Car Stereo Wiring Explained In Detail
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- I go over a standard 16 pin harness and tell you all the functions in it. applies to: Car Stereo and Marine stereo systems, Wiring Explained In Detail.
Usually, it is best to make all of the new stereo's wiring connections via the wiring harness, but if you have to make a direct power connection, you'll need to know the difference between "switched" and "constant" power:
A switched power source is only on when the ignition is keyed. Connect your new stereo's main (switched) power lead - usually a red wire - to a switched power source, so that the stereo will turn off when you turn off the car, and not drain your vehicle's battery.
A constant power source is always on. Connect your new stereo's memory lead - usually a yellow wire - to a constant power source, so that you don't lose your radio station presets, tone control presets, and clock settings every time you turn off the vehicle.
Although rare, a few high-powered stereos require you to make a direct constant power connection at the positive terminal of your vehicle's battery. This requires a heavier gauge power wire, an in-line fuse (usually included), and a ring terminal to connect the power wire to the battery clamp. You will have to route the power wire to the battery location, which is often through the vehicle firewall and into the engine compartment in order to make the connection at the battery.
Speaker wires
Car stereos have eight wires for the traditional 4-speaker system - a positive wire and a negative wire for the front left, front right, rear left, and rear right speakers. Depending on the wiring configuration in your vehicle and the wiring harness adapter we offer, some of these may not be used.
Ground wire
A good ground connection is vital for proper stereo performance and to eliminate unwanted noise. If you are not using a custom wiring harness, look for a bare, unpainted bolt or screw that contacts the bare metal of your vehicle's chassis. Loosen the bolt, slip the ground wire underneath (this is almost always a black wire), then tighten the bolt. If your ground wire doesn't contact bare metal, your stereo won't operate. A loose or weak ground connection can result in signal noise interfering with your music.
In-dash video - tapping into the parking brake wire
If your new stereo has a touchscreen or video monitor, you will also need to connect a wire to your emergency/parking brake wire. This wire acts as a switch to turn on the video monitor when the parking brake is engaged.
This wire can be in different locations in different vehicles, depending on the brake configuration. The wire is usually found where your parking brake is. In vehicles that have a hand brake between the front seats, you'll have to remove the center console to get to it. In vehicles that have a foot-pedal parking brake, the stereo's wire will need to be routed to it under that dash. Either way, it isn't too hard, just take your time. And once again, award-winning tech support team can be a big help in locating it and helping you get to it.
Thank you this helped immensely! I had a 1988 Kenwood (KRC-757) and it had slightly different wires such as one blue I don't know what it does, but I managed to get it running by putting positive on red plus yellow and negative on black. Thank you! :D
Hey by chance did your early kenwood have plugin speaker wires similar to the krc 999?
Very helpful, thank you! I wire a lot of audio already but the wiring in my 96 Mustang GT is a nightmare because of the previous owner.. This will help me a lot with putting in a different aftermarket stereo than what is in there now.
I found your video first, and at less than eight minutes, it looks like the shortest video I've found on this subject so far. Thank you for being concise and on point. The bundle of wires on my most recent HU purchase doesn't look so intimidating now.
Thanks for the tutorial. now I'm off to tackle my wife's Grand am and 20 degree temps. See ya on the busted-Knuckle side!
this video helped me install the stereo in my jeep. I had no clue where to start before watching this video. Many of the videos out there will show you how to install with a vehicle specific adapter (which I didn't really want to go buy) but this video helped me understand how it all works and which wires are for what. This allowed me to do all the wiring myself in less than an hour without going and buying an adapter. Thank you Lessco Electronics.
Dylan Adams youre welcome
For me I used..
Power = blue w/yellow stripe wire from the deck(dash) and connected it to the red wire and yellow wire twisted together from the stereo(after market stereo) EARTH = black to black.
For the BACK SPEAKERS = red from the deck(dash) connected to
Pink from stereo(aftermarket 1).
White from deck(dash) connected to pink w/black stripe from stereo.
Yellow from deck(dash) connected to green w/black stripe from stereo. And grey from deck(dash) connected to green from stereo.
FRONT SPEAKERS = green from deck(dash) to grey from stereo.
Purple from deck(dash) to white w/black stripe from stereo.
Pink from deck(dash) to white. And blue from deck(dash) to grey w/black stripe.
Now this worked for me but you know how they say it CAN DEPEND on your model, make or car/stereos as some are DIFFERENT! Remember unplug your car battery before connecting all wires. Other then that hope this helps someone.
You were actually very thorough despite you thinking you wernt. Good stuff.
