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 Post subject: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel removal
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:07 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 06, 2017 5:09 pm
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Location: Ohio
This article is about my complete audio overhaul in my 2012 Jeep Liberty KK Arctic. Nothing regarding audio is stock. I changed everything. So this resource is all my knowledge, experience, ideas and tips and tricks all compiled into one article. I'm sure I am missing a few things but shoot me a message if you have a question. I made a 52 minute two part YouTube video explaining as many things as possible especially how panels come off (links are below). This article will show everything below and more: I suggest using the Ctrl+shift+F function to find a specific topic in this article. Its 5500 words of wisdom lol.
- changing speakers
- Installing an amp
- changing out head unit
- curious where to run wires in car
- How to remove interior panels in car like:
○ A pillar, vent/tweeter trim piece, glove box, kick plate panels on floor, rear and front pillar pieces, passenger seat, head unit and air conditioning control panel, tailgate, truck cargo bin and side panels
Tools needed for install
- flat head and Phillips head screwdriver
- Socket and ratchet set (metric) 10mm was used a lot
- PLATIC PRY TOOL (cant stress how useful and important this was)***
- Zip ties, zip ties, zip ties….did I say Zip ties? Yeah I used so many
- Couple rolls of electrical tape
- Wire strippers
- Flush cutters
- Assortment of pliers, including crimpers
- Heat shrink
- Soldering supplies
- Possible epoxy to fix a broken clip
○ Side note- I used super glue to seal my cuts from knives and other things that cut me LOL
- Wire ferrules
- Spade connectors
- Lighter/torch
- Dish soap to help run wires through rubber grommet and rubber boots
- Coat hanger to pull wires through tight places
- Foam strips
- 3M double sided foam tape (very useful)

I did make a 30 minute video but I was exhausted and my thought process and word formation was not the sharpest so bear with me when watching. In the video I showed where clips are located and where to pry when taking off panels on the dash, a-pillar, kick panels in both front and rear, tailgate, rear pillar panels and truck cargo panels. I also did the video midway through my install so no panels are on but I do mock up a few and explain how it works. This is the link to my videos it’s a two part video:

YOUTUBE VIDEO LINKS:

This link shows everything torn apart Pt. 1 - https://youtu.be/VlbFpsjqoXI
This link shows how to take panels off when things are back together pt.2 - https://youtu.be/UWTuHN5P0Tc

What I did
In my build I put in new head unit, ran all new speaker wires straight back from amp to new speakers, added an amplifier and new 8 inch sub to replace stock one. It was not cheap and was extremely time consuming as it was my first time and I had to pry off panels with trial and error as there wasn’t much info on our car and how panels come off. Nothing audio wise is my car is stock :)
 
Below I will talk about the build and try to sum everything up as shortly as possible (as I'm re-reading everything this is no short article, extremely comprehensive) . PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED HELP. I can tailor a response better for you if you ask. 
 
Below is the ORDER in which you should remove panels in the car.
- If you don’t want to read just watch the video it can explain a little better but I also didn’t explain the order in the video.
 
