Installing a Car Stereo - HELP!

[wooohooo]

So my parents drive this old 1998 Ford Windstar and only use it occasionally to haul goods. The problem with this is the radio kept cutting in and out, usually over big bumps.

I bought a new car deck from Future shop and tried to install it. Bought a harness, attached all the wires. When I was attaching the 12v constant, I heard a whir on the radio but it didn't turn on. I use a volt meter (not really sure how to use this) and touch a 12V constant and the other 12V and get a fairly strong reading.However, when I am putting the volt meter away 12V accidentally touches the ground wire and there is a small spark.

So I check the fuse on the new radio and it looks good, I check the fuse for the car... and it's missing. I thought it was really weird, tried to put a new fuse in, but it appears to be broken as the fuse won't stay in.

I plug the old radio back in and now it doesn't even turn on.

Could that small spark have busted my entire radio/amp/system?

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

old 1998 Ford Windstar

There's your problem.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

There's your problem.

It's a hunk of Junk I agree. But I'll need it when I'm moving all my stuff back from Edmonton. Our car and SUV aren't big enough. 3 Hours without any music on one of the most boring high ways is death!!! So please help my poor soul please

[I_am_Beast]

sounds like the fuse in the car is the problem, and also explains when u hit a bump and it turns off as well.

what type of fuses does it use? the old glass tube ones or the little color coded plastic square ones....?

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by I_am_Beast

sounds like the fuse in the car is the problem, and also explains when u hit a bump and it turns off as well.

what type of fuses does it use? the old glass tube ones or the little color coded plastic square ones....?

little color coded plastic square ones. So I guess there never was a fuse there, bumps would turn it off?

Also, do you think I screwed myself over by creating some sparks?

[drewboy12]

nah it should be ok. try to add a piece of duck tape so the fuse is in there tight. Make sure you have the deck grounded. there should be a ground wire, just screw it into a price of metal, and make sure no wires are touching, all soldiered and taped so they are not exposed. Sounds like your ground wire is not grounded, or not grounded tight enough, so when you hit a bump it losses contact. Just make sure the fuses are good. They may look fine, but try to replace them with a couple different ones.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by drewboy12

nah it should be ok. try to add a piece of duck tape so the fuse is in there tight. Make sure you have the deck grounded. there should be a ground wire, just screw it into a price of metal, and make sure no wires are touching, all soldiered and taped so they are not exposed. Sounds like your ground wire is not grounded, or not grounded tight enough, so when you hit a bump it losses contact. Just make sure the fuses are good. They may look fine, but try to replace them with a couple different ones.

About grounding... I take the black grounding wire and I just wrapped it to the black grounding wire from the car. Is that okay?

[puffnstuff]

If the fuse falls out it probably isnt in the right place. Fuse boxes have extra spaces in them that arent used...they get left open for options that may be available but aren't installed on your vehicle. Can you see the metal contacts where you are putting the fuse in? To know what it is you should see...pull out one of the other fuses and look at it to compare.
There are two power sources for the factory stereo, a constant and a switched (power when the key is turned on). The constant power is 'usually' also the one for the cig lighter or the interior light. Do they work?
The switched power is the fuse labelled as radio. There may also be one under the hood in that fuse box...look there also.
Also not every black wire is your van is a ground... best option is to attach the ground wire from the new stereo to the metal under the dash. If in doubt if it a good ground use that voltmeter to check it out.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

If the fuse falls out it probably isnt in the right place. Fuse boxes have extra spaces in them that arent used...they get left open for options that may be available but aren't installed on your vehicle. Can you see the metal contacts where you are putting the fuse in? To know what it is you should see...pull out one of the other fuses and look at it to compare.
There are two power sources for the factory stereo, a constant and a switched (power when the key is turned on). The constant power is 'usually' also the one for the cig lighter or the interior light. Do they work?
The switched power is the fuse labelled as radio. There may also be one under the hood in that fuse box...look there also.
Also not every black wire is your van is a ground... best option is to attach the ground wire from the new stereo to the metal under the dash. If in doubt if it a good ground use that voltmeter to check it out.

Hmm okay, I'll try it again tomorrow when there's more light. But I've tried numerous angles but they get 'jammed' at some points. Only if I go direct can it go the full way but then it falls out. I don't have any problems with any of the other fuses.

Well the interior light definitely works. I tried to use a volt meter (never used one before) and attached the black one to the metal door hinge and the red one to the harness with the 12V constant and the other one... and the ground. Got no reading.

I also tried to attach the old radio again with a fuse taped in but nothing again. Could I have shorted a wire? Or what other fuse could I have blown? I looked at the manual and only one that deals with radio/amp is missing a fuse. But that's been missing all a long and it normally turns on. Now it just doesn't even turn on.

So I'm guessing I blew the fuse for the 12V somewhere... but power to other things work oddly. Oh well, time to find this baby

[wooohooo]

There are a lot of fuses, so I looked at maybe half of them and they all look good.

[Gobsgraham]

Keep looking. If there was 12V there was a fuse in the line somewhere. If you short directly to ground you blew a fuse. Now there is no 12V because you blew the fuse. If you keep looking you will find it.

Another option is to trace the 12V wire all the way back to the fuse box/panel.

It may also be to just google wiring colors for that vehicle or look it up in a Hayne's manual. Either way, you just need to keep looking.

1998 Ford Windstar Stereo Wiring
Constant 12V+ Green/Purple
Switched 12V+ Yellow/Black
Ground Black/Light Green
Illumination Green
Dimmer n/a
Antenna Trigger n/a
Antenna Right Front
Front Speakers 5" x 7" Doors
Left Front (+) Orange/Light Green
Left Front (-) Light Blue/White
Right Front (+) White/Light Green
Right Front (-) Dark Green/Orange
Rear Speakers 5" x 7" Side Panels
Left Rear (+) Light Brown/White
Left Rear (-) Light Brown/Yellow
Right Rear (+) Light Brown/Green
Right Rear (-) Brown/Pink

[Traditional_Ale]

^ THIS.

Screw harnesses, just go with the color-coding from the manufacturers of the deck and the one above from Ford. Solder and shrink tube. No grounding problems, no chance of things getting undone over bumps.

[Raekwon]

Had a friend way back that had no clue about installing car stereos. He bought a $1000 deck and decided to install it himself. His mistake was thinking he could unplug his old deck and plug that harness right into the new deck. Fried that deck instantly, man was he pissed.

[wooohooo]

Thanks everyone for the insight. I did keep looking for the fuse and finally... finally found it. After I replaced it, it works!!!!

Really appreciate it everyone!