Din wiring harness

[Scootdive]

I apologize in advance for repeating this topic because I know its been done a number of times but they are all dead threads and never really answered my question.

I have my dash converted to accept single Din style headunits. Im planning on installing a Jensen VX7012 (please no discussions of head unit choice) but I have no idea how to wire it without a prefabricated wiring harness or at least a wiring diagram so that I can make one myself. DOes any one know how to deal with this? I know aftermarket installations are done all the time so I must be missing something obvious.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Your head unit should have come with a mating connector and info of what colors to connect where. Can yo post that info?

[Scootdive]

Your head unit should have come with a mating connector and info of what colors to connect where. Can yo post that info?

I can when it arrives. I didn't want to order it before I knew it would work

[Jonathan]

Here's what I did:

Started with the factory wiring for a Craig radio and original speakers. I went with new speakers (same size, different brand) and an Alpine head unit.

No matter which head unit you choose (hence no discussion on that needed) it will come with a connector that you use. The plastic end of the connector mates with the opposite end on the back of your new head unit and the wires end will be simply the wires when you take it out of the box. What you need to do is connect each individual wire from the car to the corresponding one on that new connector.

This will leave you with a new quick-connect connector in the car that you can disconnect if need be, and the wires end of it will have your new terminations done with solder and shrink wrap keeping it all in place and nice and tidy.

To get there, what I did was pull out entirely the original wiring. Most of this was going to each speaker, which is a good idea if only because the front or rear pairs share a ground and most new decks don't let you do that. Not to mention the factory wiring looks like it was installed by the highschool auto shop class.

I ran a new pair to each of the four speakers. So that's eight wires that speak (hehe, pretty punny) for themselves as to where they go on your new connector.

You will have the antenna cable, which is another one of the easy and obvious ones. Slightly less so if you have a power antenna, which I didn't, so no comment there on what that's all about.

Generally speaking, you need three more wires to complete the project (assuming no amp is being added of course). You need two separate power wires and a dedicated ground wire. I actually reused the majority of the factory wires for these three. The ground wire is the one which terminates together on the lower right hand corner screw of the console bracket. Regardless of whether you run a new wire or not, that ground needs to be there as it also serves as the ground for some of the lights on the dash/HVAC panel.

The two power wires will come from the fuse/relay area already fused back there ( if your car has a stock arrangement still in that area). Your new deck will also likely have a microfuse in the rear of it. That means (as far as I was concerned) you can remove the inline glass fuses found up front on those power wires. They are redundant and a pain to locate if they fail and need replacing.

One of your power wires is the sort that is always on and keeps power to your radio settings or other memory functions. This power wire is not the one which normally powers the full operation of the stereo, so if one of the two could be undersized, it is this one. The second power wire is the one which is "switched" and only has power when you turn the key in the ignition. It runs the stereo and only comes on when you turn the key.

In the connector diagram I've attached here, that always on power for the memory settings is the PURPLE one and the one which is only on with the ignition is the GREEN/WHITE one.

Craig radio connectors.jpg

That's pretty much it. "Sound" ok to you? Ask if you have any more questions. You can do a lot of other things with your car in terms of work or tidying up while it is apart for a stereo job. Convenient timing anyway.

Here's a diagram showing the ASI wiring too.

Craig Radio Pin Out.jpg

[SS Spoiler]

You guys are good!