1997 Eddie Bauer Audio Mystery

[Moran1ja]

So this is quite the mystery and I am open to suggestions, here is the situation. Bought an Eddie recently and radio did not work, guy said he pulled the fuse because a casette was stuck and it was annoying. Checked fuse it was fine, I have power to my harness checked all of that out 12v is solid, ordered a remanufactured radio (reliable seller accepts returns and warranty's his work), this one does the same thing. It has no power, buttons light up but no lcd, no sound. Went to the junkyard tested two radios, one from a 97 without the JBL system (speaker harness didnt fit) and the lcd lit right up and fully functioned but couldnt test sound because the speaker harness was different. So then he grabs a 96 radio same speaker harness plugged in and nothing. I am quite confused here not really sure where to turn, thanks for any help!

 

[mic98xlt]

Look on the driver's door and see what exact year month the vehicle was made. Does it have a rear sub woofer and if yes, does it have a JBL insignia? This may be the only way to tell visibly if you have the JBL or Premium radio system.

You are right on the era where there could be at least 3 different types of radios which would makes it hard to find the right wiring. Look in the right rear hatch for an amplifier that is hidden. The best way to do this without taking the hatch apart is to open the right rear door and peer back into the right rear hatch. Where the rear seat belt comes thru the plastic look by the rear window look inside the slot to see if you can locate an amplifier. If you see an amplifier but have no visible sub woofer in the hatch, you probably have the earlier '96 wiring.

What kind of plugs do you have on the rear of your radio? How about an model number of the radio you have? That would also be a great start.

 

[sloop]

the external amp might be dead

 

[Moran1ja]

It is a 97' with the JBL system as it has JBL stamped on the cover for the sub in the back, I can see an amp next to the sub in back, model number for the radio that was in the dash is F77F-18C852-BA. I have two plugs one that houses the power and ground wires as well as antenna and a couple others, and the other that houses all of the speaker wires. one is skinny and rectangular, the other is closer to a square if that helps

 

[mic98xlt]

Here is a link to the JBL system. In the first post you see the connectors that should match yours. Please look at post #13 for the wiring diagram to confirm that it is your wiring. The first thing to do is to confirm the radio head unit had power and ground.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=400602

I'm a little confused on exactly what your radio is doing now. I'm going to do a better explanation of exactly what to check. In the meantime please browse thru the link to gain a better idea of how the JBL system works.

 

[mic98xlt]

The skinny connector of the radio unit is basically the power connector. The wiring is as following:
Light green/purple is "Hot at all time" +12v (fuse 29) from interior fuse panel.
Black is ground, which should be confirmed.
Black/Light green is also ground.
Yellow/black is "Hot in run or Accessory" +12v (fuse 20) from interior fuse panel.
Light Blue/red is the +12v feed from interior lights to feed the radio back ground lights.

The other connector is not speaker leads but more or less control (turn on etc.) or low audio feeds to rear amplifier unit. The radio should light up and display function without this connector and with only the single power connector.

There is a "Hot in start" +12v feed (fuse 34) that powers the rear amplifier unit from the interior fuse panel, be sure and check this fuse. It is a red/light blue wire at the rear amplifier harness. The rear amplifier also has another feed "Hot at all times" +12v
(fuse 22) which is feed from the power distribution box located under the hood. It's a light green/purple wire at the rear harness.

Be sure that the harness(es) on the rear amplifier are properly seated and the grounds also are tested. This should be enough food for thought to get you going. Feel free to ask if I confused you.

 

[DjDom]

Lol, I talked to you in chat about this already.

 

[mic98xlt]

Moran, any luck with the testing of the radio and the rear control unit? Just curious how you made out.