New stereo installation problems 1986 f150
 

Im attempting to replace the stock AM/FM stereo with a different CD player out of another car. I have done a stereo swap in the past, and it went without a hitch. This time im having a little more difficulty. what ive completed so far.

1. located wiring diagrams for both the CD player and the stock AM/FM stereo.
2. stripped all wires
3. connected front left and front right, negative and positive to their respective match
4. connected power and ground likewise (used a test light here, so im sure of the right match)
5. turned on key and tested stereo.

this is where im having my problem. the issue is, nothing shows up on the face of the stereo. no lights, no display, no sound, nothing. i know the unit is recieving power because it accepts and ejects CDs. Is it possible i am overlooking a small detail? any suggestions? thank you.

Did you buy/use the proper wiring harness for aftermarket steroes?

Double check your voltage with your test light. The red wire has 12 volts only when the ignition is on. The yellow wire must have 12 volts all the time. Don't trust the ground wire in the harness. Run the ground (black) wire from the radio to a metal point under the dash.

If both the red and yellow wire has 12 volts and the black wire has a good ground, then the display will light up on the radio. If it won't, you have a bad radio (even if it's new).

You are using an aftermarket radio, aren't you? If not, exactly what brand vehicle did the radio come out of and what vehicle are you putting it in?

thank you everybody for your help. I was missing the illumination wire. I was able to distinguish which wire was illumination/memory and which one was power by attatching the test light and turning the key on and off in the vehicle... the power wire test light went off and on with the key.. the memory wire test light continued to stay on as i turned it off and on.. simple fix, i wish i would have tried that before.. thanks once again
jf

Did your problem get solved?