stereo questions

[txchainsawgogi]

So I'm replacing the broken factory stereo and blown speakers with a simple 180W pioneer cd player.

Main concern is that the car will handle it ok. I.E. no burned out overheated wires or a ruined alternator.

Ill be running 4 6.5 speakers, no tweeters or subs.

[78 Chevyrado]

It'll run it fine. Just a radio shouldn't pull much current.

[txchainsawgogi]

Alright I'm stuck. Now the new radio isn't working. I've wired up radios before and never has it been such a pain! There are only three wires in the main harness, and if the stock radio was atleast coming on then this shouldn't be happening.

Ill label them as my haynes has them

Yellow: hot
Grey: interior lights
Black: ground

And now what the cd player manual asks for

Yellow: connect to constant 12v
Red: connect to igniton
Black: ground

As I have it hooked up:

Black: black
Yellow(radio):grey
Red(radio):yellow(truck)

I tried switching the yellow to yellow but still nothing.

It won't even come on. The inline fuse is fine and the radio fuse on the fuse box looks fine too.

[howlinwolf]

it may be easier if you just ran the yellow from your stereo to a constant hot on the fuse block. thats how mine is done.  Your interior lights are not always on, and may not have the full 12 v the stereo requires.

[txchainsawgogi]

So how would I go about finding a safe wire to splice for constant 12v?

[1980c10]

You'll need a test light or multimeter; (your fuse box is a good place to check but doesn't have to be)
from the stereo;
Yellow---Check for power present with key on and off. (probably at the fuse box)
red------Check for power present only when the key is on. (you can probably find this from an old stereo wire check your yellow wire from the truck)
black----connect to ground (pretty much any metal screw or bolt that connects to metal)
Also plug in your antenna.
this will power up your deck.
run new speaker wires from the back of your deck for each speaker.
when you buy the speaker wire try to find one with a stripe on one side or some way to seperate them from + to - and hook them up accordingly.
Avoid using electrical tape and get some heat shrink tubing for connections.

[1980c10]

btw your gray wire from the truck will go unused but make sure cut it and cap it as it will be hot when your turn on your lights.

[txchainsawgogi]

With my multimeter, what numbers should I be looking for? Also? When testing at the fuse box do I put a post at either end of the fuse? Then after that am I splicing into the wire leading to or ffrom the box?

[Grim 82]

You're just looking for a 12V source, so a simple test light will work. You'll probably find unused ports in the fuse box that you can plug a wire & spade connector into. You just need a constant hot, and a switched hot. I would run new wires and not splice into anything else. The first head unit I put in my pickup I just used the wires that were there from the old tape deck, and it was spliced into the cig lighter. I plugged in my phone charger one day and magic smoke came out of the cd player.

[txchainsawgogi]

 so can I slide in a spade between the top of the fuse and the little holder?

[Grim 82]

What I was suggesting is that there might be open slots in the fuse panel that aren't being used. I wouldn't use anything in conjunction with any existing fuses. I think there is one marked IGN or ACC that would work for the switched power. Poke around in the unused ports with a test light and see what you have.

[txchainsawgogi]

I have an unused acc tab, so that would be my switched 12v, and a ground is easy..what about the constant? Any suggestions on that?

[three8six]

What about blue? The remote wire?(it was blue on mine) or you don't want it to keep time?

[Grim 82]

The remote wire is energized when the head unit is on to turn on an amplifier.

Did you find any un-used port that is constant 12v?

[txchainsawgogi]

This sounds sad but I'm not sure what setting to put my multimeter on