Thank you for this great video, I just bought a Chinese GPS/radio, installed it and got nothing. After I watched your video I realized my mistake. Your description was excellent I will go over it in the morning--stay tuned.tbone188
witch is positive and negative on the subwoofer on the rear on a 2007 ford escape xlt sport
Thanks for explaining the harness connection includes not only power, but also audio. Makes a shit ton more sense, since Pioneer AVH series stereos do not explicitly provide this explanation.
If you don't care about the receiver remembering, can you combine yellow and red to a single positive 12v source? I ask because that's all I have from my old boat radio.
This set up powers the receiver but I can't get sound to the speakers. the receiver and speakers are brand new kenwoods. not enough amps from the old power source?
thanks in advance, you really know your stuff!
Steven Collova Provided that the 12v source can provide enough amperage, this will work and will obviously erase data each time it's turned off. If you're tapping to a fuse such as the cigarette lighter, be sure it can provide enough amperage for both the head unit and the cigarette lighter. Otherwise if you draw too much power consistently for long enough it will blow the fuse regularly. This is the only issue I would see if you don't care about presets being saved, good luck hope this helps.
ashokk sethi Thank you! I tried a bench test suggested by Kenwood and I think it's a faulty unit.
Hmm, bcae1 website is a great source for troubleshooting, I have learned a great deal from him. Google bcae1. good luck hope you're able to get it fixed and don't have to buy a new one like I did when mine said miswiring for no reason.
Steven Collova uuun
uuuu7.
Very good video, thank for the " no jibber-jabber content! " and especially for your help.👍
Happy to help!
I have an after market stereo but when I turn off the car the stereo stays on and the red is connected to red and yellow to yellow. What do I do ?
Differentiate between BAT and ACC power.
Switch the red to yellow and yellow to red
@@nascar9059 I want my radio to play even when car is off - so that I turn the radio off manually.. If I understand correctly I can achieve this by switching red and yellow wire? Right now my radio shuts down the moment I turn off my car...
To achieve what I wanted is quite simple - peel (not cut) both red and yellow wire and join them together. Insulate. :)
Thanks bunches! I'm an EE and i couldn't find the wire diagram for my stereo. I thought, "I wonder if it is just standardized." That's where you came in.
in my pioneer harness I've got an orange with white. on my other harness going to the factory harness I've a solid orange...should I connect those 2 together? ??
Jmustan03 j
Jmustan03 i
Yes that is for the dimmer for the illumination when your lights turn on.
I wish I could give more than one likes but the system let me do just one, thanks for explaining it in such detail.
For my adapter that came with the aftermarket deck came with a blue striped cable but not with the solid blue one and my adapter that goes to the factory harness has a solid blue cable but not a striped blue cable for my 2000 honda accord.. Isnt my blue cable for am/fm? What should i do ?? Please
Blue to power antenna - factory harness
Blues/White to amplifier - factory harness
usually each code color are the same for any brand of radio.
I plug the blue to the Blues/White
i installed my JVC radio today and it work perfect.
Juan Canada still don't get it.
Just watched your tutorial and would like to say Thank you for educating me on how to re-wire a radio. Having just recently bought a campervan I want to know what each wire is however accidently 'yanking' the molex connecter several wires came out, this is now going to be easier to diagnose. Cheers (UK)
Ok I do have a pink wire wat is it for
ground... wire mate
YEA NORMALLY BLUE OR WHITE BLUE THOSE ALWAYS FOR AMP REMOTE CONTROL THING XD ITS A TINY WIRE
back up camera
It's for blinker fluid level sensor.
Ibraheem Al hadede lmao
We are in 2020 and this video save me more time thanks mate
I'm getting ready to install my own stereo, all the videos I've watched so far have said "Just Match Colors" That wasn't good enough for me! Thanks for this video I feel way more confident in doing it myself knowing with the colors mean lol
You're welcome, I am glad it was helpful.
Thanks so much for this! got a bit confused at one point installing a stereo into my car. Turns Out my toyota has diffrent coloured constant, earth and key power wires lol but thanks to your information and a wiring diagram of my car i found online i was able to successfully install my stereo :)
Thank you for this video. Your explanation of the wires and colors were excellent. Not every guy has had experience installing car radios. It would be awesome if you could explain the wiring and colors for cars with steering wheel controls.
Thank you for your video. I don't know much about wiring, but I have had some success doing basic wiring. My son has an 83 El Camino. The radio had been strait wired. I'm hoping to wire it correctly. Thanks again. I will try to let you know how it turns out.
