Nakamichi CD-45Z User Manual
My Nakamichi CD-45z Installation Manual
Introduction: I created this short manual to assist people in installing a new stereo to their Subaru. I have attempted to provide relevant pictures and diagrams to assist. Some of these have been taken from other websites
and I have tried to reference them where appropriate.
Background: I have owned my ‘95 Subaru Impreza since I was in high school and have loved every minute of it.
When I graduated my parents got me a new stereo for it, an Eclipse 5341R. This is a very nice stereo. One year
later, when in school in California, my parents got me a ‘99 Subaru Outback. I had the Eclipse moved over to this
vehicle. Later, upon coming back to Kansas, I began to drive my Impreza again. It has the standard Subaru stereo
in it which provides truly unacceptable sound. Sometimes I wonder why car manufacturers even waste their time
putting in the horrible stereos they do into cars. They must own large amounts of stock in the companies they
use… Anyways, after suffering with it for a while I became frustrated enough to purchase a new stereo. I decided
to do the install myself despite the entirely lacking amount of information on the web about the wiring on a Subaru. The head unit I decided to install was the Nakamichi CD-45z. I got an incredible deal on one on eBay. So,
doing my own install helped to further save me money.
Tools Needed:
Philips Screwdriver (preferably magnetic tipped to aid in not losing screws)
Regular Screwdriver (helps in prying apart some components, remember to be gentle!)
Wire Cutters and/or Needle Nose Pliers that can cut wires
Larger Pliers that can be used to exert large amount of force to crimp things
6 Male Bullet Plugs for 14-16 Gauge Wire
6 Female Bullet Plugs for 14-16 Gauge Wire
The Installation: Below is a picture of where the install both starts and should ideally finish. This is, obviously, not
my original stereo. I had already gone through installing my new Nakamichi before I wrote this manual.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for anything you do to your car, your stereo, yourself, anyone else,
or any other form of property. I suggest that before starting you remove the power from your vehicle. You
could and likely will cause serious damage or possibly even loss of life by failing to do so. Basically, I am not
responsible for anything you do or any mis-statements made in this manual. Remember, you need to do your own
thinking. I am not here to do it for you. If something I say doesn’t make sense, then do not procede. Either I am
wrong, or you do not understand what to do properly and so you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place!
One of the first steps to
start off with is to pull
the parking brake and to
stick the car in first. To
do this you will need to
stick the key in the ignition and rotate it.
REMEMBER, DO
NOT FORGET TO
PULL THE PARKING
BRAKE!!!
The purpose of this is to
give you more space to
use, which in particularly
needed when removing
the center dash unit
which holds the stereo,
lighter, and ashtray.
The next step is to remove the shifter cover. To do this note the
small notch at the bottom, near the parking brake, insert a regular
screwdriver there to pop it up and then rotate it 90 degrees to take
it over the shifter. The picture on the left shows this process com-
Now, open the cup holder. We are then going to
remove the screws to the left and right of the cup
holder. This frees the top portion of the outer trim
assembly for the center of the dash.
In the two pictures below, I show the two screws
to remove to release the lower portion of the outer
trim assembly. Make certain to keep these 4
screws for use when reinstalling the trim piece.
A quick snapshot of the
4 screws removed in the
previous steps. Just
provided for reference
incase it is useful for
someone...
The next step is to remove the outer dash trim
piece. To do this just
start pulling up at the top
and work your way
down. I have shown the
before and after pictures
on the left and right respectively.
Now, remove the four
screws holding in the
center dash rack. This
rack holds the entirely
CD, ashtray, lighter, etc
assembly. Be careful,
underneath this unit is
the airbag control system. We would not
want to inadvertently
damage it in the process. On the next page is
a large picture showing
the four screws to remove. The picture on
the let is before removing them. On the right
is after.
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