contained within the head unit and runs all four tweeters. The second amp runs the front subs and the third runs the rear subs. The reason that things get interesting replacing the head unit is that you need to send an amplified signal and an un-amplified signal to the amps that run the subs.

Here’s what you need to replace the head unit:

1. A new head-unit with RCA outs on it. It is ideal to have a high-pass and low-pass crossover both built in as well. If you don’t have those crossovers, you will have to use the crossovers listed below in 4 and 5.

2. Scosche Sound Kase SKFD223 - $25
This fills up the hole that is left underneath your new head unit. The space is filled with an area that holds 3 CDs.
http://www.cardomain.com/shop/item.pl?sku=SCOSKFD223

3. METRA 70-5519 Harness - $18
This is the only harness on the market that will work.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...number=265-790

4. Low-pass crossover for your subs (not needed if your head unit has a low-pass crossover built in)
Go to http://www.partsexpress.com and search for “FMOD” and choose the frequency that you like

5. Bass Blockers for your tweeters (not needed if your head unit has a high-pass crossover built in)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-P3Rgdy5...=bass+blockers
Choose the frequency that fits your liking.

The key to the entire setup is the Metra harness. This is the ONLY harness on the market that is completely plug-and-play with the 2001 Mach 460 system. I purchased the Best harness (which was originally recommended to me), and found out the hard way that it does not work.

When wiring the Metra harness to your radio, follow the following guidelines:

- Combine all grounds from the Metra harnesses to the ground on your radio’s wiring harness.

- Combine the amp turn-ons with the ignition-on power on your radio’s wiring harness.

- Plug the RCAs from the back of your radio into the Metra harness. If you don’t have a low-pass crossover on your radio, you will need to plug the FMOD crossovers in here.

- Wire the L/F+-, R/F+-, L/R+-, and R/R+- from your radio’s wiring harness to the corresponding wires on the Metra harness. This will send an amplified signal to your tweeters. If you don’t have a high-pass crossover, you will need to put the bass blockers in here.

Once you wire all of this, you are ready to replace your head unit. If you don’t know how to get into the center console, follow the beginning of this article:

http://www.stangnet.com/tech/speedsound/ssv.html

Once you get your Mach 460 head unit out, you can mount your Scosche kit where the radio used to be. Then you can just plug your harnesses into the Mustang harnesses and you’re ready to test your new head unit. If your crossovers are contained in your head unit, then you will need to set them immediately before turning up the speakers to keep from sending the wrong frequencies to them and damaging them. If you used the FMODs and bass blockers, then you should be good to go.

I've attached a picture of my new head unit so you can see how it looks with the Scosche kit around it. The kit also adds 3 CD storage slots to your system, so that is nice. Overall, I have been happy with just replacing the head unit. The sound quality is pretty much the same as the original Mach 460. I really just wanted to add MP3 functionality and Sirius to my setup and this worked perfectly.

If anyone has any questions about this, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to give any input I have. I hope this helps you guys out.

**ryanrule** · #2 (**permalink**) 07-13-04, 10:52 PM

sticky this

03CAtlanta · #3 (**permalink**) 07-14-04, 06:34 AM

Thanks a LOT, Mesc! This is spot-on. I agree, it should be stickied.

cgrant · #4 (**permalink**) 07-16-04, 12:37 PM

Using that harness you start it up and there is no loud interference noise?

I made a thread here a couple days ago about that...

That harness would work on a 2000 with mach 460, yes?

mesc7 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-18-04, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgrant

Using that harness you start it up and there is no loud interference noise?

I made a thread here a couple days ago about that...

That harness would work on a 2000 with mach 460, yes?

I don't get any interference noise at all in mine. If you get a pop when your amps turn on, you could put a 1K resistor in the amp turn on lead and that should solve your problem. As for the 2000's, I'm not positive, but I believe that they had a slightly different setup. 2001 is the year things got really difficult from what I've read.

active SVT · #6 (**permalink**) 07-21-04, 05:49 PM

Nice post. Your work is appreciated.

Mossberg · #7 (**permalink**) 07-27-04, 05:52 PM

What crossover frequencies work best with the stock setup? What about for a mach 1000 setup?

mesc7 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-28-04, 08:35 AM

I beleive I set mine to 170Hz for the tweeters and 50Hz for the subs. I'd have to check my head unit to make sure though. Best bet is to just turn it on and listen to what sounds best. Just make sure you're not cranking bass through those tweeters.

Hammer1999Gt · #9 (**permalink**) 07-31-04, 12:16 AM

So what do you do if you got a 2000 and older Mach 460? Has anyone done that? I want to still use the factory amps and just replace the head unit but I can't find a wiring harness that has the the rca jacks on it like the harness for the 2001 and newer.

mesc7 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-02-04, 01:19 PM

I have no personal experience with the '00 setup, but I believe you should be able to buy a simple wiring harness. Thats how it was in my old '94. I don't think that they complicated the system until '01. I'm pretty sure you can get a harness from Circuit City or wherever.

Andre G · #11 (**permalink**) 11-21-04, 09:25 PM

ttt will this harness work on an 02 GT w/mach 460

JimC · #12 (**permalink**) 11-29-04, 07:59 PM

Mach 460 wiring diagram

http://www.bullittarchive.com/Misc/R...ring_Diagrams/

sbelyo · #13 (**permalink**) 09-29-06, 09:14 AM

There are 2 wires coming from the metra harnes (70-5519)

They are Dimmer + (Orange) and Dimmer - (Orange/Black)

I am hooking up an alpine 9856

That Harness has and Orange wire labeled Illum.

