Much to my dismay, I've come to accept that my problems are all probably sort of related electrical issues. When I purchased my F150 the radio did not function at all, which I told myself was probably the old Kenwood that was installed when I got it. The fuse for the radio/courtesy was blown and when I replaced it the overhead (dome?) door open light would not shut off, nor would the cargo light. The dome light assembly also got extremely hot extremely quickly. I decided I was willing to live without those amenities until a time that I felt I had nothing more to bring back to original functionality and transitioned to the radio. Purchased a great new unit from Crutchfield, wired it up, threw it in, and...nothing. After some prodding with a multimeter I discovered that while the direct battery wire was hot, the accessory/ignition wire did not become live upon turning the key.

My question to the council is this: before I go pulling the steering wheel and buying MORE parts that are in working order, what is the most likely culprit for this or what is the best way to go about determining? The dash lights, door open chime, and everything else works fine when the key is in the accessory position and running which leads me to believe that there's a short somewhere or that the dome/cargo light situation has caused a failure somewhere that leads to the radio. The fuse I replaced has not blown since.

I'm happy to attempt any and all diagnostic measures if anyone has any suggestions and thanks in advance for your help!

-The Satchler

 

You checked that the fuse is still good? Or did you remove it when things didn’t shut off? Did you turn the headlight **** to see if that’s why they were on? Turn, not pull like changing the dimmer.