Have fun, any questions let me know, I'll try to help
This video was a lot of help, easy to understand. Thumbs up.
thanks a lot man i had to rewire my stereo because the person i got my new car from did it wrong so this vid helped A LOT :)
Thanks for your time and video, this has helped for sure. I do have a weird question to run by you though; I’m installing a Pioneer deck in a sailboat, and the existing wiring color codes have two wires which provide the positive for one speaker and at the same time a negative for a different speaker....I’ve never seen this and don’t know how to continue. Do you know of anything like this? I can email pictures if you’d like, thank you.
This is a really useful, worthwhile video. Eventually I'm going to hook up a Pioneer car radio/CD player and your video is just what I needed to know. Thanks a lot, Tom
Thanks a ton, a tutorial on steering wheel control wiring would be awesome. Very helpful nonetheless
Best video on UA-cam explaining this
wow, I like that one!
WOW YOU ARE A FUCKING GOD WHEN IT COMES TO THESE VIDEOS, YOU GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT NO BS LIKE JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER VIDEO IVE BEEN COMING ACROSS ABOUT CAR AUDIO, COULDNT THANK YOU ENOUGH
Thank you for the info. I appreciate the help. Im a complete amateur but your video has been extremely helpful.
happy that you explain the wires positive/negative! thanks for the knowledge! I'm trying to figure out how to wire a CD deck to my 1991 Honda. the thing is that the CD deck was given to me without any wires or connectors not sure what you call it. if there's a will then there must be a way!! right?
Thank you for your videos, they are very helpful. I'm having issues with engine/alternator whine. I don't not have an amplifier. The only thing I did was switch out the older aftermarket unit for a new one with USB. please help!
nick ward measure the ground impedance, how many ohms is it? is the new radio a chinaman special or a quality brand btw?
im in the process of replacing my stock stereo with an after market stereo. however i do not have a harness. i just wanted to get a clarification on the wiring as to which wires do i match up to which. looking forward to hearing for you . thanks in advance.
👍🏼👍🏼 wow very informative video I like when people stay on topic and get to the point .
This was so helpful, it didn't help me with the question. I purchased a vehicle that has an aftermarket radio installed. It may or may not be the reason the my engine light stays on when the key is out. So I pulled out the radio and noticed some wires were paired incorrectly. Then I am versed with a wire light green wire called a breaking wire and a ground wire coming from one of the harnesses attached to 2 ground wires. Hoping you can help. I took pictures willing to send then.
Nice run down indeed! however, I've got a problem with my head unit, at least i think it's my head unit, that has been plaguing me for some time now. I haven't heard or read anything similar to my problem so i will do my best to describe it, here goes. Since i've gotten the truck (2002 ford escape) i noticed that the audio fuse was plugged out, not questioning why it was i just got the correctly rated fuse and popped it back in and everything started to work well. Until some weeks had passed and when i would shut down the engine i would get a loud enough "pop" from my rear speaker....this is the speaker that's connected to the amp. I didn't think much of it cause when i would be driving the stereo works like a champ, until a "loud" squeal started to join the pop and the only thing that would kill the noise would be to pull that 10amp fuse. As annoying as this was it happened randomly until recently after i got my alternator rebuilt it started to happen "EVERYTIME" i would shut down the engine. One other thing i had noticed that helped to kill the noise was if i would push the menu button once after shutdown, the clock would come on then when it faded out the noise would cut with it too. Im hoping that you could at least shead some light on this for me or maybe point me in the right direction. thanks
Thanks so so much for such very clever excellent teaching and great advice , Sir. Thank you !
thanks man saved me lots of time it's been a min since I've done any of this
Install went great. Purchased the correct harness and had no problems. As for the Key1 wire. It was for the steering wheel controls. I don't have that so no need for it. I have the Pyle PLDN74BTI unit. There was a pink wire coming from the harness so I connected to it. I can watch Video while driving now, without a bypass. OOOOPs! Did I say that! LOL!. Thanks for you Video and reply. Loving the unit.
Happy you said pretty much all radio's; cuz I had a Jensen cassette deck "pull out" and all the speakers were common grounded.
pretty much=most.... not all.
I just wanted to comment by saying that you are good at teaching and I've never heard anyone detail the breakdown as you did here. I'll have to find your other videos to learn all I can.,it's articulate straight forward manner makes a complicated subject seem so easy. I wish someone would cover wiring adapters that allow you to utilize the factories existing speaker wires. Also do most factory HU's have RCA ports? Thanks much
This video was great very helpful to me I found one of the problems I was having I love your comment on the more information you gain the more knowledge you have the more you're worth doing this my question is I'm hooking my stereo system up to a scooter I want to be able to talk through my radio driving down the road can I hook this brown wire up that says for telephone directly to power source and be able to talk through my stereo thank you for any information you have on this topic I appreciate all the information I've learned from your video peace be with you
yes, the brown wire acts similarly to a digital bluetooth phone interruption, allowing the unit to multitask once the brown wire gets a -input.
