Im trying to install a new stereo in my truck. Does any one know how to decode the radio wires on the factory am/fm cassette that Im taking out? Example: orange w/white stripe goes to?
Thanx.

 

There are only three wires on the 5-wire connector you will use. I just did the same thing to my 88. I had to use a voltmeter to determine which wire is which. I think the yellow wire was constant and the red was switched with the orangew/white was ground.

Use a voltmeter to find out which is which, only took me about 10 minutes to find out.

Leave key off and find the constant by probing a wire with the positve lead and ground to metal dash support visible behind the radio slot. If it reads anything, you found the constant. turn key on (or to the accessory position) and probe wires again to find the switched. Always ground to chassis when probing these the first time. Now you know which is constant and switched. leave key on and turn head lights on. Probe the wires again to find the dimmer wire. You will NOT use the dimmer wire. It will not function properly with new radio's dimer circuit ( at least it did not on mine). Now, turn lights off and probe the constant and one of the remaining wires. If you get a reading, you found ground, if not, you found the power ant/ amp ( depends on car/ truck equipped with) recheck by probing the switched wire with the probable ground wire you found in the last check. write the color and fuction down on a piece of paper and tape it to the back of the new radio so you have it next time.


The easiest way is to buy the adapter at any walmart, kmart, best buy, circuit city. The connections should be right and the wires will be labeled. But if your like me (cheap), just do the test outlined above and cut the connector off. Speaker wires are easy. they are paired. Two wires of the same primary color, one with a black stip is the negative, the other is positive. If you connect two channels to the same speaker (2 speaker systems), only hook up the positive from that channel. Do not connect both positves and negatives (+'s and - 's from both channels) to the single + wire and the single - wire to the speaker. It confuses the speaker and sounds bad. Just use the positve form each channel to the single positve to the speaker. Chose only one negative wire to hook to the speaker. It does not matter which one. I have a 8" sub behind me hooked up that way so I have a rear speaker. My truck only came with 2 front door speakers. Two positive to the speaker positive and one negative to the speaker negative. works good.

Hope I helped,

 

installdr.com

 

That website did not help me at all. All it told me was that the wire color and order varied per year per vehicle and told me absolutly nothing. Oh yea, it had a chart, but was totally off for my truck only one color matched mine, black, but the function was not right.

 

Don't cut the factory harness, just go to walmart and get the adapter, it tells you what wires go where so all you have to do is connect the wires from the radio to the wires on the NEW WALMART harness and plug it all in.

 

Thanks for the help but, after a very LONG web search I found the answer.....

Red- ground
Orange/black- lcd radio lighting (stock radio)
Yellow/black- switched power
Light Green/yellow- constant power (memory)
Light Blue/red- instrument illumination