What could go wrong when installing a CD Player?

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 14th, 2005, 10:14 pm

Here is the deal,
I got a new stereo and the picture on the top shows the thing that connects to it.
This one has 12 wires connecting to it, the stock one on the car has 18.

One thing I am wonder is what can go wrong if I connect the wrong wires? Can it mess up my new stereo?
Any tips?

Here is what I plan to do

See the yellow wire? Thats what I plan to do. Cut the wires, join them with the new ones except that there is a problem. The thing with my new radio has 12 wires total. The old one has 18. Would I screw my radio if I connect the wrong ones?

2fazed · Post by **2fazed** » November 14th, 2005, 10:23 pm

You can fry your deck, and short your dash out. If your worried about connecting the wrong wires, just get an aftermarket wire harness for your car. It'll plug into your stock wire adapter, and will show color coded wires for your aftermarket deck.

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 14th, 2005, 10:28 pm

I guess I'm just going to get a pro to do it
f---, I spent a extra $10 getting splices so I can join the wires together.

mxmaz · Post by **mxmaz** » November 14th, 2005, 10:44 pm

do what 2face said

MX-SLICK · Post by **MX-SLICK** » November 14th, 2005, 11:14 pm

yeah, 10 bucks and you have a plug in harness so you dont have to cut any wires. Then simply connect the colours (at least yellow, red, black and the nall the speakers) you may or may not need the extras (dash illumination, power antenna, remote turn on lead, cell phone mute etc)

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 14th, 2005, 11:18 pm

MX-SLICK wrote:yeah, 10 bucks and you have a plug in harness so you dont have to cut any wires. Then simply connect the colours (at least yellow, red, black and the nall the speakers) you may or may not need the extras (dash illumination, power antenna, remote turn on lead, cell phone mute etc)

Ok, I see
So all I really have to do is cut and connect the red, yellow and black wires and I am set? The rest of the wires are pretty much useless if all I want to do is listening to music out of CDs?
Sorry, I am a moron with this kind of stuff. Exactly what wires do I need if all I want to do is listen to music out of my CD Player (not radio, cell phone, using remote, ect)
Plug in harness? How do they work really?

ovendenk · Post by **ovendenk** » November 14th, 2005, 11:26 pm

red, yellow, and black are your power and ground wires.

green, white, grey, and purple pairs of wires are for your speakers.

just go to best buy or equivalent store that installs car audio and but a 'wire harness adapter'.

please don't guess at this. my buddy had an electrical fire start because of a faulty ground and it burned 2 cars to the ground and the front left of his house. approx $80k in damages. more than your deck is at stake if you mess around with electronics you don't understand.

relisys_3200 · Post by **relisys_3200** » November 14th, 2005, 11:44 pm

like was stated above....do not mess around with electrical wires you dont know...you wont like the results. Best idea is what kevin said, get an adapter from besy buy or an audio shop to fit our cars (pretty cheap) and splice using that

Here is a rough diagram of where that adapter goes...

*edit* ok that didnt work..lol
so the black is the factory harness. You dont need to cut that if you get the adapter. The red is the adapter that plugs DIRECTLY into the factory wiring harness. The green is the receiver (CD player)wiring harness that you showed in the first picture. Match the end of that with the end of the adapter. (both should have diagrams or be labeled)

ovendenk · Post by **ovendenk** » November 15th, 2005, 12:22 am

that is the wiring harness. it costs like $10 and saves more than $10 in advil if you screw something up.

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 15th, 2005, 12:44 am

So let me get this
I dont have to take the stock "reciever" out. Just plug it into the the wire harness adapter which will connect to the new reciever?
I see I still have to do splicing

freakyalien · Post by **freakyalien** » November 15th, 2005, 1:18 am

I'm agreeing with whoever said not to do it yourself if you don't understand...I let someone do my old honda for me, and I have regretted it everyday.

My lights were ALWAYS on when my car was started, among many more wacky and strange things that happened only AFTER he installed the stereo. Nothing was permentaly damaged, but a lot of weird electrical stuff happened...even though none of those wires should of been affected by a simple stereo install...they were.

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 15th, 2005, 5:15 pm

ovendenk wrote:

that is the wiring harness. it costs like $10 and saves more than $10 in advil if you screw something up.

I think I saw one of those at wallmart

ovendenk · Post by **ovendenk** » November 15th, 2005, 6:00 pm

very likely. i know they sell car sudio stuff. just pick one up and the wires from the harness that came with your new receiver will match up with the wires coming out of this new adapter harness. ie. red to red, black to black, green to green, etc.

just watch for the green, purple, white, and gray wires because there will be two of each on both harnesses and one of the two will have a black stripe and that has to connect to the same color wire with a black stripe on the opposing harness. good luck and let us know.

Juans_93_MX3 · Post by **Juans_93_MX3** » November 15th, 2005, 6:55 pm

Ok, I got pics

I see that I cant connect the end of these "adapters" to the end of the reciever...

What am I suppose to do?
Take them back?

ovendenk · Post by **ovendenk** » November 15th, 2005, 7:19 pm

you splice those wires to the wires on the harness that came with the receiver. then, you connect those harnesses to the ones in the car and connect the harness that came with the receiver to the receiver. done.

if you still don't understand, please go and get it installed. no offense to you, but i'd hate to see you on here in a week saying how your car caught fire.