All Speaker wiring harnesses cut out

Aloha, I just picked up a low mile 2017 Tacoma non JBL and all the speaker wiring harnesses in the doors were cut and I guess he wanted to take the speakers with him so I’m stuck with cut ends. I’m wanting to throw in some new speakers but all I have are cut ends on the speaker wire, he didn’t touch the tweeters. My main question is, is it worth replacing/ splicing in a new factory wiring harness (still trying to find the right one for front and rear doors) to use with a plug and play kit or just wire directly to the new speakers? I’m new to car audio so not sure on the best course of action. Thanks!

 

what are your goals? just getting audio going, or do you have intentions of adding amps and/or much better speakers later on?

 

Direct soldering gives better connections. Factory connectors are nice when you value 'keeping it stock' or like the modularity. Once the wires are cut to not-factory-anymore, I would just solder wires at the correct length and bypass connectors unless you like or want to add oem connectors again. You can aleays cut the wires later if needed.

 

Thanks for the info! My goals are to get audio going again. Currently I don’t have any speakers so I would be putting in some new ones. As far as an amp goes, I don’t have that much knowledge on the pro/cons and what to look for so I will be looking into that before a decision. If I’m able to just get some pretty good speakers and solder them in then I’d be happy at this point but I like having room for improvement.

 

If you are really new to wiring speakers, this looks like a decent quick description of wire polarity:
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/knowing-the-difference-between-positive-and-negative-speaker-wire

well i agreed with that article until I saw this (about wiring up a car speaker), which makes no sense to me. Any idea why they would say this, I wonder if it is a GPT hallucination.
"You should always connect the positive terminal to the positive wire first because connecting the negative terminal first can cause a short circuit. The battery or other electrical components may become damaged when this happens."

 

i suspect it's confusing battery connections to speaker connections. definitely over-confident AI drivel.

but that info on the 'best method' for connecting a battery seems to switch annually anymore. one year, it's best to disconnect the positive wire. the next, science claims electrons flow from negative to positive terminals instead of last years logic where electrons flow from positive to negative, so then suddenly it's best to disconnect the negative... next year they'll say it's only appropriate to disconnect the battery when venus is in retrograde during low tide...

this thread has the stereo wiring diagram colors, though i can't make full sense of their abbreviated color descriptions. it might make more sense with the wiring in front of you
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-stereo-wiring-diagram.429679/

and the whole 'solder-vs-crimp' debate is long and hard fought. i've custom built entire circuit boards by hand. i'm very good at soldering. but i don't typically recommend soldering if you're not particularly interested in creating a new hobby of tools and techniques. crimping requires a crimper tool and the crimps, and most crimpers can be set so any blind ape can get a quality crimp no matter how they hammer on the tool.

soldering requires the appropriate application of solder and heat, along with a safe/clean work environment, and an understanding of heat transference between materials. all of which have their own nuances. soldering also has issues with wicking up stranded wire, which can create stiff wire sections that, in a vibration-prone vehicle environment, can increase the chances of a vibration breakage-- it's why the majority of all the other connectors in all vehicles are crimped instead of soldered.

that said, i would recommend something like this all inclusive kit for $26. the only things it doesn't have is a lighter or heat gun to heat-seal the butt splices after crimping, and a wire stripper to strip off the insulation.

$26 Sopoby Crimping Tool For Heat Shrink Connectors with 210PCS Marine Grade Heat Shrink Butt Connectors of Tinned Red Copper - Electrical Crimping Tool - 20-10 AWG

https://www.amazon.com/Sopoby-Crimping-Tool-Shrink-Connectors/dp/B0BZCDQM5X

unless you've got another purpose for soldering, a decent ceramic heating element iron will set you back at least $50, plus the requisite self-sealing heat shrink a project like this would require. it can also be really frustrating trying to work a stupid-hot soldering iron in a door panel with limited access

$51 YIHUA 939D+ Digital Soldering Station, 75W Equivalent with Precision Heat Control (392°F to 896°F) and Built-in Transformer. ESD Safe, Lead Free with °C/°F display (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/YIHUA-Professional-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B07RVMZNYR

$12 Eventronic 400 Pcs Heat Shrink Tubing Kit-3:1 Ratio Adhesive Lined,Marine Grade Shrink Wrap - Industrial Heat-Shrink Tubing - Black

https://www.amazon.com/Eventronic-Heat-Shrink-Tubing-Kit-3/dp/B0BVVMCY86

 

Thank you! This all has helped my out a lot! I ordered the crimper and plan on installing as soon as I get my speakers!

 

This is an exceptionally good and useful writeup.