There is a special seat in the great Cadillac in the sky for you budy, thanks.
Great video. Explained as simple as i needed!
;)
Thank you so much I had no idea about the power wires
Helpful info. Bought a new touch screen stereo. It is supposed to fit my old truck. Have not tried to install yet. Surprised it came with no wiring diagram and no wiring diagrams to be found online for it. I just want to replace the old cassette/radio. All I want is ACC hot, ground and speakers and radio antenna. Basically for it to work . That's how the old one was wired. Don't know if I have to hook up additional wires to the hot side to get illumination, etc.? It appears there are many wires on the new one I will not be using. Wish me luck. There is a "SWC" plug that is for who knows what.
Great video. Learned a lot!! My wire harness has 2 extra wires Orange ( which says illumination dash light) and orange black but my new stereo harness only has an extra orange white wire. How do I connect? Or don't connect? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Dan.
thanks for explaining this, helped me troubleshoot my problem
Helpful video, me and my friend installed a new stereo in an old car, the car has a direct wire from the battery with a 10 amp/250v fuse, and the wire from the Acc, the car wires are not color matched,and most wires have been redirected, so we wired it according to our own knowledge, it currently only has the 2 front kappa speakers with an amp for 2 12 subs, however we did the red wire directly to the battery and the fuse, the yellow wire was the ACC, that was our mistake. so we will reconnect the ACC to the red and the Yellow to the battery as this video tells because the car doesn't save presets every time it is turned off...
Thanks for the good video. Clear and concise!
Thx you for quick response if hifonics a good brand im looking for usa product
Thank you for a quick response. I'll try new batteries while i wait for the new remote.
that was an awesome video...i looked at all my wires and said ohno...then found this,,
"Rdsprod" on those later gm vehicles like your asking about about yes you have to run a piece of wire from the 12v switched or acc circuit of the new stereo down 2 the fuse box. There should be a fuse in there for the radio circuit. That is the fuse you need to connect 2.. that's the easiest way to get a 12v switched signal to power up an aftermarket radio in gm's. Hope this helped ..
The pink wire you talked about at the end Is/Can be used for video and or a camera, I use it with my after market radio because my radio has a slide out screen and i can use that for my rear back up camera to put it on my radio's video screen and that's what the pink wire is for and usually there is only 1 pink wire!! Enjoy!
this was my first install and your video helped tremendously. It is in an older (25 years) boat and I'm left with the blue and white wire labeled remote control. Do I splice into the red or yellow? Any help is appreciated
Blue and white wire is usually a turn on wire for your amplifier for a subwoofer or all speakers etc.
accessory is the red wire and yellow is constant which needs to go to constant from car side
great clip mate,just what l wanted to know.Thanx to all at Lessco.
it was very helpful explanation..
Thank you for the upload. Great video. Thank you for the information. I have followed the instructions and all went well. but it seems every time I switch the car off and on again, all the stored channels disappear and I have to retune it. any idea? I will add that my after market Audio system came with a harness that is the perfect fit and replaced the old one with out any wire cutting etc.
it's sometimes good to take the wiring from the standard rear spakers and splicing them in the front speaker wires,
Get a new length of speaker cable to run from the harness pin
from stereo rear speaker pins
100 TIMES YOU HAVE SAVED MY ASS AND I THANK YOU!!!!!! GOD BLESS BROTHER
don't swear
Still helpful in 2019. Thank you
Interesting video, I'm having an issue with my radio swap in my VW touareg. Just putting in a newer VW unit, this one is muted, can't get any sound. It's as if a call is in progress constantly. Checked the wiring, new unit has amp pin, no wire in existing plug to connect to it. I think I need to splice a new 12v feed off the red accessories 12v wire so the amp gets power. Thats what I'm understanding from your info.
Love your videos thanks for sharing i have learned a lot from them!
Great video helped me out helps. Very informational and explained very well.
Very well explained thanks for the video
thanks great help, was about to trash, but have now installed an old unite into the car.
This is ace! i have a 4 channel amp for my front and rears and a seperate active subwoofer. Do i have to hook both amp and sub to the blue and white wire or will they suffer loss of power?
Thanks for your videos keep them coming. I recently purchase a JVC KW V850BT unit made all the correct connections but cannot got it to power on in my 2010 Hyundai Elantra gls. What am I doing wrong
GREAT video!!! U saved the day!!
Thank you Martin! Great detail as always!
