www.iFourWinns.com

I have a 2011 H180 that came installed with a Sony xplod stereo receiver/cd player. The receiver went out last week and I am attempting to replace it. I would prefer not to replace it with the exact same model (which, although discontinued by Sony, I can nonetheless find on eBay, etc.) because I don't really need a cd player but would like to have bluetooth connectivity.
Anyway, I pulled the old unit and have a question about the wiring harness/connector. It looks like two rows of 8 pins each. I've never replaced a receiver before in a car or boat, just wondering if the wire harness is universal. I don't want to splice a bunch of wires to connect a new harness if I can avoid it, and would buy another Sony, a newer model, if I knew the harness was compatible.
Does anyone know?

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2010 H180
VP 4.3 190

Chances are, if you buy another model, especially one with more functions than your old model, you'll need to take out the wiring harness on the boat. It's really not that big an issue - get a good crimper and stripper and the appropriate size marine solder-less connectors. It takes some time but it is well worth it having good connections. Check Crutchfield for good prices.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-3KQk9Wgj9J7/c_20/Marine-Audio-GPS.html

Stay away from the BOSS products. I have heard of lots of issues with them.

You may also want to replace speakers while you are at it and run new wiring. The difference will be phenomenal, at a minimal expense.

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2008 Four Winns h180 Bowrider
3.0 Volvo Penta

2013 Dodge Durango HEMI

There are many wire colors in that harness that are standardized, but the connector will not be. You will needed to install the harness that comes with the new head-init.

I like the Clarion M303. Its integrated BT has excellent sound quality. It has CD, where as the M205 is Mech-Less. The JVC marine/power sports BT unit is a mech-less unit thats pretty decent. Only has a single set of RCA outputs, so not a lot of room for amp expansion unless an EQ or zone control is used pre-amp.

I have a kenwood marine in mine. Though no external remote clarion is good for multiple external remotes. Though mine was brand new under 100 on ebay. Just match up the wire colors from old cd player pig tail to new one and should be good. If you have completely different colors report back.should be white and white black stripe to one speaker, gray and gray with black stripe to another, purple and pb to another, green and gb to last speaker. Ground then red to red, and then constant

Good point, you can pull up the manual for the old stereo and retrace the wire colors from there - but as far as colors, not all speaker colors are constant throughout, and you have to remember that the black striped wires are typically the negative of the solid color ones. Once again not all manufacturers and/or installers follow the same colors when identifying speaker locations, and yet others use a solid negative and the same color with a red or white stripe to designate positive. Here is a common sony diagram.
You would have to see what wire connects to each wire in the harness from the boat to the stereo and then trace it back. Time consuming, but it works.

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2008 Four Winns h180 Bowrider
3.0 Volvo Penta

2013 Dodge Durango HEMI

you could also buy a newer SONY unit. And possibly use the same harness that is already on the boat, and simply plug into the new unit.

I did this in quite a few cars over the years, burn out a headunit, just drop in a newer model of the same make.

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Rob

Present: 1999 Formula 280SS
Past: 1989 180 Horizon

http://www.robcamerondesign.com