I searched for this but couldn't figure out what I was looking for...
I have a Sony headunit, I have the wire harness (i think that's what i's called) hooked up the the h/u. The guy at Best Buy told me that I had to run a wire from the radio to the ignition. If I didn't the stereo would not work. Why can't I just hook it to the red wire in the harness? If the stock h/u didn't run to the ignition separately, why does the aftermarket have to?
This is the first time I've tried to hook up a radio, sorry if this seems dumb.
i see no reason to?.. just find the diagram for cavalier and follow wires with ur head unit.. and crimp them.. or get a harness..
The guy at Best Buy is correct. The wiring in your car is not done the way you might expect. Things are evolving. I took this info from
http://members.shaw.ca/johnz24/howto/2kaudio.html#Intro
The real problems
As far as real 'problems' go, there are TWO actual, guaranteed-to-happen 'side effects' to replacing the factory radio, no matter which deck you have (RDS or not!).
1. There is no +12V switched wire in the factory radio wiring harness to use to turn your new deck on and off.
Why? Because GM switched to Class 2 circuitry to turn the radio on and off, and to leave it on for 10 minutes until you open the driver's side door (you know what I'm talking about, right?) and do 'chime' the driver's speaker when some warning is going off.
There IS a constant +12V wire, as the factory deck always has power to save your presets and such.
Either you or your installer will have to find a spot to tap into a switched ignition wire.
2. If you remove the factory deck, you lose the 'chimes' that tell you the lights are still on, or your key is in the ignition, or you're driving with the emergency brake on, etc, etc, etc.
No more chimes, ever. Which I think is not necessarily a bad thing... =)
Why? The factory radio uses Class 2 signals to 'chime' the driver's door speaker. If you remove it, you lose the chimes. There isn't a separate GM chime module available either, so your only alternative is to relocate the factory deck, if you want to keep the chimes. If you don't like the chimes, then this is a no-brainer!
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If you don't like the idea of tapping into your ignition wire, you could tap into a fuse in your fuse block. (That's what I did.) Your local auto store or even Best Buy might have a fuse tap. Choose a fuse that only has power when the ignition is turned on (use a test light to find one) and wire that to your head unit harness.
Keith.
2003 Z24 Auto.
16.125 @ 84.42.
this is why we have a sticky at the top of this forum
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I read the sticky and already understood the part about what I lost with installing an aftermarket stereo. My question, which if the answer was in the FAQ I didn't understand it, was regarding if the ign. wire was a must.
I always try to search before I post. I have a very basic understanding of wiring and electronics (of this kind) and wanted to make sure what I had heard was right.
