This may not be the right forum for this, but you guys helped me a lot when wiring my own radio, but I'm helping my friend install a head unit for his blazer. There are three extra wires coming from the stock wire harness that don't can't connect to the head unit, Illumination, Dimmer, and Power Antenna. The head unit just doesnt have inputs for these, so I just taped them off. When turned on the car, the radio never started. Everything else (12v constant, ground, 12v ignition, speakers...) is connected right. Do the three wires need to be connected to something for the head unit to power on? The only other wire coming from the head unit that isn't connected to anything is the remote amp turn on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

you might have to hook up the remote amp turn on wire to the power antenna.....but I'm not too sure on that.......check out www.the12volt.com they have a lot of useful wiring guide's


Go Premium, it builds character!

Someone told me that none of the three wires need to be connected to anything. i think its possible that one of the wires were shorted, but i'd think that the radio fuse in the fusebox would blow, and it didn't. The fuse on the back of the head unit is fine...
How would I know if the wiring from the car is supplying power, besides trying a different head unit?

check ALL fuses. My camry's speakers, clock and internal lights never worked all simply because the "dome lamp" fuse was blown. I replaced it and everything worked.

The stereo may actually be working, but because the illumination wire isnt hooked up, might just appear not to be on. Just my theory. I find it so much easier to simply buy a wiring harness for your vehicle, rather than cutting the stock wires. The harness' wires are all color coded to match most (if not all) wire colours on an aftermarket stereo (e.g. 12v constant = yellow, acc = red, antenna = blue, etc.)

But www.the12volt.com is an awesome place to find which wire does what. (I cant find one for the 1990 Camry LE, it's actually quite a bit different than the regular camry)

Calvin Di Bartolo wrote:check ALL fuses. My camry's speakers, clock and internal lights never worked all simply because the "dome lamp" fuse was blown. I replaced it and everything worked.

It was actually the horn fuse. The original stereo was stolen and whoever stole it must have blown it.
Thanks a lot!