i posted this in the audio section but i figured i would put it in here as well. i have hooked up a lot of radios in cars but this one has me stumped. could anyone tell me what all the wires are on the harness with the - and + wires?

thanks

Tom

 

Use a wiring loom adaptor, that way you don't damage this existing volvo plug, and putting it back to original is a piece of cake.

 

alright here is the deal as of right now. we tried putting the after market in and then decided that sense we didnt know what the wires were that we wernt going to go any further. we wired in the stock radio and now that wont work either... all the wires are matched up right. the fuse is fine. any ideas?

 

Did you enter the stock player's security code?

 

yeah. the radio isnt getting power. the one thing that comes on when you turn the key is the anti theft light.

 

I have an aftermarket headunit and haven't used the stock radio for years. Is it a light on the radio that comes on? If so it is possible that the security code is wrong.

 

yeah its a little red dot the blinks. other then that there is no lights coming on, on the radio it self.

 

You sure that you are turning the ignition switch to ACC position. because the red antitheft light only glows in off position. Just in case that you plugged it in and wanted to test it without key in...

 

yeah it doesnt do anything... even when the car it turned on

 

Okay so I think I know the problem. Every head unit has an ignition switch (not literally a switch) that tells the unit to turn on with the car. Since when you turn on the car and the only light that lights up is the "off" light, you must have a problem with your ignition switch. The ignition switch is a 12V wire that runs to the back of the unit. That wire is on a circuit that is only active when the car is on. There MUST be a connection problem there. The wire probably accidentally got pulled from the plastic harness that connects the wires to the head unit.

The ignition AKA ACC wire should be red. It has been so long since I have done mine that I do not remember. Check it today and let me know if there is a red wire and if it looks like it has a proper connection

 

alright i will check it out later and let you know. thanks!

 

i had the same problem with my car once.after cheking all the fuses and connection i unplug the harness and plug it back in and everything started working i didnt even had to enter the security code it just staterd working .it like the radio reset it self.

 

i just checked all the connections and still no power.

 

I would buy a $10 multimeter from AutoZone. Set the meter to read voltage, then use that to troubleshoot your problem. take the wiring harness and match up the pins on the headunit side to the wire colors on the other so you know which pin is which color wire (put the head-unit aside...wont need it). Then use the positive lead on the voltmeter to connect to the pin that corresponds to the yellow wire. Use the negative lead to connect to the pin corresponding to the black wire. It should read close to 12V if those wires are ok. Make sure you use someone with good hand dexterity to make sure that when you connect the leads only the pins you are using are contacted so you don't short circuit anything by cross-connecting.

The second test will be using the red ACC wire and the black ground. If this does not read around 12V (car must be on) then that is your problem area.

It is a $10 solution. If both circuits are in good condition then the only thing I can think of is a head-unit itself's problem

 

+1....or you can use a $1 automotive bulb to test the presence of these voltages.

 

i just realized that i didnt mention that the person that had the car before me cut all the wires and twisted them bac k together. there are 3 red wires with a black stripe. is it possable that those wires could not be matched up with the right red wire with black stripe?

 

I guess...sounds confusing. If you can pull out the wires more let us know which wires those three red/black wires correspond to on the stock harness. Taking pictures would really help us out and get this problem solved faster. I don't know how you can stand driving without music for so long.

 

Using a volt meter to check which ou of those red/black wire has 12V will solve the problem but certainly if you can post some pictures, it wil be great help in understanding the problem

 

The reason I recommended buying a voltmeter is because you will find more uses for a multimeter than you would ever think possible. I use mine probably once a month doing odd-jobs.

 

++1 for multimeter..I use mine almost 3-4 times a month