Alright so I first started by removing all the panels in the car. (Will explain better in video). I started in the dash area with the trim piece around the stereo. After that was removed I focused near the instrument cluster. First remove the junk drawer thing and then remove the panel that is below your knees in the drivers seat (same panel connected to junk drawer). It’s held In by two clips and pops out and will hang down sort of like the glovebox with a little force from under the steering wheel. Once that is removed take your pry tool and pop off the upper dash piece that is seamed together to the trim piece around the instrument cluster. Next pull off the a-pillar you will want to pull towards the passenger seat, it’s held In by two clips. Once removed you can pull off the trim piece that goes around the gauges and over the vent and tweeters. It’s held in the back by a bolt (don’t forget to remove). Then pops out with a few tugs. Once done you can move to passenger side. Take out the glove box. Remove the grab handle (Held in by two screws. Hidden underneath and then just slides out. Next you can pop off the upper dash price that is connected all the way across. After that’s removed you do the same thing with a-pillar and the. Remove the bolt by windshield that Fastens down the vent and tweeter cover. It then pops out with a few tugs and prying. Don’t mess with the airbag panel, don’t have to remove. After that I dealt with the kick panels. They are held in by two clips on the bottom of door frame, and one inside near the hood release (pull towards interior of car to pop out this panel). The kick panel leads into the rear pillar and overlaps it. It’s can be easier to remove seat. I removed passenger seat because it made it easier for me to run all my speaker wires and RCA cables. Driver side I just snaked the power and amp tune on wire through since they were smaller diameter. At this point I started to get the hang of things and just started prying where I assumed clips to be. You can use some force as I didn’t break any of the clips during the entire install. My video shows everything a little better. In the rear I removed both cargo panels the cover the sub-woofer and the spare tire jack and wrench tools. These can’t be removed until you take off the trim piece on top of tailgate frame and the bottom of tailgate frame. Once removed give the cargo panels a tug toward the opposite side of car pulling on the top and bottom of the panel. Once you take out the cargo panels you can move onto the carpeted piece that hinges when you put the rear seats up and down. This piece comes off straight up very easily, once removed move onto  the cargo bin. It’s held down by two bolts in front and then pull toward you out the tailgate. Lastly the panel on the tailgate. Disconnect defroster cables and then take out the two torx screws by the little handles. Then give a tug down on the handles and The panel should pop off. The door panels are held in by one screw in the bottom corner that is covered by a little round tab, and a bolt in the top corner near the door handle (10 mm if I recall)
The picture below is the internals of the tailgate once the plastic trim piece is removed. You can see the two bolts that hold the outer trim piece in place (the one with the jeep emblem and latch release). Remove these bolts and then there will be two white clips on both sides. Go ahead and pinch these with pliers and you can remove the entire panel. I ran my backup camera wire underneath that external trim piece and straight through the hole where the clips go into. This took me roughly 10 minutes to do.
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How I wired everything
Disconnect battery before wiring things. This next section is how things were wired. I ran the power wire through the driver side of the car and it goes through the grommet that is also on the driver side on the firewall. Use knife to cut grommet if you haven't run something through it already. Very easy to see when hood is open. I wired in the fuse holder but purposely left out the fuse until everything was completely wired. This power wire ran underneath all the kick panels and some of the carpet in the front and up the wheel well into the rear and just left it laying on the bare metal in the rear. The RCA cables and the speaker wires were all ran on passenger side of car separating the power and speaker wires as far as possible to eliminate any possible noise issues. The RCA cables ran up the firewall by passenger foot well and behind the glovebox compartment into the headunit area. The speaker wires for driver woofer and tweeter were ran from the passenger side, under the carpet and inside the dash. It is then ran behind the instrument gauge cluster. The left rear (behind driver seat) was ran up left side of cargo area and in the headliner then down the pillar into the boot. This allowed me to take a shorter route and still avoid running the speaker wire near the power wire. I made sure to run plenty of extra speaker wire and just threw it into the cargo area so I could organize them without worrying about running out of wire. If you run your own wires get the 100 foot roll especially if you place the component crossovers in the rear like I did. There are two spots to place your ground wire, they are in the rear near the bottom left or right corner of the cargo panels. The mic wire for the headunit I ran through the dash behind the instrument cluster and behind the dash by the windshield then up the a pillar, over the headliner and right above the rear view mirror.

Eliminate rattles in the door panels
If you are like me, you may have noticed that the doors have a pretty bad rattle at certain frequencies. So when the door panels were off I went ahead and tried to eliminate any possible sources of rattle. I put some foam with adhesive on the large flat areas in the panel. I will at some point replace with dedicated sound dampening material, but what I did will be fine for now. On the door you will see these little plastic hooks (for a lack of better word). These hooks slide inside of these slots all over the door to keep it from pulling off. So since it is a plastic on plastic connection I took my electrical tape and did one layer on every single hook to separate the pieces. The controls for the windows to go up and down was another major source of rattle. Once the door panel is off you can push from the bottom of the controls and it slides out freely. When out I put some 3m double sided foam tape on the bezel of the controls. I also took electrical tape and wrapped it around the 4 metal clips and put more electrical tape all the way around the whole control panel underneath the clips. This worked flawlessly, when you go to put it back in the door panel it is a snug fit and has no play, therefore no more rattle, YAY!! Also make sure to put some foam on any wires that are just free hanging or anything else that could vibrate or touch another part of the car.

