93' Explorer radio wiring information & review of el-cheapo car radio.

[CreepingNet]

Well, I'm back with something that IS'NT a question, but just a bunch of notes and experiences (good ones actually) installing a Durabrand DB1210 CD/AM/FM Radio into a 1993 Ford Explorer Sport with no problems whatsoever from the get go. I did not see any of this here, so I decided to post it up in case someone else wants the info. Some of this might be useful with other stereos as well.

Basically, I had been stuck with a well used and more recently flaky, and later not-working original "Hi-Level Audio System" radio/tape player for the past 5 years I've been driving, the same one mom got with the truck when she bought it in 1993. Anyway, the long and short of it is I was looking around Wal-Mart automotive and came across a Durabrand car stereo for about $50. I was a little skeptic, so I took it out of the box, and actually, it's a pretty decent little piece of hardware, it's no Arts Technica or Sony piece of gear, but it does'nt look chintzy or badly made either, I also wanted to keep the sound the original stereo had (read, original Amp)....after much research last night, I got it in without a problem or a single error.

Wiring Diagram

For clarification.....
1st Plug (Large black/red/grey plug coming from back of original tape deck)
Blue (Remote Amplifier Turn-On) - goes to blue on durabrand plug
Black (chassis ground) - I grounded it to the bare wire from Plug #2
Yellow/Black Stripe (Accessory) - Wired to Red Wire on DB plug
Yellow/Light Green Stripe (Memory) - wired to yellow wire on Durabrand
Blue/Red Stripe (Illumination) - not connected

2nd Plug (smaller 8 pin cable with grey plug)
White/Red Stripe (Right Front +) - To Grey on Durabrand Plug
Brown (right front -) - To Grey w/ Black Stripe on Durabrand Plug
Green (Left Front +) - To White on Durabrand Plug
White/Orange Stripe (Left Front -) - To White w/ Black Stripe on DB Plug
Light Blue/Black Stripe (Left Rear +) - To Green on Durabrand Plug
Yellow (Left Rear -) - To Green w/ Black stripe on Durabrand Plug
White/Blue Stripe (Right Rear +) - To Violet on Durabrand Plug
Light Blue (Right Rear - ) - To Violet w/ Black Stripe on Durabrand Plug

So far I'm pretty happy with the stereo and the sound, it's pretty close, allbeit a little crisper than the original Factory tape deck when playing CD's, and the FM stereo is actually darn good. So far no problems. Hopefully someone might find this useful.

Before - The old hi-level audio radio

After

And of course, a removable faceplate.....

 

[X-North]

very useful man!!!! thank you i was searching the useage of the radio wire on my 1993 explorer

 

[Linga]

Thanks that's exactly what i needed. On mine i had bought the harness needed for the deck to hook up to the stock harness of the truck. My power harness came with two blue wires. One was blue with a white stripe (This is the one for a factory amp. If you have a factory amp, and do not hook this wire to the blue and white wire coming from the deck, you will get NO sound). The other was for a power antenna( i did not use this one). I also had a orange wire (This one is the illumination wire). I hope this will help out some others.

 

[PopCan]

This helped so much u have no idea lol