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Help removing factory head unit

Swami

CEG'er
Joined
Apr 24, 2013
Messages
145
Spent two hours with the Crutchfield rep, looked up everything on the net and NOTHING! I have the proper tools and and some visual photos of the retaining springs. The left side pops out easily, but the right side is totally bound.

​Tried with tools all the way in, then marked them at 1" deep as someone recommended while pulling out and to the side. All I did was break the plastic on my fully functioning head unit.ARRGGHH!

Three hours now for a one minute job and no closer. Do I get a hammer and chisel or what?

​HELP!
 
Some pictures of what you're having trouble with may help.I know there was a tool to help get the head unit out.
 
Had to take off the lower center/shifter console and then the AC/heating upper console. Even with the entire unit out and the proper removal tools it took me several hours to remove the receiver as the metal corner was bent and pressing against the plastic - probably from the factory. What a nightmare!

​In the process I ruined a perfectly good factory head unit. I sure hope the upgrade is worth it.

​On another note, in the lower console I see that my cigarette lighter (which I never use except as a 12V power supply) is one quarter in/quarter out. I cannot twist it, push it in nor pull it out. Any ideas how to reseat?

​Final question to anyone. Do I bypass or use the factory amp - and why or why not? Am replacing the factory head unit with a 55w/17w per channel, Sony unit.
 
On another note, in the lower console I see that my cigarette lighter (which I never use except as a 12V power supply) is one quarter in/quarter out. I cannot twist it, push it in nor pull it out. Any ideas how to reseat?

Final question to anyone. Do I bypass or use the factory amp - and why or why not? Am replacing the factory head unit with a 55w/17w per channel, Sony unit.

You'll want to bypass the factory amp. 17W RMS per channel will sound infinitely better than the factory amp. You can bypass the factory amp with the Metra FD5014 70-5514 kit, here is an ebay link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151883633835?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
 
Thanks for the info & link, Scott. Would you suggest physically removing the amplifier?

​Here is the final deal on what caused me such a headache. There was no bent metal as I had earlier surmised. There was some extra plastic flashing from the mold around the stereo opening that the deck was catching on. A little filing and an Exacto knife cleaned it up. Basically, bad quality control from the factory. Ruined a perfectly good factory head unit in the process. I certainly hope the upgrade is worth it!

Several small screw drivers and lots of muscle and pliers got the cigarette lighter reseated - yay!

​Why is the small stuff oftentimes more difficult than the big stuff?
 
I would bypass the factory amp as well, to save weight if nothing else, also don't know if the new Sony head unit can do the amp on/off control, but the Sony head unit should sound much better than the factory hardware.

If you bought the head unit from Crutchfield, they'll have the amp bypass harness as well. Couple of years ago, I did a head unit swap and factory amp bypass in my wife's Mercury with a Crutchfield kit, and other than the required dismantling of a lot of the dash and center console, the swap went very smoothly, the destructions from Crutchfield were spot-on, and the Crutchfield harnesses were very well made.
 
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