Getting new speaker wires through door boot Molex
Alright the biggest speed bump I ran into when doing this install was how the heck I am going to pass the speaker wires through the rubber boot on the doors. I thought "oh ill just snake it through" but of course with newer vehicles they think it’s a great idea to have a massive Molex connecter that is in the doors frame. I did some research on how to get it through and once I did it, it wasn’t too bad. In the video I explain it but I also took some pictures so I'll try and explain here. The front doors you'll have to take off so get someone to give you a hand.

Okay so the pictures below are of the rear door boots. Start by taking off the rubber boot around the plastic piece. Once off you'll see a tab on top and one on bottom, push the top one in then move to the bottom while the holding the top from popping back into place. You can then start pulling the Molex connect out of the doors frame, go ahead and unclip the two pieces. This is where you can run your new speakers wires from the inside of the car and pull some slack through to the other side. On the Molex connecter in picture 4 you'll see where I made a hole just big enough for the new wires to run through. Pull the slack wire through that hole and then this is where you might want to get someone with skinny arms. Take your coat hanger (bend over the tip and wrap with electrical tape to keep it from hanging up or puncturing anything) and put some dish soap on the end to let it move more freely. Take your hanger and arm and reach from the inside of the speaker hole and wiggle the coat hanger from the inside into the rubber boot. Then attach the new wire to the hanger and pull the slack through the door. You can now go ahead and reconnect the Molex, and put the rubber boot around the Molex, THEN clip in the door (follow this order!). Congrats you have succeeded at the hardest part of this install!! Front doors are the same besides you'll want to remove the door and have someone hold it while you disconnect the Molex, then you can set the door down while you wire the speaker wire through. Front door Molex has 4 tabs on the sides, not the top and bottom like the rear. Id consider tying the male ends of the Molex with some string so that if they were to go inside of the car you don’t have a hard time trying to fish them back out. The only difference between the front and rear is that there is another grommet that is on the inside of the car. This one is sealed so what I did was puncture it with the coat hanger, tie the new wires to the hanger and then pull through internal grommet. In picture 5 you can barely see the grommet I'm talking about (its hiding behind the RCA cables). In the front since the Molex is so massive I didn’t have to cut any holes this time, it had an opening plenty big for the wires to pass through. So just pass the wire through, reach from inside of door and pull the new wires through making sure to pull enough slack. Keep your door close to where it was taken off (lean against car). This allows you to prewire everything so that your helper doesn’t have to hold the door so long. The last 3 pictures are of the front Molex connection and how it looks wired.
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Installing speakers and subwoofer
Installing the door speakers is fairly straight forward for the JBL speakers. The plastic frame they supply lines up perfectly with the stock holes and you just screw it in with stock screws. Before you put it on I highly suggest putting 3M double sided foam tape on the back of the plastic bracket that attached to the doors frame. This helps to reduce unwanted vibrations and helps seal it (plus it's an adhesive). And then once the bracket is in place you can put double sided foam tape between the back of the speaker and the bracket on the door. Again helps reduce vibrations and other benefits. Obviously attach the wire to the back of the speaker before screwing it in. the positive is the larger terminal while the smaller terminal is negative. For the tweeters in the front I had to fab up my own brackets since the new tweeters were tiny and the stock ones were like 2.5 inches. So what I did was actually use the plastic from the other head unit bracket supplied in the package and cut it out with a hot Xacto knife, then drilled a hole in the middle so I could fit the new tweeter brackets and then screwed the new tweeters into this DYI bracket. It wasn’t pretty but it certainly worked. I didn’t talk about it in my video but you get a view of what it looks like. The stock rear speakers are also components but from everything I have read you want components in the front and coaxial in the rear (if you even do rear fill). This allows the premium sound to come from the front and keeps the rear more mellow and more of a filler. The front components I used the +3db control on the external crossover to make sure that I am hearing the higher frequencies from the front. The rears I kept the tweeters at 0db because higher frequencies are more directional sound whereas the woofers and bass frequencies are more omnidirectional meaning you can't tell where the sound is really coming from. This combo sounds fantastic! And since you use coaxial you save a few bucks. For the subwoofer in the back I removed the stock enclosure and took out the stock sub, once removed you'll notice a rubber gasket/grommet that has the subs wires imbedded into the grommet. I took out the grommet and drilled out the old wires. And just passed the new wires through the grommet to keep a good seal on the enclosure.

