Radio Harness Confusion

Lycaon1349

Registered User
so i bought my sc without a head unit installed and now im trying to figure out what goes where and there seems to be too many wires, let alone the fact that it looks like someone wired in the mystery harnesses before i got to them, they dont look stock, or at least what i thought the stock ones should look like. anyone else know what the heck is going on here?

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edit: sorry about the crappy quality, gotta love them cell phone cameras!
 
Bottom is for speakers, left is power, and right is antenna. Middle I think is for CD player/changer controls.
 
Lower '?' connector in the photo goes to the VMM I believe...have one? VMM normally sits above the radio and if your car has a blank-out plate there instead then just tuck that pigtail/connector up out of the way.

Right angle connectors go to the stock radio. Antenna connector goes....

Plenty of info here for stock radio wiring.

Scosche sells adapter harnesses for aftermarket installs...strongly recommended over DIY - you may need more than one.
 
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Lower '?' connector in the photo goes to the VMM I believe...have one? VMM normally sits above the radio and if your car has a blank-out plate there instead then just tuck that pigtail/connector up out of the way.

Right angle connectors go to the stock radio. Antenna connector goes....

Plenty of info here for stock radio wiring.

Scosche sells adapter harnesses for aftermarket installs...strongly recommended over DIY - you may need more than one.

KMT is right,

Middle bottom one is for a VMM unit...

You have the Power one marked correctly, and well they sell a harness that bipasses the factory amp and connects into the square speaker plug. I got one from crutchfield it was made by Scosche...think it was like 19.99 or something, made the install a piece of cake.

-Tim
 
You definitely have a JBL wiring harness.....

Look on the door cups just above the handle and you should see a JBL or a Premium Audio emblem.....

The square looking plug goes to the amp in the trunk....

The black plug goes to a VMM (Vehicle Maintenance Monitor).....

To see if your SC came with a VMM, check the coolant reservoir for a sensor (it will be obvious if it has one)...:p

Get the proper adapter for your head unit....:cool:
 
yeah the door does say premium sound on it, theres a blank out plate and no vmm above where the radio should sit like KMT said. would the amp be in the upper tray in the trunk? i saw something back there, thought it was maybe the cars computer. does anyone have a direct link to the wiring harness for the car? thanks again for your help everyone

edit: the coolant reservoir does have a level sensor
 
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Then you can install a VMM if you want.....:cool:

I have a few of them at my shop....

The original VMM faceplate probably got busted and the block out panel was installed to cover the opening....:rolleyes:

The amp is the black box on the right hand side of the package tray in the trunk....

Your SCs computer is behind the kick panel on the PS next to the glove box....

If you are planning on keeping the SC, then I would recommend getting an EVTM (Electrical Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual)....
 
what would be the benefit of adding the vmm, what does it do? and by wiring harness i meant the radio adapter harness, if thats why you suggested the evtm
 
vmm stands for vehicle maintenance monitor... its a box with lots of flashy lights to tell you when to change your oil, if you have low coolant, washer fluid, fuel, etc.

you do have a prem sound system... check to see if you still have the speakers installed with the crossovers built in... honestly, i would keep the stock amplifier and prem sound speakers, if the subwoofer is still there, get it working properly with a new speaker replacement, its a 6 inch sub, rebuild is in the tech articles here or on tccoa.

trust me, the jbl system is great. sounded close in quality to my diamond audio component set.
 
what would be the benefit of adding the vmm, what does it do? and by wiring harness i meant the radio adapter harness, if thats why you suggested the evtm

The VMM monitors when to change oil, low fuel, low engine coolant, and low engine oil.....

Mine came with one and I like the way it looks in the dash.....:cool:

If you want to see one, do a search for VMM and I am pretty sure you'll find a picture of one.....

I have 2 SCs that had to old JBL wiring harnesses cut....:mad:

Trying to install an after market radio was a PITA.....

I installed an unmolested radio wire harness and got the correct adapter for the new head unit.....:D

The EVTM will provide you with wiring diagrams for the entire car and it is very useful tracking down most electrical problems that you might run across....:rolleyes:
 
The VMM monitors when to change oil, low fuel, low engine coolant, and low engine oil.....

Mine came with one and I like the way it looks in the dash.....:cool:
The VMM might very well save you an engine some day as a higher mileage engine is prone to oil leaks as it ages. There was a time I used to go through a quart a week with some of the worst leaks, and at times it was as much as 2 quarts low. :eek:

The VMM has probably saved my bacon on more than one occasion. All of my SCs have one. The black and red cars.... they were not in good shape when I bought them; I had to find a new VMM for each of them. And like ed said, it looks better. :cool:
 
wiring harness for the car?

This will get you started - buy a book with wiring schematics for additional detail.

See the attached image for location of amps - keep in mind that a sub enclosure has the amp sitting on the top... As we've stated, the aftermarket adapters will make your life much easier if you decide to replace the stock radio. You can use them with a minimum knowledge of the factory wiring, as well as reducing some of the inevitable problems that seem to come with DIY wiring ventures.
 

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so i just pulled the amp out of the tray. is there a way to see if maybe its bad? dont forget i have the old plug for the preamp line, i got the head unit wired up and all thats happening is that i dont have sound. thats why im confused about all this, all the wiring is there it seems, its just that nothing is coming out of the speakers
 
thats why im confused about all this, all the wiring is there it seems, its just that nothing is coming out of the speakers

Radio lights up all ok? Can you change settings/volume?

Blown/burnt/bleeding capacitors happen to some units. Had more than one on my OEM CD player that borked the sound output altogether.
 
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Check to make sure the speakers are there first.....

Been there, done that......:rolleyes:

Are you using a factory Ford radio?

If so, you will need a plug that goes into the CD side of the radio....

Paul Protos will have that plug if you need one....
 
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