New stereo won't remember settings.

[matthewst]

My Ex came sans stereo and the plugs were both cut. With a little research here I was able to hook up a new aftermarket stereo and get it working without to much trouble. I only have one problem now. The radio won't remember the settings or time. I have to reset it each time I turn the vehicle off. The radio has the standard after market color code: Red = Power, Yellow = Accessory, Black = Ground.

What color is the "Constant" coming from the truck?
What color wire do I hook the constant to on the radio?

 

[corkey]

color codes depend on stereo brand,
most use red as the key on,
and yellow as the constant,

 

[JDraper]

From what my old manual says, it should be light green with a pink stripe.

Go down to your local auto store and buy a cheap test light. Hook one end to a good ground and check wires in the truck with the other end. When it illuminates with the key turned off, you've found a constant 12V source.

 

[Aussie Canuck]

Do you have the basic am/fm cassette or the fancy pants jbl noie reduction stereo? I just went through a mini-nightmare hooking up my cd player a few days ago although I still had the clip. It depends on what wire colors you have from your truck. On the CD player Yellow is constant to the battery, Red is ignition.

Try:
Blue with Black stripe is hooked to ther red (ignition) wire
Blue with Red stripe is hooked to the yellow (constant) wire

Or, if like my 93 explorer, you have different wires try:

Yellow with Black stripe to yellow (constant)
Light Green with Yellow to red (ignition)

If still no luck, post what wires you have coming from your truck minus the speaker wires and we can figure it out

 

[runningred92]

I had the same problem except I had the harness. Newer radios require a constant different from first gen X's. I had to hook both the red and yellow from the aftermarket radio to the red power. The only problem with that is you have to turn the radio on and off manually it does not run with the ignition but at least it saves your stations time and eq settings

 

[Joe Dirt]

You shouldn't have to hook them together. Find another wire in your rig, all vehicles have both types of wires.