Side note- in the doors there will be the factory speaker connection, I went ahead and stuck my hand up the door and cut the wires as far up as I could to keep them from bumping around and possibly rattling

Where I placed amp and crossovers
This part of the install was another tough one to do right. So the only place in the car I could put my amp was in the cargo bin. The problem is that those little ribs all over the base don’t allow the amp or crossover to fit flush. I contemplated using industrial Velcro or 3M double sided foam tape. I decided on neither of those. I went to home depot and looked for some rubber washers (reference picture) instead and ended up finding these washers that were about 1/4 inch thick and they were tapered at the top. These turned out better that I could have imagined. I got some 1 inch long bolts (probably should have used shorter) and some self-locking nuts. I first mocked up where I want the amp and crossovers placed. I had to move the amp around so that I could find a flat spot in between some of the ribs for all 4 mounting corners on the amp. Once that was found I marked where I needed to drill holes. I then screwed everything in place having the washers between the cargo bin and the amp. Next I had to figure where I would drill holes to run my wires into the cargo bin. I ended up drilling three 3/4 holes and putting grommets in the holes to make the install more clean. When drilling holes for the grommet, drill straight on top of one of the ribs, this allows for the grommet to have a flat surface all the way around to sit in. The underside of the cargo bin has these ridges to add support when it sits flush in the trunk. I took some masking tape and put it on backwards so the sticky side is facing out and put it on the outer edge of the ridges all the way around. I then put the cargo bin back in the truck, added some pressure and then removed the bin. This transferred the tap to the base of the truck underneath the cargo bin. I could then see where I could run wires without them being crushed when the bin is all the way in. on the carpeted piece below the cargo bin I ran wires around the outline of tape and zip tied them to the carpet. This was achieved by cutting two parallel slits in the carpet and running the zip tie between them then over the wires. In the cargo bin (reference pictures) I drilled two holes as far left and right in the bin, it ended up being outside the ridges so I didn’t have to cut through them. The hard part was where I will run the power and ground wire. The layout of my amp put the inputs for the power and ground in the middle of the cargo bin. So I drilled my hole and cut out a little bit of the ridges around the hole. If you recall I said the ridges when all the way down don’t allow wires to be run underneath since they will be smashed. Well I cut little openings on the ridges and this allowed me to run the power and ground wire straight to the hole. (Look at picture)
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This last picture is of the final install and how the amplifier and crossovers look in the cargo bin
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Headunit picture
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My order
-Pioneer avh 1330 nex
-JBL GTO609c component 90 rms 
-JBL GTO638 coaxial 75-90 rms 
-Kicker 8" Dual voice coil 2-Ohm Comp-R Series Subwoofer 300rms wired to 4 ohms
- (be careful what subwoofer you buy, kicker makes identical sub that is a dual 4 ohm or dual 2ohm voice coil) I got the dual 2ohm because when you wire it in a series the final impedance is 4ohms which matches up with the amps power output…dual 4 ohm could be wired to either 8ohm in a series or 2 ohm when wired in parallel.
 
-Pioneer champion series 5 channel amplifier 
- 100rms 2ohm x4 
- 350 rms 4ohm x1 (for the sub)
 
-PAC rp4 - ch11 wiring harness (works with Jeep Liberty 2008 -2012….even though the supplied manual only says up to 2010)
-Metra 95-6511 Dash Kit
-Nvx 4 channel rca cables
-knukonceptz 4awg amplifier wiring kit OFC wire
-18 gauge wire for speakers and sub 100 feet
-wire ferrules 4 awg and 10-22awg assortment 
-heat shrink
-braided Tex flex 25 ft ended up not using but not a bad idea if you want to organize wires some more
-autovox backup camera (very pleased with the quality and clean install)
-micro bypass for pioneer nex models
-Metra 40-EU10 Antenna Adapter
-spade connectors
 
I'm probably missing a few things
Wiring schematics (most wires are just connecting the same color to the other harness) If you have questions about PAC interface they have great customer service!!!

