I recently installed a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis factory radio into my 2004 F-250. I like everything about the stereo, except for the fact that it does not have an auxiliary input. It has the connection on the back for a cd changer or Rear-Seat Entertainment, but no aux button. Nonetheless, I tried using a PAC AAI-FD4 input adapter (plugs into the back of the stereo fine). I tried pushing CD twice, and all I get is "No Disc" or "No CD" or something like that. It plays CDs fine, but it won't recognize this adapter. I tried the adapter with a CD-6 unit with CD/Aux and SAT buttons, and still no luck.

Is there any way I can get a hardwired Aux input for this Grand Marquis Radio? I don't want any FM Modulated hardware, nor do I want an aftermarket head unit or double-din conversion.

The stereo I am trying to get Aux input to (P/N 5W7T-18C815-AF):



The CD-6 Unit I also tried (P/N 4L1T-18C815-AE):





The Adapter I have:





Thank you for your help,

Doug

 

i believe that in order to use the CD as a source for an aux input, the stereo has to sense that there is a CD in the system. normally inserting a CD triggers the radio to use the CD input

 

Sticking a CD in results in the CD playing, pushing the CD button again does nothing. That trick I think is usually for diy splicing the audio wires in a cd changer. The audio comes from the aux input, but the head unit thinks it is playing the cd audio.

In this application, the PAC adapter should emulate a changer and the head unit should recognize it as an audio source.

 

Look for seller 1factoryradio2 on eBay. He sells these factory type units with an auxiliary jack installed. Reasonably priced and will probably take yours in for a core.
I used him for a radio swap on a 2007 Crown Vic cop car I had.

 

Just looked him up and he does have a lot of good looking, very clean radios. I like that he also offers some with a pigtail so you can mount the female plug in the dash or a console so you don't have a wire sticking in the face of the radio. That being said, there has to be a way to diy to save some money. Most seem to be around $185 and that doesn't sound bad, but if you already have the radio or just want to diy, I think it could be completed much cheaper if you just had a wiring diagram.

 

All I can tell you is that I've had 2 experiences with him. Both good. If you have time to research and DIY, then you have a luxury that I do not.
I own a business. People pay me to do a specialty that they cannot. I have no problem paying someone to do something that I have no expertise with.

 

My time is valuable as well but I also enjoy finding solutions to problems just like this, if nothing else, just to learn something new. Saving a few hundred dollars doesn't hurt either and also means I can pay myself for my hard work instead of someone else.
I'll figure it out and post instructions for future forum members to use.

 

Understood. I'm like this to a certain extent, but some things I just let others who do it every day handle. Like a garage door that's currently out of whack. And a Cadillac with a check engine light. I chased the codes and replaced O2 sensors. But it's become much more than that so it's now in someone else's hands. As Clint Eastwood once said, "a man's got to know his limitations."
I always like it when someone on these forums finds a solution to an issue and shares the knowledge.
I've never had one of these radios apart. But from looking at the exterior of one that I purchased from the ebay guy, I'm thinking that he probably taps into a circuit board for the input somewhere along the line. If so, that means that it's something that a person with my electronic and soldering ability should probably avoid!

 

In my (admittedly) limited experience, the AUX input is intended for satellite radio input. In which case, I think you may be using the improper adapter. Look into the

 

I'd think AUX is suitable for any line level input...