Very informative and well presented. Thank you!
this video helped me so much thank u
Thank you for your great details video
Perfect! Just what I needed to put the stereo in my golf cart! Thanks!
Fast question- I only have One none-switched power source for the stereo- Should I put the yellow And Red together to the single power source?
Great video. How to do an In Dash DVD GPS stereo Parking Brake bypass? On the common 30, did they use a positive signal connected to the terminal or a negative. It says that you should use always a negative to connect a terminal or common terminal to a relay. 5 pin SPDT relay
Great video. Thanks. In my situation I only have 2 speakers. Is it ok to twin front & rear output wires or just eliminate front or rear out put wires to speakers .
this is the most helpful video I have seen on this topic!!:)
I figured it out, that's what it was, thanks
Great job explaining! Now in reality, speakin for us cheap guys that can't afford the aftermarket harness. Can't I just connect constant yellow 12v to the yellow 12v, red positive to ignition wire, connect both blacks on original harness to the same ground, connect the illumination wires together to the dimmers, connect amp turn on, and so on so forth to the existing radio harness? As long as I know which is which on original harness?
Great video. You confirmed all of my issues. Just one question. Can my yellow 12v wire and my red power lead both go to the same positive post on my trucks battery as long as they are not in direct contact?
Dylan Hillard yes, but the red should be keyed on and yellow constant because yellow retains memory and red turns the radio off when turning the car off - both are important for their intended functions.
Hey great video...I'm only unsure as to where to connect that Bluetooth wire. You didn't say to what voltage, etc.
question the blue cable where do I have to conect the one for the antena
by the way, very educational video. THANK YOU!
Do have an enlargent of the wire harness colors? I was hoping it would appear in your smart video. Thanks for your efforts anyway.
You're the Best .. Bravo !!
"Crank" and "ground wire" in the US term equate to "ignition" and "earth" wire in Britain. Most European countries use a word similar to "terra" for the ground wire.
The video covers the principles, so a bright person should be able to connect up various audio brand looms in just about any kind of road vehicle or boat.
The loom comprises 16 wires of 2 types. Half are speaker wires, the rest are various power (operating control) wires plus "ground" wire. Some power wires remain live permanently, e.g. to preserve your radio settings while the vehicle is at rest. Other power wires are live only during specific functions of the audio's operation, such as radio on/CD off, or power antenna up/down. The relevant functions of wires are clearly described. The ground (earth) wire needs a secure fixing to the metal chassis of the vehicle and all wire-to-wire connections should be securely crimped or soldered and well insulated from its neighbours.
The 8 speaker wires are in 4 pairs. A pair goes to each front and each rear speaker. Each speaker's pair comprises a solid colour (+) and that solid colour, blended with a white stripe (-). Any variation to the usual scheme is usually referenced to in the manufacturer's manual, and problems can be referred to forums for your vehicle. .
Hi Lessco, I'd like to use my old car radio cassette to listen to cassette tapes in a NEW vehicle with no tape player. -I'm planning on hooking the old unit's preouts (L +R) to the aux-in of the new car (3.5mm). Big question is can I set up the power supply to this old unit by connecting the red and black leads somehow into the cigarette lighter socket??
Thanks for the helpful video. Question: putting a Pioneer single DIN stereo in my 06 Ford Crown Vic. The wiring harness for the Ford has an orange wire but no blue wire, and the Pioneer has a blue wire but no orange wire. All other colors match. What do I do in this case?
I enjoyed your video. Can you tell me where to connect the blue white wire for amp turn on. Everyones says what it is for but not where to connect it. I have a 2013 Durango RT with the Alpine system.
Thanks man, it helped me installing the stereo :))
There is no such thing as bridging a head unit, bridging only applies to stand alone amplifiers. the amp is a stereo is just a little ic chip. it can never do what an amp can do.
Thanks for the video, very useful
Excellent source.
Ugh! Spent all day hooking up a new car stereo and after all was said and done the panel isn't lighting up. I have a wire labeled "illumination (it's gold)" but I have nothing matching that color to connect it to on the wire harness matching the car. Any thoughts? Thanks so much for posting this video and your possible help.
best vid ever . thank you sire :)
Great video helped alot. I have question for you i just bought a sony head unit and im installing it in a 02 Nissan sentra the wiring harness has both the blue and the blue with white stripe on it but the sony one only has the blue with white do i just connect the blue with white and leave the solid blue alone?
Great clip.. my boat stereo was easy. I am adding a touch screen to my older bmw 2006 330ci...is the blue (black strip) just a ground? Do you recommend where I attach this? I have a brown and two oranges(back and ILL) what do I attach those too? I can’t follow just the older model wires.. thanks for your help