Stereo wiring harness

Yellow - constant 12v (keeps memory on radio)
Red - accessory power (turns on stereo with key)
Black - ground wire
Blue with white stripe - amp turn on (run this straight back to Amp DO NOT HOOK INTO PAC wiring harness since I’m not using factory amp)
Purple and white stripe- rear gear input (attach to back up lights in rear of car)
Light green parking brake- (attach to the MICROBYPASS so that certain settings can work while Driving) If no bypass this will wire directly into wire by parking brake)
Orange white wire- illumination wire (either connects to the same colored wire in harness or connect wire to something that also dims with headlights turned on 12v source) <--I think that’s right don’t quote me on it

Micro bypass- ALL wires connect to the pioneer wiring harness section (I would highly suggest the bypass because it will allow you to access full menu settings while in drive)
black wire taps into black ground 
Blue connects to blue white amp wire (you can wire the amp turn on wire and micro bypass with no problem)
Green connects to the light green parking brake wire
 
WIRES NOT USED
Yellow black stripe- mute wire meant for older cars with phone 
Blue wire - for power antenna (bundle up and don’t use since no power antenna in car)
All speaker wires on harness - 8 of them to be exact(don’t use since I’m running the RCA cables to amp) bundle up on both the PAC harness and headunit harness
 Image


Backup camera
Red wire will connect to red accessory wire behind dash
Black wire connects to ground somewhere near truck
Yellow RCA connects to video input (brown input on back of headunit)
Purple white - connect to reverse lights in back of car, (this wire is used as a “trigger” to tell radio that it is in reverse) could also be connected to green wire inside of PAC wiring harness...also considered the reverse wire...this is what I did
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How I customized steering wheel controls through PAC wiring harness (Again if confused call their customer service!!)
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These are how I remembered what rca connect to what input in the amp (it may be different depending on the products)
Subwoofer
SWR = red to ...red R on amp
SWL= black to.... white L on amp
Rear 
RR = black rca to ch b red r.  Color of wire not cover
RL = blue rca to ch b white L
Front 
FL = grey rca to ch a white L
FR = turquoise rca to ch a red R
 
FRONT IS CHANNEL A
REAR IS CHANNEL B
 
Jbl gto 609c 53Hz-21000kHz
JBL gto 629 53Hz-21000kHz
Kicker comp r dual 2ohm 30HZ -300khz
 
Adjusting gain
1. Before starting take out all RCA in amplifier to protect your speakers from accidentally playing music at loud volumes. Turn gains down to lowest position, turn off high pass and low pass filters or put them to full and put the headunit equalizer to flat. Turn off any bass boost on amp (or if you want to use bass boost...don’t recommend...turn the knob up all the way so you can account for bass boost in your music later on without worry of clipping. Because if you keep bass boost down and then adjust gains normally then increase bass boost later you will clip. ALWAYS ADJUST BASS BOOST BEFORE ADJUSTING GAIN. bass boost can be a death wish for your subwoofer if not set up correctly
2. Turn gain on amp to lowest position and then a tiny turn up so some sound comes out when you start playing
3. Turn head unit to 85% volume. On pioneer it will be at about 34 out of 40. (Lower quality head units do 75% of volume) head units with different max volumes than 40 just take the max volume and multiply by .85 ……side note…. My speakers were able to go to 38 or 39 out of 40 before some distortion happened
4. Reconnect either the front, rear, or subwoofer inputs. And adjust each gains separately one at a time. Only choose one at a time
5. Use test tones to adjust gains. For the subwoofer I suggest using a 40 hz test tone, woofers a 1kHz tone (either use a test tone app like Signal Gen or download test tones) all at 0db. When doing the 1kHz test tone I HIGHLY suggest having a little ear protection on because it is higher pitch and will make your ears ring for hours. (Distortion on this sounds like a crackle)
6. If you aren’t sure what you are listening for on the 40hz tone when it starts to distort watch this video. I clearly shows the change from clean sub sound to distorted sound (it will go from a hum to a buzz with different pitch) https://youtu.be/WhrDqke8BKo
7. Start playing test tone with the head unit at 85% volume or the max percentage before the tone changes aka clipping. And if you are using a phone make sure your phones output volume is all the way up
8. Next go to amp and slowly adjust gain up listening to your speakers, when they begin to clip (goes from a controlled hum to a buzz) back it down until it doesn’t clip anymore. If you want to be extra safe turn the gain a smidge bit lower so that the head unit output is overlapping the amps gain or “output”. This allows a healthy amount of headroom where absolutely no clipping should occur. At high volumes. 
9. Next, rinse and repeat with the other speakers in your car. Making sure to disconnect the other RCA’s you don’t want to test
 
