I am chasing an electrical gremlin that is continually blowing fuse 8. I bought this car with the stock radio not installed and a new aftermarket radio "installed" but not wired yet. While looking for anything out of the ordinary under the dash I noticed 2 black wires leading into a ring terminal- one wire obviously hooked up to the back of the radio and another snaked back somewhere farther under.
My question is where in the world is the original grounding spot for the radio? I looked around as best as I could but I gave up after having no success. (also if anyone knows what the other black wire is that grounds with the radio that would be greatly appreciated.)

 

the wiring diagram for the radio only shows one ground wire, from radio pin 9 to a ground point on the left side of the transmission hump just aft of where the center console joins said hump and forward of the shifter, uner the carpet. not sure what this ring terminal is about, that ground point is about the only place I'd see a ring terminal being used.

this is a 33 year old car, its quite possible someone has been in there before making mods, our 87 probably had 4-5 different stereos in it over the years, first cassettes, later CD, and finally bluetooth.

 

btw, if the original 9 pin (3x3) stereo connector is still intact int he car, you can buy an adapter that plugs into that, so you don't need to cut wires. thats the ONLY way car stereos should be installed... people who hack at the cars harnesses cause problems.

 

I found out the problem with my ground, It wasn’t actually the radio ground but I couldn’t tell at the time because it was late at night.
I was getting ready to chop the wires and rewire in the new radio but I’m glad you said something, I would guess that I have the original radio but hopefully you can help. I will attach pictures of the radio that the previous owner took out, the wiring harness that goes into it and then the new radio and harness that the previous owner got and didn’t hook up. Hopefully you can help me find an adapter so I don’t have to go start chopping away.

new harness

new radio

stock(i think) harness

front of old radio

rear wiring of old radio

old radios sticker

 

thats not the stock radio connector on a 240,,, if you follow those wires into the dash, do they go to a 3x3 pin block connector ?

this is a typical 240 harness adapter that plugs into the factory plug...



our 87 had the radio in the lower spot by the shifter. AFAIK, in 87 radios were dealer installed and they had several options, I've seen ones that were on top, with an amplifier/equalizer in the bottom slot.

 

I believe the turbo models had the radio near the shifter so oil temp, oil pressure, and volt gauges could go at the top. I followed the wires back about 10 inches and didn't find a 3x3 connection...

 

were there splices on the wires? its quite possible that the 3x3 is behind the lower bay, and that the 3x3 to CR-4123 adapter goes all the way down there. in fact that is where the 3x3 was in our bought-new 87 240...

 

I don’t believe those white plastic cylinders are splices but you tell me, they’re only on 3 wires. What should I do to look for the possible connector?

 

fyi, last year for 240 turbos was 84 or 85, and they still used the CIS (K-Jet) B21FT rather than LH which had been in non-turbos since 83.

 

those white things kind of look like inline fuse holders, but I've never seen any that look like that on a volvo. the thick black wire with the tape around it is the antenna coax cable plus antenna control wire, I suspect.

 

Any advice on what to do from here?

 

On the crutchfield page , click on deeply discounted installation gear, or see the installation gear - Will a kit like that help?

https://www.crutchfield.com/g_300/Al....html?skipvs=Y

 

I already have a new radio with an aux cord and a CD player, it'd be preferable to use that one and try to find a harness adapter sort of thing so I can use the radio I already have. It looks like the deeply discounted installation gear is all radios instead of just harness adapters.