What wires do I hook up to the alpine and do I need both hooked up from the Metra?

gilletter · #14 (**permalink**) 10-03-06, 09:42 PM

Can Anyone tell me if the Jensen vm9311ts has an internal crossover... it says on Crutchfield that you can adjust certain freq.

Audio Controls: Bass and Treble presets are stored into memory, allowing you to recall the best setting for different types of music. You may choose from the following presets: Jazz (Bass=+12, Treble=+8), Pop (B=+8, T=+12), Classical (B=+8, T=+8), Rock (B=+12, T=+12), Vocal (B=-6, T=-8), Flat (B=0, T=0), or User. When in the User preset only, you can independently adjust the bass and treble settings between -14 and +14. The Subwoofer level can be independently adjusted between -7 and +7. You can select up to 4 levels of Loudness or Off.

Audio Sound Processing (ASP): The ASP allows you to independently select the bass and treble center frequencies. The bass center frequency can be set to 60, 80, 100, 130, 150, or 200 Hz. The treble center frequency can be set to 10, 12.5, 15, or 17 kHz. When the bass center frequency is selected, you can choose one of the following bass Q-factors: 1, 1.25, 1.5, or 2. The subwoofer output's low-pass filter frequency can be set to 80, 120 or 160Hz, and the subwoofer's phase can be set to 0 or 180 degrees.

sbelyo · #15 (**permalink**) 10-06-06, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbelyo

There are 2 wires coming from the metra harnes (70-5519)

They are Dimmer + (Orange) and Dimmer - (Orange/Black)

I am hooking up an alpine 9856

That Harness has and Orange wire labeled Illum.

What wires do I hook up to the alpine and do I need both hooked up from the Metra?

The Orange wire from the Metra harness gets connected to the orange wire of the Alpine harness. This will send +12V to the HU and the display will dim when the lights are turned on.

The Orange/Black wire from the Metra harness is -12V ( do not tie this to ground ) It's not needed and should be capped off

lukem2000 · #16 (**permalink**) 07-15-07, 06:27 PM

Do you need two crossovers and 4 or 8 bass blockers for the harness to work correctly?

Any help would be much appreciated

sbelyo · #17 (**permalink**) 07-27-07, 01:50 PM

You need 4. Put one on each of the + sides of the speaker

mustangcam · #18 (**permalink**) 07-31-07, 05:50 PM

does the alpine iDA-X001 head unit have the two built in crossovers? i dont kno how to find out. thats the head unit i ordered.

ChingonStang · #19 (**permalink**) 07-31-07, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangcam

does the alpine iDA-X001 head unit have the two built in crossovers? i dont kno how to find out. thats the head unit i ordered.

Nice head unit! The answer to your question is no. No hi-pass or bass engine, just MediaXpander. Most amps today have that built in.

mustangcam · #20 (**permalink**) 08-01-07, 05:01 PM

so what do i have to buy because it doesnt have the crossovers?

ChingonStang · #21 (**permalink**) 08-01-07, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mustangcam

so what do i have to buy because it doesnt have the crossovers?

It has three amp pre-outs - front, rear and sub. If you are using external amps, your amps should already have built in crossovers. If you are using components, they will come with passive crossovers. Otherwise, you could purchase a active crossover, but that requires the additional purchase of external amps.

eliteJAE · #22 (**permalink**) 08-04-07, 02:53 PM

i have a 99 with a Mach 460 setup and i used a $8.99 Scosche harness from walmart and it works great

. im using the stock mach speakers and stock mach amps, the only thing thats new is a pioneer deck. btw, if youre gonna go the route i did, make sure u get the CORRECT scosche adapter, as its labeled for vehicles with premium sound setups such as the mach system and premium factory amp setups for other models and makes

**Kraw** · #23 (**permalink**) 08-04-07, 09:03 PM

I originally used the hp and lp features on my D3, but ended up buying bass blockers anyways. They made a nice difference. Now I just need a basslink to throw in the trunk

phoenix706 · #24 (**permalink**) 02-13-08, 05:26 PM

I'm seriously thinking about replacing the mach 460 in my '01 GT, but I think I'm not reading something correctly... If you plug the harness' rca's in the new radio and set the crossover at 50Hz, and connect the tweeter cables to the LF, LR, RF, and RR with 170Hz bass blockers, how are the sounds in the 51-169Hz ranges played? Is there a second set of RCA plugs that go into the new radio or something? Thanks in advance for the help!

phoenix706 · #25 (**permalink**) 02-14-08, 11:53 AM

As I said, I might just be misreading something. In an earlier post, it was said that 170Hz for the tweeters and 50Hz for the subs were good crossover frequencies. In the first post for the thread, it was said that "Wire the L/F+-, R/F+-, L/R+-, and R/R+- from your radio’s wiring harness to the corresponding wires on the Metra harness. This will send an amplified signal to your tweeters. If you don’t have a high-pass crossover, you will need to put the bass blockers in here." If I'm looking at the right wiring harness, it has the normal wires for L/F+-, R/F+-, L/R+-, R/R+-, dimmer, power, etc. and a set of RCA jacks (which I'm assuming are for sending the subwoofer sound). Thus, I'm confused as to what is driving the mid-range between 50Hz (the highest the subs will play based on the crossover) and 170Hz (the lowest the tweeters will play). Obviously I'm missing something, so I just want to make sure I have a clear understanging before taking the leap and buying new equipment only to either wire it up wrong or not be happy with the sound. Once again, thanks in advance for the help.