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Cd player installation help!


SilverCavy21
04-15-2009, 02:38 PM
I need some help lol.
I am trying to install my cd player. We had the dash off and everything I was sold the wrong wiring harness at best buy (them bastards) and went back and got the right one. But its one with a red wire where I have to connect it to my ignition switch.

So that is the problem how do I get to my ignition switch we undid the screws under my steering wheel and it wouldnt pop off. Does anyone know a better way to get to it or should I just pull on it till it pops off. And if it pops off while I be able to put it back together without a hassle.

Please HELP!

Thanks,

J-Ri
04-15-2009, 05:53 PM
There is an ignition-on hot wire that goes to the radio, you shouldn't have to go directly to the ignition switch unless someone cut that wire out for some reason, but if the radio that was in there came on when you turned the key on and turned off when you turned the key off, it's still there. If you got the direct harness, it should just be plug-n-play.

mc670
04-25-2009, 10:45 AM
There is an ignition-on hot wire that goes to the radio, you shouldn't have to go directly to the ignition switch unless someone cut that wire out for some reason, but if the radio that was in there came on when you turned the key on and turned off when you turned the key off, it's still there. If you got the direct harness, it should just be plug-n-play.

Not to hi-jack or anything. but im having the same problem now. I never bought a wire harness, just cross ref'd the wires and joined them. The only power sourse is the constant 12v wire that was on the stock radio.

I heard i have to run a wire to the wiper fuse, so that the power to the deck turns on and off with the ignition. How do i go about doing this?

J-Ri
04-25-2009, 12:34 PM
Not to hi-jack or anything. but im having the same problem now. I never bought a wire harness, just cross ref'd the wires and joined them. The only power sourse is the constant 12v wire that was on the stock radio.

I heard i have to run a wire to the wiper fuse, so that the power to the deck turns on and off with the ignition. How do i go about doing this?

This is really the definition of "hijacking", but since this is at least a recent post and somewhat related, I'm going to answer anyway because I'm tired of directing people to the user guidelines, which it appears you already read since you know the "hijacking" rule :rolleyes:

"Joined" them... with what? Read this if your answer is anything but "solder". http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=950229

There is only one always hot wire, this is the one that actually supplies the power to the radio. The ignition on signal is what tells the radio it can turn on using the power from the always hot wire. You'll need a wiring diagram to find which wire it is, but it's there. The only possible reason it wouldn't be there is if the factory unit was an "RDS" radio, they have a computer data link to them, and it's possible that it's turned on and off directly by the PCM. I've never so much as looked at a wiring diagram for those, so I really have no idea on that. I've never heard of anyone having to tap another fuse for a radio install, everything you need should be right in that harness.

EDIT: I went in to work to do a couple things to my car, and checked a wiring diagram for my car which has an RDS radio while I was there. You are correct about needing to run a wire from an ignition-on fuse to power the radio on and off. The RDS radios get a signal from the BCM through the computer data lines (this is how they stay on with the key off until the door is opened), so an aftermarket radio will need an extra wire. I would personally install a 1 amp inline fuse to whatever fuse you decide to hook it up to just incase the radio would fail and short to ground across that wire, that way you don't lose power to something important while you need it. If you don't have an RDS radio, it will have an ignition-on wire there already.

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