Mr2 Mk3 Stereo Removal Guide

August 27, 2009

Having failed to find a comprehensive guide for replacing the stock stereo in my 2000 UK Mk3 Roadster (and having subsequently just tried it myself) I figured I'd produce one while it was still fresh in my mind. Before beginning you will need the following: Assorted screwdrivers, socket set, PC2-17-4 adapter cable (Toyota > ISO - about £2 on ebay), slim pliers, cable ties and something to hold all the screws and bits of plastic you'll be removing. So here goes:

1. Remove all the easy bits: Take out the ash tray, cigarette lighter and pull off all the heater controls. Be careful with the sliding switch which selects whether the air is fresh or recirculated; it will be on quite tight and has a clear plastic insert that might come loose when you remove it.

2. Undo the 2 screws behind the ash tray. These have bolt heads so you will need a socket driver of some sort. The proximity to the gear stick makes this quite tricky, and you will need a short tool if you don't want to have to remove the gearstick trim. I used a short screwdriver with a socket head on the end, but you might have more luck using a small ratchet with an extension piece to overcome the depth of the void in which the screws sit. Once the screws are out you should be able to pull the metal ash tray housing free. It has 2 plastic pegs to hold it into position, be careful not to snap them when removing it.

3. Remove the plastic trim encompassing the ash tray, lighter socket and surrounding the cup holder. It is a push fit so requires a little force to remove, but be careful not to apply too much as the cable for the lighter is attached to the rear. Once it is free of the surround, unplug the lighter cable and set it aside.

4. Undo the screws that hold the heater control surround in place (these should have been revealed when you removed the heater control knobs). Once removed you should be able to pull the trim free, but again be careful not to use too much force as there is a cable attached to the rear. It is not necessary to completely remove this panel, so you can leave the plug attached, and just prop the fascia panel up and out of the way.

5. Using a flat head screwdriver, (carefully) lever the bottom section off of the side pieces that run down the length of this part of the dash. Just insert it where the light grey plastic meets the black and lever upwards to pop the bottom section off. Underneath each one you'll find 3 screws holding the remaining pieces on. Once removed, pull downwards to remove the rest of the side trim.

6. Now you should see why you've had to remove all this trim. There are 4 screws attaching the stereo mounting cage to the dash that are normally hidden. The bottom 2 should come out fairly easily, the top 2 are difficult to reach and tricky to remove. Naturally the screws aren't magnetic, so be careful when they come free that they don't disappear into the inner recesses of the dash.

7. Once the screws are out, pull the stereo and the surround out in one piece. There are 2 big black metal 'fins' that cover the side of the unit which come out too, so move the gearstick into 2nd or reverse to give you as much space as possible. Unplug the cables from the back of the stereo as it comes free. Set the stereo aside for now.

8. The next section may differ depending on what stereo you are removing. I had a stock Sony CD/Radio/Cassette, so there was a Toyota>Sony adapter cable in place which had to be removed first. Just strip the foam coating and disconnect it. Basically at this point you should be able to connect the PC2-17-4 adapter cable, so if you cant, chances are there is already another adapter cable in place that needs to be disconnected. Once removed, connect the PC2-17-4 adapter cable.

9. Again, this section may differ depending on which stereo you've picked up to replace the stock unit. I bought a Kenwood DPX303 which is a double-din unit that fits perfectly without the aid of any extra brackets etc. If you want to fit a different sized unit you may require extra bits. Im afraid you're on your own in that case! Undo the 6 screws that attach the mounting cage to the stock stereo and slide it out. You wont need the mounting cage or the plastic trim/surround that came with the new stereo, so set these aside. The new stereo should slide into the existing mounting and align with the screw holes. Replace the screws and attach the cable that came with the stereo to the back of the unit.

10. Get the new stereo roughly into position ready to slide back into place. Connect the 2 sets of cables together and plug in the antenna lead. Slowly slide the unit halfway into the dash, being careful to feed the cable out of the side below the steering wheel.

11. Some cable tidying is necessary now, as there isn't room behind the stereo to accommodate it all. Use some cable ties and tuck it up under the dash below the steering wheel. Remember to leave enough slack so that you can still remove the stereo in the future should you need to. At this stage it would be a good idea to test that everything is working on your stereo, as you'll want to know now rather than once you've put all the dash back together!

12. Push the stereo in the rest of the way an reattach the 4 screws that hold it in place. Again the top 2 will be an almighty pain to get to, so you may need to hold the screws in place with a long and slim pair of pliers while you do them up past the first few turns.

13. Now you just need to perform steps 1-5 in reverse to reattach all the dash trim, and that's it!

Phew!

Hope this is helpful!

Dan