location of factory stereo amplifier

[gusrico]

Can anyone please help me find the factory stereo amplifier on a 1991 previa? My radio turns on and works but I am not getting any sound out of the speakers. I'm looking to possibly repairing, replacing, or bypassing the amplifier. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[zak99b5]

The amp is down behind the interior panel by the passenger's feet.

You can replace your current stereo with a standard one; the normal Toyota plug is down there.

[gusrico]

Thank you. Is it behind the glove compartment? Or to the right of the passengers feet?

[zak99b5]

Well, that was over 15 years ago so the details are a little fuzzy lol. I just know it's down there somewhere, and the amp plugs into the "normal" or standard Toyota radio plug. You'll notice the head unit has a completely different plug for the line level signals it sends to the amp (the head unit can't work on its own).

[Previologist]

Bump. I need to find the amp on a 93.

[John Kaufmann]

Is it not there, behind/below the glove box, as noted earlier in the thread for the 91? If no amp, aren't there at least the three connectors (two from the head unit, one out to speakers)?

[Previologist]

It may well be there but I was hoping for more precise coordinates before commencing to dig. Its unclear whether the OP ever found his and its rather uncomfortable lying on my back under the dash of a stripped-to-the-metal previa out in the cold. Supposedly the amp has the connectors I need to hook the unit right up to my 97, which doesn't.

[John Kaufmann]

Ah! - OK, as I don't know how much of the 93 is disassembled, let me at least describe the situation for the 91 LE, as I understand it. [BTW: If nothing else, your follow-up gives a chance to correct what I noted in my last post parenthetically, which is backwards: of the three connectors for the "premium sound system" amp, one comes from the head unit, and two go out to the speakers.]

For a number of years, Toyota's "premium sound system" meant separated head unit and power amp. But where that was an option, there also had to be a way to accommodate the base system with integrated power amp. So behind the head unit in the 91 LE are three connectors:

• (base config) two that connect directly to the power, speakers, and optional power antenna;
• (premium config) one that connects to those same interfaces by way of the separated amp;

-- and obviously the output of that separated power amp must be joined to the two cables of the base configuration.

So those are the three connectors that go to the amp. I pulled them down for a picture, just below the amplifier mounting bracket:
IMG_3012L.jpg

For more orientation, a pulled-back shot:
IMG_3013s.JPG

Essentially, the top connector that you see is the one that runs back to the head unit, so this is like an extension cord. For comparison, my current audio is from a 96 Camry "premium" system (from Panasonic, unlike my original, which was from Denso), so it also has a separated amp, but in the Camry that was co-located, so needed no extension cord. In that case, there is just a short pigtail coming out of the amp to connect to the head unit (and fortunately, just enough space in the Previa dash to fit both).

Does that help?

[Previologist]

Thanks John, this will surely help me find it anyway. I'm still doubtful as to whether finding it will solve my problem, but let me go dig it out (when...or if...it ever warms up) before jumping to any conclusions

[Previologist]

I found it, easy peasy. But I'm not sure how it solves my problem unless I somehow trace and strip all of the amp wires from the rest of the harness and then hook up the amp in my 97. My impression from talking to the installer guy was that I would find a short section at the preamp that I could yank from my 93 to adapt my 97 wires to the 93 cassette player. But that isn't the case. I must have misunderstood him.

[cb97alltrac]

In my 96 dx, the connection for the metra toyota harness was right behind the head unit.
In my 97 altrac le with the premium, external amp system, it was at the external amp as shown above I just ran wire extensions for each wire to my new head unit. Otherwise, you will have no sound.

[cb97alltrac]

I mean you will have no sound if you bypass the amp.

[Previologist]

I dont think my 97 DX has an amp. That's presumably why the wiring is different. Pictures might help.




IMG_2299.jpg
The 93




IMG_2301.jpg
IMG_2302.jpg

The 97


I think I may have to install the amp and harness from the 93 to make the transfer work.