When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi I'm trying to install an after market radio in my Cutlass and I came across this orange wire that has constant juice going through it does anyone know what it is for? Or what it should be connected to. I am trying to find the radio power wire. Sorry I am still trying to figure out how to use this forum.
That is likely the cigar lighter power wire, but I thought it had a round push-on bullet style connector.
Do you need a constant power source and a switched power source? Both of those can be found at the fuse block. There is a male spade terminal marked BAT that has constant power and another marked ACC that is switched power.
Looks similar to this:
Or you can tap into the wires behind the dash as it looks like you are doing.
Thanks Kenneth that explains why the lighter doesn't work. I pulled the broken piece out of the connector. The extra ones at the fuse block are already being used. Is there a way to add more to the fuse block? I want the stereo to shut off with the ignition.
The original radio power wire would do what you want and would be less of a wiring chore to use. It is designed to give power when the key is in the accessory and run positions. I don't remember what color it is, so hopefully someone else will be able to provide that.
edit:
According to this post, the radio power wire is yellow. I thought it was but wasn't certain, now I am.
There is a single plug with three wires that supplies the power:
Yellow - ACC hot
Grey - Dash lights (from dimmer)
Black (or was it brown?) - Ground
Depending on what sort of radio, if any, was in your car from the factory, it may have a single speaker in the middle of he dash, one in front and one in back, or two in front and two in back. Each type will have a different wiring harness and different wires, but you probably don't want to use them.
Looks like you have discovered that the orange wire in your picture is for the lighter of your vehicle. If the center connector is broken, you can replace the lighter socket from most any auto parts store and be back in business.
The wiring on your aftermarket stereo will have an ignition lead that connects to the ACC circuit of the vehicle, the yellow vehicle wire under the dash, so it will turn off with the ignition. If the stereo is digital it will also have a battery lead that connects to a constant 12V source such as the cig lighter circuit. The batt lead maintains the clock and digital presets. It also feeds the internal amplifier on some high powered stereo units.
Yellow - ACC hot
Grey - Dash lights (from dimmer)
Black (or was it brown?) - Ground
This is not quite correct.
Yellow is ACC 12V positive
Grey is dash lights (from dimmer)
Brown is also dash lighting but not from the dimmer! Black is definitely ground in a GM vehicle!
Thanks for all the info guys. So I have the wiring figured out, but the antenna male from the windshield doesn't fit the female on the stereo it's to big. I'll have to see if I can get an adapter. Any suggestions?
What brand of stereo is it? The only stereos that I know of with different antenna connectors are later model factory stereos. The standard antenna connector in your car should fit any aftermarket stereo. It may be tight, but it should fit. Do you have pictures?
It's an Alpine after market cd am/fm mp3 player. I'll post a picture tonight.
Alpine uses the standard size antenna port on their stereos so the standard connector on the vehicle pigtail will push right in. It is sometimes a tight fit, but it will fit.
That Alpine is used, yes? It looks like you have an adapter already stuck in the antenna connector. You need to remove that adapter and the vehicle connector will fit right into the stereo connector. Whoever took that stereo out is gonna be pissed that that adapter is gone 'cause they will need it (or another one) to put a new stereo back in their vehicle.
Yes it is a used stereo, and thanks for the info it helped a lot. Is it ok to ground the stereo that metal cross bar under the a/c vents?
The metal brace that runs side to side under the dash is a perfect place to ground the stereo. It is attached to the body at both sides of the dash and should have several unused holes in it perfect for a grounding screw. Make sure you put a support brace at the rear of the stereo. The shafts are not designed to support the weight of the chassis. I have seen stereos actually break in half in 4X4 trucks because of the jarring during off-road excursions. If it is a DIN style unit, it still needs a brace. Since the stereo is used it may not have the brace that came with it, but the Alpine brace looks something like plumber's tape but is much stronger.
I'm going to put it in the glove box. So I finally have everything wired up and the antenna lead doesn't reach so I went to the store again and bought an extension, got everything done and the radio doesn't work. I checked the power to the plug with a test light and it has power. The radio worked when I removed it from my old truck. Oh well had fun at the first cruise night last night.
I'm going to put it in the glove box. So I finally have everything wired up and the antenna lead doesn't reach so I went to the store again and bought an extension, got everything done and the radio doesn't work. I checked the power to the plug with a test light and it has power. The radio worked when I removed it from my old truck. Oh well had fun at the first cruise night last night.
Since it is a CD player, it is a digital unit. The red lead on the stereo will be the ACC lead that connects to the ignition source. The yellow lead will be the memory lead that connects to a constant 12V source. Without the memory lead connected the unit will not work. Hope that helps. What is the model number of it? I may be able to help remotely. I worked for an Alpine dealer for 10 years.
Wow that explains a lot, it does have a yellow wire that is a heavier gauge than the others. I'll give it a try tomorrow and let you know how it works. Thank you.
Arthur
If the yellow wire is heavier gauge than the red, it means the stereo is a high powered unit. You would be best to extend it with the same gauge wire and connect it directly to one of the spare output connectors of the fuse box. You don't want to overload the lighter circuit wiring.
Only after months. The stereo only draws enough to keep the memory presets and the clock alive when it is turned off. We're talking milliamps. If you drive your car once a week it will be fine, probably once a month even. Your stereo has less battery drain than a modern vehicle does and they can last months without draining a battery too much to start.
It really should not drain the battery over 3+ months.
Having dealt with unrealistic expectations of customers for many years I learned to give conservative replies. If the battery is going bad the customer will blame the stereo, the installer, the shop, or all of the above.
