Installing a Aux input in a Ford Taurus

[Traphic]

Hello everyone!

I have a 2006 Ford Taurus SE. Recently I’ve been desperately trying to figure out a way to install an mp3 aux port in my car somehow. I have a CD player, so the cassette cable thing that I know you can buy is out the window. For the past year I’ve been using an FM transmitter, which works fairly well if I stay in the city, but if I’m traveling across from city to city it can be pain to be constantly looking for new weak signal stations while I’m driving. I know I can buy a whole new radio kit all together and replace it. I see online that they all now come with Aux inputs now. However, those get a little pricing and I don’t want to risk my car getting broken into because my car is usually in college town areas.

There were two things I was considering doing to solve my problem. First, my cars antenna and radio receiver is in the back by my trunk. So I’m thinking that maybe I could run the FM transmitter to be sitting literally right next to the radio receiver so it was basically touching it (it’s normally sitting in my cup holder so it’s quite a ways away). I could use an extension cable to plug into the 12v cigarette lighter and run it to the back, and then just run an Aux cable from the FM transmitter to plug in into my iphone up front. I feel like with this the signal will be boost quite a bit if the transmitter is right next to the radio receiver of my car. The downside of this is that I would have to stop and park my car to ever change the station if it got too much static.

The second thing I was thinking of is… My car is supposed to be able to support a Six CD changer that usually goes in the trunk or in the center console. I can “select” it up front. I opened up the covering in my trunk to look at the wiring and I believe I found where the Six CD changer would plug into. Now I’m wondering if there would be a way to instead wire an Aux input into it instead. That way when I’m up front I can just select the Six CD changer to listen to my iPod. I took a couple pictures of the open cable I’m talking about and what I believe is the radio receiver. My manual doesn’t tell me anything on what’s what when it comes to this so I’m a little lost.
http://i.imgur.com/VlQCEZS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rkrV5rP.jpg

If anyone could offer any guidance on solutions it would be very much appreciated.

-Traphic

[PaulD]

that second pic does not have enough wires in it to be the CD interface, looks like just power (and maybe ground) to something. If you find the correct cable, you will have to tap into L/R audio and have some type of control signal or the headunit will not even activate the changer port.

[drdisque]

I believe only the factory CD changer can be plugged into that CD changer plug and actually work. Your FM transmitter in the back idea would work though.

If you really want a real aux in you'll really have to go with an aftermarket head unit. They make adapter plates that allow you to install an aftermarket head unit on a Gen IV Taurus if you have rotary A/C controls. If you have automatic climate control you'd have to install the head unit somewhere else.

[partyd]

That is not the CD changer cable, that looks like the fuel pump diagnostic connector,
The external CD changer connector is in the factory amplifier or RCU tuner pack
this is located in the left side of the trunk behind the carpet there you will find a 13 pin plug for the external CD changer connector, you can also install an auxiliary audio input adapter for Ford Taurus and Sable radios
part # FRDR-AUX

If your vehicle is prewire for a CD changer the cable is going to be black square with 12 pins 2 rows of 6 + 6 sometimes there are only 11 wires this cable
is in the trunk in most Taurus and sable from 1996 to 2002 it can also be found in the center console 2003 to 2005 if you have the CD changer,

also you never have to remove the radio at front to add the aux interface