Adjusting high pass and low pass filters
 
*Background*
High pass is filter used for mid range speakers (door speakers) it will cut off frequencies lower than the speakers are supposed to play and allow the higher frequencies through. For example if your speaker specs have range of 60hz to 21000khz then you want to put the crossover point at around 80 - 100 depending on how much bass response you want from the door speakers (this is where you can play with the adjustments to tailor it to how you want to listen) crossovers don’t abruptly cut off at the set frequency they slope off at a certain rate. Usually a 12db to 24db slope. 24d means it cuts off 24db every octave. Simply it means it cuts off frequencies faster while lower dB slope will allow the frequencies to taper out over longer period. I prefer the 24db slope for the subwoofer and I think other will agree. 
 
Low pass is same as high pass besides it is used for subwoofers and only allows low frequencies through while cutting off higher ones that the sub is not designed to play
 
They way I set up high pass and low pass was keep one channel connected on RCA. So just the subs RCA are connected and you then start playing a track they has well balanced bass, mids and vocals. Highly suggest "Rockstar" by Nickelback it has clean vocals, guitar and a rhythmic bass note that is predictable making it great for tuning. Turn your low pass filter to like 125 and then slowly creep Lower. You will hear the vocals and mids start to disappear. This will most likely be around 80Hz.
After that is set I moved to the rear speakers and only had those RCA'S connected. This time we are using the high pass filter. So I started at about 125 and then just played with it up and down. You don’t want to much bass and you want the filter to be no lower than the frequency they can handle. Just adjust until it has the amount of bass and vocal combo you want. (It’s a personal preference at that point) lastly I did the fronts the method is used the same as above even with components. 
 
You will want the filters slopes for mid ranges and subwoofer to overlap so there isn’t any frequencies gaps. Just play with the settings till you get it sounding the way you want. Taking note of the frequency response of your speakers and you should be fine
 
When done adjusting gains and filters play some music and turn it up. If you happen to hear distortion from certain speakers just turn the gain down on the specific channel and try not to exceed the 85% mark on your head unit. Remember anything after that may distort and damage speakers. Trust me 85% is plenty loud if you have correct speakers with the amp. I turn it up to 16 out of 40 on my head unit and it is plenty loud. If you are lacking power to the subwoofer. You may need more powerful amp. Do your research on the speakers and amp combo and you shouldn’t have to worry.
 
Articles that helped me and may help you if you are confused  

Tuning the gain high pass and low pass filters 
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/artic ... endlyURL=n
Dumbed down version to time gains and low pass high pass( better article than above)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.caraudionow.com/amplifier-tuning-quick-guide-to-tune-your-amp/amp/
 Adjusting gain with test tones
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-nLdj4cSIU3h/learn/setting-amplifier-gain.html
Complex article to adjust gain and filters
http://knowledge.sonicelectronix.com/car-audio-and-video/car-amplifiers/how-to-tune-and-adjust-amplifier-gains-and-bass-boost/
Install video and article on how to install 5 channel amp
https://youtu.be/h1wM6gA4e70
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-2pXuI7A2G ... guide.html
Adjusting rear speakers to sound best in car
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/how-articles-provided-our-members/81191-rear-fill-speakers.html#/topics/81191?page=1
Removing head unit trim pieces
http://avic411.com/index.php?/topic/16190-08-jeep-liberty-install-complete-updated-pics-1st-post/
Removing door panels
http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Jeep-Liberty-Door-Panel-Removal-Speaker-Replacement-Guide/
How to properly adjust equalizer
http://www.carstereochick.com/2012/08/09/how-to-properly-set-an-equalizer-in-a-car-audio-system/




