I'm not sure how this old CD player connects, but why not get a new stereo with CD player built in, or are you going to get a stereo with cassette player?

 

I was hoping that I could get a radio like this one: Alpine UTE-73BT Digital media receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield
It has no CD player or cassette deck, but I want to still play CDs through the stock CD player.

I'll try to get a picture for how the stock CD player connects in a couple minutes.

 

I was hoping that I could get a radio like this one: Alpine UTE-73BT Digital media receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield
It has no CD player or cassette deck, but I want to still play CDs through the stock CD player.

I'll try to get a picture for how the stock CD player connects in a couple minutes.

Type in "Double Din Car Radio CD player". Kenwood makes one that retails for $149 on Amazon as do other's.

 

I don't think it would work. Around this time, the head unit needed to be part of the system for the auxillary unit to work?

Not sure if it's possible.

 

Alright, I got some pictures. Here's the connector that comes from the CD player:

And here's where it plugs into:

 

I tried using the CD player with the radio taken out, and nothing happened when I pressed any of the buttons. Nothing came on the LCD either. I'm guessing this means that the CD unit receives it's power from the radio? I don't think I'm going to get this to work with an aftermarket radio am I?

 

The layout that you see in front of you is that the CD player needs the power from the head unit. Back then, most cars were sold with just am/FM radio with optional CD or cassette.

In your case, when you figure out the pin out, you might be able to rewire it to the new pigtail to interface with the stock harness to power it up.

You need to know which wire goes to each speaker and power.

 

If you can find a pin-out diagram for the DIN connector between the units, then you might be able to interface it with a new head unit, even if you have to adapt for a connection.

I actually think that the Toyota OEM head unit is better and more powerful than most aftermarket stuff.

 

If you can find a pin-out diagram for the DIN connector between the units, then you might be able to interface it with a new head unit, even if you have to adapt for a connection.

Do you have any idea where I could find such a diagram?

I actually think that the Toyota OEM head unit is better and more powerful than most aftermarket stuff.

Really? My parents have a '93 Corolla DX. They put a Kenwood radio in it and the radio reception is noticeably better than it was with the stock radio. I'm getting new speakers, so I'll see if my problem is worn out 24-year-old speakers, a not that great stereo, or maybe both.

 

Eccono cars have even cheaper paper speakers than the rest of the fleet. If the sound is not up to scratch it has more to do with the speakers than it does the head unit. Add Age to that especialy if you live near the equator since that means even more UV light and more heat soaking and more humidity. If you want to keep CD consider getting a Double DIN unit with CD. I believe the seperate units like yours have separate connectors the question is does that CD player have it's own built in amp of did it pass low level signal to the radio/cassette unit to amp it to line level? Either way depending on what the new unit has for inputs and outputs it could be made to work but it might not be a solution that you yourself can implement as you would have to understand electronics, car audio and you might need to make modifications beyond your skill level. Having never tried to do this I can not advise you beyond this point. Even with all of my electronic test gear and soldering gear I would just go Double Din with an adapter harness and be done with it.

I am dreading replacing my speakers on my 17 year old Camry when the day comes especialy the rear speakers! I like the OEM Radio/Cassette/CD but mine is not 2 separate units it is one Double Din unit. If it goes bad I will likely repair it. Re-cap it look for cold solder joint issues etc....

Speakers are the heart of an audio system if those are not good nothing else matters!

 

I think I might have found something:

At this point, though, I don't think that wiring this old CD player with a new radio would be worth it. I'll probably spend an extra $30 if I do upgrade on a unit that has one builtin like this one: Alpine CDE-172BT CD receiver at Crutchfield. The only thing left would be filling in the cavity left behind by the old CD player.

Thank you for all of your help.

 

You might want to look into an amp too, as from what I've seen, many aftermarket stereos don't seem as powerful as the OEM ones.

 

Some Corollas that didn't have the CD player option has a cubby where the CD player is. You can find that part in a local junkyard. There's no divider. It's just a big empty space.

The issue is now, do you want the head unit up high or down low.

 

Some Corollas that didn't have the CD player option has a cubby where the CD player is. You can find that part in a local junkyard. There's no divider. It's just a big empty space.

Yeah, my parents have a '93 without the CD player.

I think I will end up going with a single DIN stereo with a CD player, and I'll get the cubby from a junkyard.
Thank you everyone for helping me.

 

Where your head unit is now, it should be able to accommodate a single din with touch screen.

The Sony head unit I bought from crutchfield is a single din. But the screen fits in a double din slot. Crutchfield supplies the dash kit. It's better than kits of the past. Mine looks like it was 3D printed.

They also give you a pig tail harness. It's not crimped, but I think it's like $10-20 for them to butt splice it to the head unit harness and that will plug into the stock harness.

 

The cubby should be easy to find. Most 7th gens had it and it unscrews with 4 screws just like a double DIN stereo. There are old threads explaining how to get the trim off.

 

You can also install the cubby from the 8th gen, which has a door so stuff is hidden/doesn't fall off. Minimal modification required, if I remember right, just it's just bit of plastic you need to trim off in order to fit the 7th gen brackets.

 

I seem to remember the 8th gen cup holder was also in some way different from 7th gen, and somebody had made that swap in addition to the cubby. I’m not sure though whether there was a real improvement over the 7th gen design or if the swap was just to demonstrate it could be done.