Need some help, having issues with aftermarket stereo.

[RIGID82]

Hi guys,
I have a 1997 Ford Explorer with JBL, I've put everything color to color, I had blew a fuse first so replaced it again with a 10, blew that upped it to 20, Now not getting any constant power to the head unit, if I press the eject button or display it will act like it's starting up, but then it shuts back off...can anyone help?

 

[agonz91]

post pics of ur wiring.

 

[Jim_WY]

I'd start by measuring to see if you actually have +12 at the switched (accessory) power connection and at the non-switched (constant on) +12 connection. Also, test the continuity of all of your grounds from the connector to the chassis. You may have blown a ground wire or one of the "hot" wires in the harness when you increased the fuse value.

Or if you're lucky, you may have blown a fuse in the car's fuse panel that protects the wiring.

What fuse are you talking about having replaced with a larger value? Was it one in the car's fuse box that's there to protect the wiring? If so, you might have real problems now. If not, then you may be able to just replace a blown one in the car's fuse block to get power back. But you'll still have a problem of some sort in the connections you've made or in your aftermarket stereo unit.

In general, it's always a bad idea to increase the value of any fuse over that which the car or stereo manufacturer provides. Fuses are not there to protect the load. They're there to protect wiring. You do NOT want to burn up wiring in the middle of a large bundle someplace where you can't get at it and even if you do, it means repairing not just the burned wire, but all of those around it that also had their insulation burned through.

Stick with the factory fuse values. If a fuse blows, there's a problem. You need to find that problem and fix it. Fuses are our friends. They can save a lot of headaches, but only if they're the right value.

Hopefully, you just increased the value of the fuse in the new stereo's harness, and that (in conjunction with the real problem) has now blown the car's fuse.

 

[corkey]

on the deck end of the harness, is the blue wire hooked to anything?
if it is hooked up to the wrong wire it will shut down the whole thing, it is the power antenna feed, and is a source of very low wattage 12 volt output to trigger relays for amplifiers,

 

[617ricky]

Hi guys,
I have a 1997 Ford Explorer with JBL, I've put everything color to color, I had blew a fuse first so replaced it again with a 10, blew that upped it to 20, Now not getting any constant power to the head unit, if I press the eject button or display it will act like it's starting up, but then it shuts back off...can anyone help?

Can you pull the stereo out and explain which wires you have hooked up to what? Just cuz I also have a 97 premium sound with the stock amp, and I kno how to have it hooked up without bypassing the amp...

On the rectangular plug with 8 wires, you only need 4 of the wires to get it running.. I didn't connect the illumination/dimmer wires and it works fine.. You just need the 12v constant, 12v switched, ground, and 12v amp turn-on connected (to power antenna wire on stereo)... Then on the other square plug, you have to connect the amp ground wire right to the main ground connection (so all 3 wires together).

 

[RIGID82]

Hey guys thanks for you posting and giving me tips, I found out that the fuse in Slot#20 had blown and hadn't realized it, feel really dumb right now, and I replaced the other fuse back down to 10 thanks for that information. Thanks again guys for the help.

 

[RIGID82]

Can you pull the stereo out and explain which wires you have hooked up to what? Just cuz I also have a 97 premium sound with the stock amp, and I kno how to have it hooked up without bypassing the amp...

On the rectangular plug with 8 wires, you only need 4 of the wires to get it running.. I didn't connect the illumination/dimmer wires and it works fine.. You just need the 12v constant, 12v switched, ground, and 12v amp turn-on connected (to power antenna wire on stereo)... Then on the other square plug, you have to connect the amp ground wire right to the main ground connection (so all 3 wires together).

That's how I wired mine up seems to work great I am loving the stereo, It's amazing how it's the little things you find later that makes you wonder why it's not working, but it is wired up good.