If you read through the entire thing and made it down here, I applaud you and your dedication to do it right and smoothly the first time! I hope I helped someone because I would kill for a resource like this when I was installing. It would save so much time. Anyways, if you go through with installing I wish you the best of luck it's not too bad when you get on a roll and if you use the info I supplied you should be just alright! It's all worth it in the end, TRUST ME!

P.S I may just start living in my car it sounds that good :)


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 3:41 pm 
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Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 7:32 am
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
Wow, this is awesome! :BANANA:

Adding this to the How-To’s Index in the KK tech section.
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=80240&p=845155#p845155

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2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic
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BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
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AtTheHelm Front Recovery System & Roof Rack

M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 4:05 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 06, 2017 5:09 pm
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lfhoward wrote:
Wow, this is awesome! :BANANA:

Adding this to the How-To’s Index in the KK tech section.
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=80240&p=845155#p845155


Thanks. Is there anyway to change the subject title after it’s been posted? I feel as if I could have worded it better for people’s searches.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 4:18 pm 
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Yeah, I think you can edit the original post and change the subject. It should affect all the posts and replies that happen afterwards. I can change the description on the how-to’s index if you’d like.

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2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic
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Jeepin By Al 4" Lift Kit
BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
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M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:42 pm 
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lfhoward wrote:
Yeah, I think you can edit the original post and change the subject. It should affect all the posts and replies that happen afterwards. I can change the description on the how-to’s index if you’d like.


Yeah that’d be awesome. You can make the name whatever you want, just something with like “video included”. I just don’t know what to put for a better subject.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 10:10 pm 
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Done. Thanks again for the detailed post. I’m sure this will inspire and instruct.

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M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 11:32 pm 
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Very nice write up! I'm sure it will come in handy for others.
One question.
Did you use the OEM antenna?
The OEM antenna uses a signal booster power wire. I did not see how you handled this in the write up. I have not installed an aftermarket HU in my rig, but if my mind serves me correct others have used the Bl/Wt or Blue wire from the Pac adapter for that function.
If you did not power the antenna, how is your reception?

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2.5" Adjust-A-Strut JBA lift, Euro taillights,
Home made; Front Tilt Hood, Roof Rack, RAM Air, & CAI.
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Take a ride on the Trō side!

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 10:54 am 
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Scar0 wrote:
Very nice write up! I'm sure it will come in handy for others.
One question.
Did you use the OEM antenna?
The OEM antenna uses a signal booster power wire. I did not see how you handled this in the write up. I have not installed an aftermarket HU in my rig, but if my mind serves me correct others have used the Bl/Wt or Blue wire from the Pac adapter for that function.
If you did not power the antenna, how is your reception?



The blue white wire is solely for amp turn and the micro bypass if you choose to install it. The solid blue wire I capped off and didn’t use because that wire is for older vehicles that have a power antenna ( A power antenna is an electrically motorized automotive antenna that raises and lowers With a switch or with the blue wire). Jeep Liberty kk have the fixed antenna on the rear of the roof. So no need for blue wire.

In my first video I explain the antenna wires a little bit. The stock hu will have a white and a yellow antenna wire. The white is normal am/fm radio and the yellow is for Sirus xm. I didn’t connect the sirus one since I don’t use it and the am/fm you just make sure to buy the correct antenna adapter for the new head unit. My signal is amazing especially with the HD radio function on the pioneer.

Did that answer your question?


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:53 am 
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I under stand what a power antenna is.
What I was asking was about the amplified antenna feed.
See viewtopic.php?f=88&t=78493&p=825822&#p825822
For the Pin outs.
Radio C2 pin B7 GY/OR. Goes to the OEM antenna to boost the signal.
This wire in the OEM harness, is the one others have had to power to get a better signal with other Pac adapters.
It is likely PAC has since addressed this issue with the PAC RP4-CH11. Since your antenna signal is good.

