Following a wire from the radio

[dyeguy2]

The radio in the 94 Roadmaster wagon I just bought doesn't keep the setting when the ignition is turned off. There is an orange wire that goes to the connector in the back of the radio that should be hot all the time but isn't. The wire disappears into the flex plastic protecting hose. How do I find this wire without ripping everything apart?

[Tech II]

That is probably a "keep alive" circuit......you can try tracing the circuit, or it might be easier to run a "fused" hot wire(from battery or fuse block), to the orange wire....

[dyeguy2]

I gave up trying to find where the orange wire went so I spliced into the wire feeding the cigarette lighter. It now seems to work fine.

[Tech II]

Yeah that saves you a lot of time, trying to trace back the wire......should cut that orange wire though....if there is an exposed break, it could possibly short out that circuit....and that jumper lead should be fused with a much smaller fuse than that for a cigarette lighter....