new cd player fuse pops

Jake, did you use a $4 harness from Wal-mart, store etc, to plug into the factory harness after wiring the new stereo to it, or did you just cut the factory harness off and try to wire it up directly by guessing? I would almost have to say the latter from your description. Don't take any offense to that, because alot of people that don't know about the $4 harnesses do the exact same thing. Or, when you bought the car, the person who owned it before you cut the harness off for you, which is always bound to be an adventure for the next person.

I'm willing to bet you did the same thing most people do, either the factory radio harness was cut or you cut it off, so you took out your test light to test for +12 battery wire, ignition wire and ground. The first two are easy enough to find because they're commonly yellow and red respectively, and a black ground wire may or may not be there, depending on the vehicle. But, most people don't realize that the blue w/white tracer wire is actually the vehicles dimmer wire, even though when tested with a test light, it sure seems like a great ground wire (lights off). However, once the lights are turned on, a positive voltage flows through that wire, with which the factory stereo, should light up the backlight in the radio. Heres the problem; while hooked to the ground of an aftermarket stereo, once those lights are turned on, either the fuse for the radio will blow, or the fuse for your dimmer switch will blow, and I'm venturing to guess that's exactly what happened in this case.

If this is the case, unhook the ground wire from the blue/white dimmer wire, cap or tape the dimmer wire off so it can't short out against the dash anywhere and do the following for a ground (if your new stereo has a dimmer wire, which alot of the newer models are starting to, this is the wire the blue/white wire should be wired to, otherwise cap it). Look for a metal crossmember or a place in the dash that is already connected with a screw. Take the screw out, clean the metal up so it's shiny (test it with your test light if you're not sure), crimp/solder a 16 or 18 gauge screw clamp connector onto the radio ground wire (or you can just strip the wire and wrap it around the screw) and screw the ground wire to the metal dash. TA-DA! I'm willing to bet you'll be buying no more fuses and now you'll be able to enjoy your music while still being able to see your dash at night.

Good luck, and BTW, next time remember that those $4 harnesses tell you everything you need to know and make your and my life so much easier when it comes to this stuff.

Sharky

you have the ground wire connected to the dashlight wire which is grounded through light bulbs, so the radio works when connected.

disconnect that wire and tape off ,connect ground to metal or at least the ground at the lighter.

never buy ANYTHING from walmart

and they don't sell harnesses for $4, Harnesses are $10

and buy things from people who ACTUALLY have knowledge and can help when there is a problem

when your Oreck vacuum F's up and needs a $5 part, ya go to the Oreck store , get it and its fixed, if it needs work done on it the will work on it. buy crap at walmart who is going to help you the cashier? hell she can't even count back change!

They sure can't help in determining what stereo you really need, what is really quality and not just glitz. what needed accessories are required for a proper install Saving $9 on a $200 purchase but making 6 trips back to the store to get it right makes no sense.

Excuse me, insert favorite store in place of "wal-mart". Apparently, you didn't see that I was just using it as an example. Yes they could be $8 or $10, its been a while since I bought one. Regardless, they are cheap, the instructions are hassle free, most have a toll free number and website to contact if needed and they are much easier than guessing. That and you don't have to snip the harness off, making the installation of the original a snap when you sell the car.

Sharky

besides most new stereos dont use the illumination wire anyways

ya Buy that $8 or $10 part and the stereo from a stereo store which can assist you in selection and installation

saving $3 on a $100 purchase is FALSE ECONOMY,, When you actually need an expert there WON'T BE ANY if all you buy is walmart crap

Yes, you can go to a stereo store and get "expert" advice. Be careful. Many of those so called "stereo stores" are just as bad as Wallymart, Target, etc. The clerk behind the counter often knows just as little as the clerk at Stop and Shop. And, if you find a good stereo store, the employee is apt to tell you which part(s) you need all right... Like, 'oh, you could go with this $8 part, but, hey it's your system. If it were me, I'd use this part here, and it's only $39.95.'

Stereo stores have higher costs because they have limited market coverage, therefore limited customer base. They also do not get the discounts that a major player gets. Wally might buy 1000 of an item and get a 15% discount, while Stereo Boy stocks 5 or 10 and maybe gets a 3% discount for the same product. And Wally may have a contract which calls for only 5% quality control checks in order to cut prices, while Stereo Boy has an agreement for zero quality checks.

There are more problems with your theory of FALSE ECONOMY.

If the buyer does his/her homework and researches the project, then calls around and checks the ads before hitting the road, they can save. All this applies to many different products.

You are "part" right. If you have to run all over town to save three cents on a can of beans, while spending $1.79 to drive there and back, you lost money. But, if you can drive to Wallyworld or wherever to buy a part for $8 that would cost you $20 at a specialty store, you have saved money... Often, it's the same part, and works just as well. You saved several trips to several stores.

Of course, if you are looking for a specialty item (I don't think Wallyworld carries Nakamichi, etc) you may have no choice but to go to a specialty shop. That's life.

And, if you d>ya Buy that $8 or $10 part and the stereo from a stereo store which can

Spike

1965 Ford Mustang fastback 2+2 A Code 289 C4 Trac-Lok Vintage Burgundy w/Black Standard Interior; Vintage 40 16" rims w/BF Goodrich Comp T/A gForce Radial 225/50ZR16 KDWS skins; surround sound audio-video.

"When the time comes to lay down my life for my country, I do not cower from this responsibility. I welcome it." -JFK Inaugural Address

Snip

Could you please explain how hooking the wire from the dash lamps to the stereo's ground will blow the fuse for the stereo?

Al

FYI, I am not an electrician or professional stereo installer, I just have a very good understanding of how these things work. Someone who knows more than I can feel free to correct or further explain what I have explained in my own words. Note that - means negative and + means positive.

Big Al, what happens when the ground wire of the stereo is connected to the dimmer switch is the following. When tested with a test light, headlight switch off, the wire will have no power to it, and if probed with the test light clipped to a + polarity source, will light the test light as if it were a - ground wire. I believe it acts as a ground in this state because it is still connected to the headlight switch, but someone can correct me. However, once you turn the headlight switch on, either park or headlights, so that the dash lights illuminate, the test light will go out because there is now a + signal flowing through the dimmer wire. Because the other end of the test light is already connected to a + source, the test light will not light. In this example, where the dimmer wire was wired to the ground of the aftermarket stereo, as soon as the headlight was turned on, the + signal from the dimmer wire short circuited the fuse in the panel because the ground wire off the radio was expecting a - signal and not a +. If there were no fuse, it would burn the element on the headlight switch that controls the brightness of the dimmer switch.

Believe me, I've watched this happen first hand from my own doing, before realizing what I had done wrong. Smoke coming from under the dash while you're crusing down the road in the evening is not a good thing. Fortunately, pulling the fuse was a workaround. The problem with the fuse in this case is that someone had substitued the 5 amp fuse with a 10 amp, meaning it would short the element before the fuse.

There always has to be a - and + side to power a DC circuit, - and - OR + and + are no good.

Hope this helps, Sharky