[VTEC not ZETEC]

The car came with an AM/FM tape player. I wired the new CD player up and then started the car and it didn't work. I turn the lights on and it worked, when I turn the lights off, radio turns off. So I am trying to find out why my radio only works with the lights on? I've looked up the meaning of all the wires and I can't figure it out.

 

[VTEC not ZETEC]

no one has ever had this problem???

 

[Dantheman86]

you've got the illumination wire and the exciter wire backwards, should be a yellow one and an orange one

 

[VTEC not ZETEC]

the plug for the new stereo did not have a orange wire., so what should I do?

 

['02 BLK PRL]

The wire harness that you bought to connect to the factory harness should have an orange wire...and the radio harness should have one too...it ma not be orange..check the wire diagram that came with your radio and see which wire is for ILLUMINATION..hook that one to the orange and it should be good to go.

 

[Dantheman86]

i'd guess the illumination is green then maybe?

 

[VTEC not ZETEC]

That's the thing, I have a Sony CDX-GT200 headunit, it came with a 16 pin harness with 13 wires. They are all hooked up and no orange wire. The wiring diagram on Sony's website says illumination should be orange and it's not there.

By the way I have done this a million times in other cars including another Focus and never run into a problem until now.

 

[Impaled]

Illumination wire is orange in my focus.

 

[Django]

Illumination wire is orange in my focus.

Is in all of them id assume. unless someone rewired his dash.

 

[VTEC not ZETEC]

the Sony headunit harness is the one without the oragne wire. I am not hardwiring my headunit, i bought a wiring harness and hooked it up like that

 

['02 BLK PRL]

so the thing to do is take the radio back (if possible) and get a wire harness that has an orange wire...

 

[VTEC not ZETEC]

I was afraid of that, had the radio since Christmas, doubt I can take it back now, looks liek I am SOL. Gonna see if Sony can send me another one

 

[mobile91]

It sounds like you hooked up the red igniton lead from the Sony headunit to the illumination wire on the Ford harness. I would double check your wiring and make sure the red form the Sony goes to the red on the Ford harness and not an orange wire.

 

[knighthelm]

Your deck may not have ill+ wire, but your problem is that you wired your ign+ wire to your car ill+ wire. Just rewire your ign+ (from deck) to the approperate ign+ (from car) and you will no long have that problem. Do not worry about the ill+ (from deck) if you turn your key and it lights up then you did not a ill+ (deck) in the first place.