please help me

[not so new kid]

ok... i just replaced my stock headunit yesterday. now keep in mind that there was already a problem with teh speakers (possible short in one of the wires or something to that effect). now this morning, i go to turn my car on and the battery is dead. i jump the car and the battery gauge is at half, now while driving the car teh gauge stays at the same spot... but wen i turn the car off and let it stay dormant for a period of time... the battery drains... yes, the battery is draining now when the car is off. then it starts to get dark and i realize my dome lights no longer work. does anyone have any ideas at all about what the problem could be... please, im begging... any help at all?

 

[Brandons]

Does your new head unit stay on while the truck is off (or can you turn the head unit on without the key in)? And does it actually work when the truck is on?

 

[Creager]

um just an idea, if the radio is indeed staying on when you turn the car off...

did you use an aftermarket wiring harness, or did you sodder in the stock wires?

i almost want to say you have the radio-remote wire (red i think) and the radio-common wire (Yellow) crossed; its a long shot that this would cause your problem, but it might. Ford uses the Yellow wire as constant (if i rememer right) and some headunit-harnesses use red as constant.

OR are you running a seperate amp? for subs or something? maybe the amp isnt shutting off and draining power? I had a friend with a Bronco where his Headunit 'amp-remote wire' wouldnt actually turn his amp on and off, it would just keep it on somehow. We tapped the 'amp-remote' wire to the 'red, radio-remote' wire on the radio harness and it fixed the problem (something we rigged up in the high-school parking lot back in the day)

 

[caveman1]

ford does a funny thing with their sound systems.Check your dimmer for your dash lights.If they do not coincide with the stereo then your wires in the harness are wrong.I changed out my hu on mine and i was haveing the same problem.The person that owned the truck before me thought he was an electrician.Boy was he wrong.It took me 3 days to figure it out.My lights inside were constantly giveing power but not enough to light up the bulbs.Sounds stupid I know,but i brought it to my uncles shop and he had the wireing diagrams on the ford repair disc.we went through them and found the problem.We switched around 4 wires and the problem was corrected.

 

[Vanquish502]

Also, if your truck has the factory amp do not wire it to the yellow "memory" wire. It will suck power all night long. Also if your dome lights don't work anymore you blew the fuse that the memory power cable is also on.

 

[not so new kid]

heh this is funny... the alternator was shot and the battery was boiling, no the head unit wasnt on while teh car was off... i dont know... thanks for your help its a mute point now tho... problem solved