Stereo power and light help!!

[arandol1]

Hi guys I just tried to switch my radio which was just bootlegged in the dash until i could mount door speakers ( too long a story). Any way I switched it out while my battery was connected and Idk what happened but I might have touched two different wires together. Now the problem is I can't get power to my stereo, plus my interior lights won't come on, plus my clock restarts everytime I crank the car. Does anybody have any clue on what happened or any help at all? i appreciate any feedback, thank you guys!!

[Ryan]

ROOM fuse.

run a NEW, FUSED wire to the battery to power the stereo. I hate pricks who just take 12v from under the dash, it almost always leads to blowing that fuse, over and over... And then I get texts from friends who let their "friend" install a stereo, and now it and their interior (and sometimes exterior) lights no longer work.

[arandol1]

THANKS I APPRECIATE IT!! But let me get this straight, in addition to changing room fuse, I should run fused wire directly to battery? How is that done? I know I have to route it and all that but how do I connect it to battery? And what type of wire should I use? I'm srry I'm new at this. I appreciate your help.

[mikeinaus]

theres a connector you can get that looks like a little hoop/circle that you can bolt up to the + battery connector. then you want a fuse holder and fuse (20amp is probably what you want?) wire it all together and attach it to the permanent 12V wire on your deck. everything you need should be pretty easy to find/install. just make sure you put the fuse on the inside of the car (unless you get a sealed one). basic wire size should work fine for you 16-20 gauge?