Installing the iPod adapter in a 1999 Accord

[99AccordDad]

The instructions for the adapter say "Remove the Radio" but nothing on how to do that. I searched these forums and found nothing.

Here's the scoop:

Get a 3/4" by 4" scrap of lumber about 5 inches long and stick it into the open drivers side door to prevent wind or anything else from closing the door on your ankles.

There are 3 screws holding the dashboard molding around the radio/heater/Clock/Vents on. Two screws are underneath near the front and one behind the clock. You will need a number 2 phillips head as they are small.

To remove the clock, use two flat bladed screwdrivers. Wedge each driver under the clock along the bottom about 3/4" of an inch from each end of the clock. Push the driver handles down to pry the clock's bottom up and out (toward you). There are two metal clips holding the bottom of the clock.

Remove the third screw you see behind the clock that was holding the molding on.

Now the hard part: Remove the molding. I started on the bottom...then loosend the top and the left side popped. That was enough to tackle the right side. There are metal tabs on the molding piece that may fall off. I lost one to that place in the dash where all rattles come from. :-)

With the molding removed, there are 4 obvious screws holding the radio to the dash. Remove them and reach into dash to remove the radio by grabbing it from the back.

Detach the antenna. To detach the main cable, use a flat head screw driver to press the tab on the connector top and pry the cable out of the radio.

The Blitz adapter has a fuse as well as the cable that goes to the ipod and the cable that goes to the radio. The cable for the iPod is long enough to reach South Africa. The fuse cable is only 3" long and the radio cable only 6". I dread ever having to de-install the adapter.

I chose to velcro the Blitz adapter to the bottom of the radio cavity so the fuse holder and ipod dongle would slip into the back of the storage compartment and thus be accessible. This was difficult but I was able to do it without removing the lower compartment cover.

With the Blitz and the dongle/fuse holder in place, I reattached the antenna and radio cable to the radio. Then, with my right hand holding the radio and sliding it into the cavity, I reached to the back with my left hand and blindly attached the blitz connector. Having the blitz velcro'ed kept me from accidently pulling the fuse or iPod cables back into the dashboard making them inaccessible.

Everything else goes back in the reverse of how it came out. ******, the screws holding the radio will want to leap out of your fingers and join other things that rattle in the dash. A magnetic driver bit is recommended.

Hope this helps someone else. I spent more time looking for directions on removing the radio than installing it. All told, it was about 30 minutes to install.

[autotoys]

The instructions for the adapter say "Remove the Radio" but nothing on how to do that. I searched these forums and found nothing.

Here's the scoop:

Get a 3/4" by 4" scrap of lumber about 5 inches long and stick it into the open drivers side door to prevent wind or anything else from closing the door on your ankles.

There are 3 screws holding the dashboard molding around the radio/heater/Clock/Vents on. Two screws are underneath near the front and one behind the clock. You will need a number 2 phillips head as they are small.

To remove the clock, use two flat bladed screwdrivers. Wedge each driver under the clock along the bottom about 3/4" of an inch from each end of the clock. Push the driver handles down to pry the clock's bottom up and out (toward you). There are two metal clips holding the bottom of the clock.

Remove the third screw you see behind the clock that was holding the molding on.

Now the hard part: Remove the molding. I started on the bottom...then loosend the top and the left side popped. That was enough to tackle the right side. There are metal tabs on the molding piece that may fall off. I lost one to that place in the dash where all rattles come from. :-)

With the molding removed, there are 4 obvious screws holding the radio to the dash. Remove them and reach into dash to remove the radio by grabbing it from the back.

Detach the antenna. To detach the main cable, use a flat head screw driver to press the tab on the connector top and pry the cable out of the radio.

The Blitz adapter has a fuse as well as the cable that goes to the ipod and the cable that goes to the radio. The cable for the iPod is long enough to reach South Africa. The fuse cable is only 3" long and the radio cable only 6". I dread ever having to de-install the adapter.

I chose to velcro the Blitz adapter to the bottom of the radio cavity so the fuse holder and ipod dongle would slip into the back of the storage compartment and thus be accessible. This was difficult but I was able to do it without removing the lower compartment cover.

With the Blitz and the dongle/fuse holder in place, I reattached the antenna and radio cable to the radio. Then, with my right hand holding the radio and sliding it into the cavity, I reached to the back with my left hand and blindly attached the blitz connector. Having the blitz velcro'ed kept me from accidently pulling the fuse or iPod cables back into the dashboard making them inaccessible.

Everything else goes back in the reverse of how it came out. ******, the screws holding the radio will want to leap out of your fingers and join other things that rattle in the dash. A magnetic driver bit is recommended.

Hope this helps someone else. I spent more time looking for directions on removing the radio than installing it. All told, it was about 30 minutes to install.

Thanks for the writeup.

The clock is difficult and tough to remove at first, after the first time, it will be easy (it loosens up). Just slip a screw driver from underneath and come outwards. The clips are very tight. In the half a dozen cars we have done or so, the clock lcd display likes to go out of whack on removal, hitting it ever so hard seems to put the display back on.

And yes, it is true, because of the weird position of the holes for the radios, the screws may drop down into rattle land if you are not careful, use a magnetic bit.