A battery in good condition should last 4~5 months and still start the vehicle. If the battery is a couple years old, or is in an extremely hot environment the battery may not respond as well. I worked in Phoenix for too many years and batteries do not last as long as other less extreme locations. They tend to fail very quickly there as well. I have seen customers with 5, 6, even 7 year old batteries tell me that the new stereo/alarm I installed was the reason their battery failed, the fact they had to jump-start the vehicle to get it there was not the issue. Unrealistic expectations! Sorry for the long reply, I guess I still have mental scars from dealing with customers.
Realistically, a good battery will last three or more months idly maintaining a digital stereo and still be able to start the vehicle.
Makes sense to me cjsdad. So I hooked the yellow wire up and the radio came to life. Unfortunately there is no sound so I think I have to ground the speakers. So I hooked the violet and the violet/black to one speaker and the green and the green/black to the other speaker. I thought the + - on the diagram meant positive and negative. I never had problems like this back in the 70's.
You are correct, those wires are for the R and L rear speakers. You do not have to ground the speakers. Check your programming on the unit and make sure its set up correctly. Make sure the fader is set for the rear speakers.
NOOOOOOO! Do not ground the speakers! More than likely you have a grounded speaker wire and that is causing the amplifier in the stereo to shut off. The high powered stereos like you have use a BTL (Balanced Transformerless) Amplifier.
Most external amps have power on the + lead and use a common ground. They can be configured to operate in mono, stereo, and mixed-mode.
The BTL amps cannot be configured in any other way but stereo and they cannot be bridged. That means they have power on the + and - leads. They must be connected to a speaker or completely isolated. They cannot touch chassis ground or it will damage the amplifier. The stereo amp may have protection circuitry to shut down in case of a short and it may not. I have not researched that lately. But if you turn the volume up high enough it will override the protection circuit and smoke the amp.
Isolate the speaker wires all the way between the stereo and the speakers and verify there is no short between the speaker leads or to ground. I cannot tell you how many times I put a screw through the speaker leads going to the rear speakers as they passed under the threshold plates. Try as you might, the wires will creep out from under the carpet and sneak under the screw holes. The wires going to a door speaker can be even more difficult. Depending how they are passed between the body of the car and the door, the wire can be pinched, stabbed, frayed, and screwed all at once. The most common short in a door speaker though is at the speaker itself. Make sure the hole the speaker fits into is clean because any ragged piece of metal can touch the speaker wire/connector. You are right that the + and - will connect to the + and - of a speaker but you must make sure that the unused speaker wires are isolated.
Ok so I have music and it sounds great! Thank you guys for all the help. I'm embarrassed to tell you why there was no sound coming from the radio but, I put the speakers in the car about ten years ago when I restored the interior so I ran the new wires before I installed the carpet but I never hooked them up. Oh well my family got a good laugh.
Hi, so I tried to plug the antenna in and it won't fit. I pushed on it as hard as I could. Could it be filed down a little without damaging it?
How did you solve this? I have the same problem where the male antenna won't fit into my adapter for the aftermarket stereo. It seems like the antenna male plug from the car is too large for the female adapter (same, lol). Any tips?
So the first photo is the antenna male plug coming from the car. This is an 88' Cutlass Supreme Classic. The next photo is the female end that plugs into the radio. The third and final photo is the adapter I bought. I figured I needed an adapter because the 90 degree male plug from the car wouldn't fit into the deep female socket from the radio. When I try to plug the male plug from the car into the adapter, it seems like the male metal piece at the very end is too wide for the female socket to the adapter from the third photo. Any help would be appreciated.
this is the part coming out of the car aftermarket radio female end this is the adapter i bought
Interesting. The adapter says it is for 88-05 vehicles and you have an 88. I wonder if your vehicle is early year production and perhaps the antenna is the 87 style?
I looked at your pictures again and the car's antenna lead doesn't look like a micro antenna lead - it looks like a standard antenna plug to me.
So the first photo is the antenna male plug coming from the car. This is an 88' Cutlass Supreme Classic. The next photo is the female end that plugs into the radio. The third and final photo is the adapter I bought. I figured I needed an adapter because the 90 degree male plug from the car wouldn't fit into the deep female socket from the radio. When I try to plug the male plug from the car into the adapter, it seems like the male metal piece at the very end is too wide for the female socket to the adapter from the third photo. Any help would be appreciated.
this is the part coming out of the car aftermarket radio female end this is the adapter i bought
No, you do not need an adapter. That adapter is for the later model GM vehicles with a mini Motorola connector. The car plug is a standard Motorola male antenna connector and the stereo connector is a standard female connector. If they will not fit together with relative ease, there is a problem. The picture of the male connector looks like it has a bit of solder buildup on it that may be preventing it from plugging in. If the solder blob is larger than the metal center pin, you can file, sand, cut with a knife, or otherwise remove the buildup. Once you have a uniform center pin it should plug in easily. If it still won't plug in, look into the female connector and make sure there is no debris or gunk in it. Keep in mind that you have to align them properly to begin with, but that is pretty self explanatory. 👍
Wow, cjsdad was right. I should have simply tried the obvious and plugged the male car antenna plug into the female port in the back of the radio. I assumed it wouldn't work because of the 90 degree angle to 180 degree female. I am dumb! Thanks so much guys.
Now, it seems like I get more static noise with the antenna plugged in! Would that mean I just need to replace the antenna or at least the wire? Or would it be a grounding issue?
