Stereo Wiring question.

[chrism964]

Having become tired of only being able to get radio 1 on the original blaupunkt stereo that is currently fitted to my car. I decided to fit in a stereo I had lying around the garage. Unfortunately Mr Bodgit and his masking tape have already been at the car extensively and not having a manual (yet) I don't have a clue what some of the wiring is.

There are 5 wires:
4 of them are together; the brown, the red/black, the thick black and the thin red.

These 2 I think I know:
red/black - ignition/ 12v power?
brown - (was connected to) earth

These 3 I'm not so sure of:
Thick black wire - ?? Not connected but could have been connected to dimmer input on the stereo or the 12v permanent connection (memory)
thin red wire - just hacked off and left flapping in the wind by Mr Bodgit.
thin black wire that runs with the aerial connector - what does this do? Is it an earth for the aerial?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[chrism964]

On closer inspection the previously mentioned thick black wire appears to be a thin green wire within a the thick black outer casing which looks like it is shielding the green wire.

I can wire the stereo so that it works. It just means that there are 3 wires left unconnected and the memory function doesn't work.

this shows the 4 wires from the harness. Thin red wire. Brown wire (looks orange), Thick red/black, Thick black/coated green wire.

 

[chrism964]

Now I have found this wire ( which doesn't appear to have been connected to anything)

Looks like an earth wire. Any Ideas.
I wish I'd just stuck to listening to radio 1 (cassette player busted otherwise would just have connected I-pod)

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Chris,

Combining what I know and what I've been able to glean from the wiring diagram, heres my thoughts.

Red - 12v supply
Brown - Earth
White - Power Supply TO the antenna amplifier
Green - Alarm contact
Red/Black - Ignition switched supply

Note that the white wire MUST be connected to either the radio's electric aerial supply OR to an ignition switched supply. Do NOT leave it unconnected. This MAY explain why you could only get Radio 1 on the old set!! Re-reading your post it looks like your's might be black rather than white but it's the wire that is attached to the antenna lead anyway.

The green wire may be left unconnected BUT, if you do so, make sure you insulate it since it can cause a battery drain if it shorts to ground.

Hope that helps,

Regards

Dave

 

[chrism964]

Thank you that's great.
Ok mostly sorted.
I don't have a white wire though. This is probably the black wire that descends with the aerial then?

i.e. this one.
Sorry for all the questions. I just don't like random wires.

 

[chrism964]

I also might not have to ask so many questions if I actually read other peoples posts properly.

So.
All accounted for except the new wire I found flapping about at the back of the stereo slot.

So the amplifier wire is ok to connect to the power aerial attachment of the stereo I'm using? (I know it sounds obvious, I just had visions that this was used for extending/retracting aerials only!)

Once again thanks for the help.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Chris,

You're right - it IS used for extending and retracting aerials, but it does so by applying and removing power from that wire, hence it's ideal for powering the antenna amplifier. You were right in assuming that the white wire is black!!

I've no idea what the extra wire is. Porsche often leave wires flapping about which would be used for options that you don't have. Earth wires tend to be brown. If it's any other colour it may be best to insulate it and leave it flapping.

Regards

Dave

 

[sawood12]

Does the extra wire go live when you switch on your lights? Sometimes stereo's dim when you switch on your lights so they are not too bright and distracting at night, so this wire could be the signal for that feature.

 

[chrism964]

Thanks again Dave.

I had visions of the electrics/stereo going up in smoke or worse(the car). The stereo has basically been chopped and changed a few times(by DIYers) as all the speaker wiring has had the black tape treatment and then been connected incorrectly. The rest was just a mess of spade connectors and wires twisted together. The option codes for the car suggest it should have had an amplifier but I think this has been removed at some stage (or at least the wiring has).
Anyway. A soldering iron, some ISO connectors and heat-shrink tubing should see it right again.
I suppose I could've chucked a few quid at an expert/professional job but this gives me a sense of achievement and hopefully a wider selection of channels!!

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