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07 KA Light Khaki, Manual trany.
2.5" Adjust-A-Strut JBA lift, Euro taillights,
Home made; Front Tilt Hood, Roof Rack, RAM Air, & CAI.
ESP Off Switch
Take a ride on the Trō side!

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:36 pm 
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Scar0 wrote:
I under stand what a power antenna is.
What I was asking was about the amplified antenna feed.
See viewtopic.php?f=88&t=78493&p=825822&#p825822
For the Pin outs.
Radio C2 pin B7 GY/OR. Goes to the OEM antenna to boost the signal.
This wire in the OEM harness, is the one others have had to power to get a better signal with other Pac adapters.
It is likely PAC has since addressed this issue with the PAC RP4-CH11. Since your antenna signal is good.



Yeah they must have because I didn’t once know about this issue or anything that has to do with powering OEM antenna. If you follow the wiring that I have listed in my post you will have no issue at all. Everything works as it should.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:24 pm 
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Cool deal. 8)

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07 KA Light Khaki, Manual trany.
2.5" Adjust-A-Strut JBA lift, Euro taillights,
Home made; Front Tilt Hood, Roof Rack, RAM Air, & CAI.
ESP Off Switch
Take a ride on the Trō side!

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:20 am 
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After a little over a month of this install I would like to supply an update to the install. First off if you always listen to music while driving this install is a must. Now you don’t have to replace every single piece of audio equipment like I did to enjoy better music,however I highly suggest doing so. After my install I looked back and thought to myself what could have made this install easier. Here are my thoughts:

Pull off almost every interior panel you can at the very beginning, yes I know it seems like overkill but trust me when I say that in the long run of the install it makes it much much easier to make a clean install and reducing a lot of headache when you are working in the right spaces

Second triple check everything and I would highly suggest explaining to someone what you are doing. I remeber explaining the process to my mom (who knows nothing of what I was talking about). Start from the front of the car by the battery and work your way back following every wire and talking your way through it. When you talk it out you WILL catch one or two things you forgot to do.

Take pictures of more complicated things so that you can reference them later if you happen to forget how it’s supposed to go together

If you run new speaker wires like I did. Don’t listen to people who say you need 14 gauge. You don’t, 18 gauge is perfect and allows for more felxability in right corners.

Use masking tape to label each wire end so you remeber which wire goes to which speaker.

If you think there could be a contact point that cause rattle throw some foam or electrical tape on it. Go overboard with this process, it pays off in the end.

BE ORGANIZED! I can’t stress this enough because at some points I would forget where I had put a tool and I ended up wasting a lot of time searching

One of the most important things I found was to designate a small Tupperware cup to each section of the car for putting screws, nuts and bolts in. I had 6 cups, one for all 4 doors in the car, and one for the headunit and one for the tailgate.

Remember to reconnect ALL factory molex connections.abojt a week after my install I noticed my rear right window wouldn’t go up or down. So I pulled off the door panel and realized the control wires weren’t connected. It was an easy fix but something I could have avoided.

Check your speaker wire polarity before putting the panels on. Easy test is using a AAA battery and tap the end of the speaker wire. You’ll hear a pop from a speaker and if it moves out first. You have correct polarity.

In my write up I forgot to mention that behind the head unit there is a metal bracket that holds the factory head unit in place. You have to remove this bracket or the aftermarket headunit won’t fit.

Finally solder all wire connections. It may take longer than crimping but it looks more professional and it will last forever without failing.


My last note and words of wisdom is to go for it and give it a try. I’m a 17 year old high schooler that did this project over Christmas break. If I can do it I’m sure anyone else can do it just as well. The final outcome will surprise you and the satisfaction you get doing it yourself will make it all worth it.
Good luck y’all!


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:47 pm 
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Wow! Great work and write-up. Thanks.
Want to do it again? ...How much $$$?


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep Liberty KK full audio upgrade & interior panel remo
PostPosted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:52 pm 
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_benjammin wrote:
Wow! Great work and write-up. Thanks.
Want to do it again? ...How much $$$?


Yeah I would be willing to do it again! The price depends on what you would like me to do.. What would you like to upgrade?


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