Installing an iPod in a Jeep

This weekend, I decided to install my iPod into my Jeep. I tried the FM transmitters and cassette adapters and was not happy with the results. The sound quality was always poor. So, I went to a local car stereo dealer in Manhattan and he gave me a quote of about $300 to install an adapter that would allow the car radio to talk to the iPod via the CD Changer controls. Looking on line, I found what I wanted for much less and decided that I could figure this out on my own. Since I didn't know how to take apart a dashboard, I looked online for instructions. I found a site that sold me some blurry jpeg files for $7. Total cost for the project was about $70 and the installation took about an hour.

Here is a breif description ...

Figure 1.

Here is the happy, healthy dashboard of a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee.


Figure 2.

The first step is to pry off the stainless trim plate. The red shows where the trip plate clips into the dash. I used a plastic 1" spakle knife to pry at the clips. Here is where those $7 pictures helped.

Figure 3.

It is important to stay hydrated while performing this sort of work. Note that the front tray rubber insert was removed to provide access to the screws that hold the center console in place. The radio is held in with four screw and slides right out. In the back is a port for the cd changer. The adapter I bought plugs right into the cd changer port. But now I had to route the wire to the passanger seat, which is where I wanted to put the adapter to allow for easy access.

Figure 4.

To remove the center console, start by removing the two screws that hold the CD tray in place.

Figure 4.

Remove the 2 screws under the front console tray and the cup holders.

Figure 5.

Upon removal of the CD tray, a family of marmalutes were found to have made their home in the console.

Figure 6.

After a quick extraction and relocation, the marmalutes were no longer an issue.

Figure 7.

I had to gently remove the accesory panel in order to route the cable from the back of the radio to the side of the console.

Figure 8.

Once the console is out, the cable can be routed through the console and out under the passanger seat. The removal of some parts required a liberal application of bourbon.

Figure 9.

I put the console back in by reversing the steps and was ready to rock on with some of my favorate alternative Christian bands.

Note that no marmalutes were harmed during the production of this article.

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