*URGENT* stereo installation questions (2000 SL1)
 

i am trying to install a JVC KD-S79BT in my wife's SL1. i was following the wiring diagram listed in the thread here and i have come to a problem. i have only connected the ground, constant, and switched power so far. i have tried to power the unit on and its display will come on for approximately five to ten seconds when you press the "disp" button and the disc drive will eject a disc(well it will run, i haven't put a disc in it) but i can't power it on and actually do anything other than check the time on the display, which i can't set due to nothing working... it will keep time okay, so i can assume that i have wired up the power circuits in the proper order... the troubleshooting guide is extremely vague on this issue, and i have reset the unit about a billion times...

and the wiring in the car is a little confusing... there are some color duplicates in the stereo connector... for example:
there are two orange wires, one large and one smaller (orange is supposed to be constant power i think so i used the bigger one)
there are two grey wires, one large and one smaller ( i assumed that the smaller one is the speaker wire)
there are two brown wires, one large and one smaller(i assumed that the smaller one is the speaker wire)

there is an uninsulated, braided copper wire that had a female connector on the end that went into the factory stereo. is this another ground? the stereo installation guide said to ground it to the chassis again after installation...

is there something i'm missing here? after about three hours of fighting it, i've pulled out enough of my hair that i look kinda like Mr. Spacely...:confused: :mad:

Well -- If you had purchased the Chilton Manual for your car, you could look in the Electrical Section on page 12-53, and all your questions would be answered. Now that I have ragged on you a bit -- here's your answers:

Large ORG --> 10A constant 12V
Small ORG --> 5A constant 12V (this was for the remote CD player)

Large GRY --> interior lights (dimmer circuit)
Small GRY --> Left Front Speaker Return Wire

Large BRN --> interior lights (park lamp ckt)
Small BRN --> Left Rear Speaker Signal Wire

You are correct that the bare wire is the frame ground for the radio, and should go to a hard ground point ...

One day............I'll go buy a book. Then I'll have to learn to read. Ahhhhh forget that.

No problem there, RJ -- this book has a lot of pictures too .... :)

Pictures..................I like pictures.

It just seems logical to me with the complexity of automobiles these days that the very first thing I would do it buy a book that tells me something about them.
My Second car ( I blew up my first one shortly after taking possession of it) was a 1930 Ford. I re-wired it completely. but then again it did not have more than a dozen wires in it. And I did not have a book. Now I have three shelves of them and am in the process of building a 1976 model car and I have 4 books. One for the car, another for the engine and 2 more that cover generic representation of optional wiring so I can figure things out!.

so i need to connect both the stereo ground wire and the bare copper wire? wouldn't that ruin the stereo? that's how i cooked the one in my truck, it touched the metal dash, and created an internal short...

You forget -- I'm listing the wiring as it comes from the factory with OEM equipment ... it's ALREADY hooked up like I described.

I AM NOT TELLING YOU HOW TO HOOK UP AN AFTER-MARKET RADIO ... the documentation you got when you bought the radio does that.

Most aftermarket radios use the same color code for their units. If you don't cut the factory wiring harness, then you can get an adapter to go between the aftermarket radio and the cars harness. That is the easiest and best way to go, it makes switch back easier.

This link should help you in case you cut the factory harness.

http://www.installdr.com/Harnesses/GM-Wiring.asp

yeah, my wife was excited and wanted to get it in, and wanted to save the 20 bucks, so i did cut into the harness... i borrowed a multimeter and figured out that the yellow wire(switched 12V) doesn't provide 12V, so i took that power from the fuse box at the unused cruise control fuse, so the unit is getting power now...

but as one problem is solved, another arises...

the unit keeps saying that i miswired it... the troubleshooting guide says to check the speaker leads and i am 100% sure i made solid connections on all of them, and have them well insulated(wrapped tightly in tape)... apparently it's a "smart" unit, lol...

anyway, would the impedance of the stock speakers cause such a reading if it were different from the reccommended?