Cant figure out what this plugin is for a jbl head unit

2

275hptbirdsc

Registered User
Bought I jbl unit from becerra and it arrived today but I cant get it to work and I think its because of a lone spot that has nothing plugged into it. I may have read somewhere while I was doing some searching that it is some sort of ground/memory wire? Also there was an odd wire I found I at first thought it was the wire that filled that hole but it turned out that the wire didnt even look like it could be plugged into anything it was just capped off.
The very bottom right one is the one im talking about.
bbd1c3fa.jpg

Heres that odd wire
da232456.jpg
 
Also just as a side note the person who had the car before me had an aftermarket head unit and used all the right wiring harnesses so all the wires should be there. I tried to pull the cd player to see if anything was loose back there but to no avail.
 
Maybe that should be the jump socket down to the CD if it has one...

Dig around behind the lower cubby/hole and see if anything is hanging loose there...

As well, see wiring here:
http://www.35thatr.org/Radio/RadioRelatedPages.htm

Then dig into the tray in the trunk to see if the amps/harnesses are still there or if they've been removed/bypassed.
 
KMT said:
Maybe that should be the jump socket down to the CD if it has one...

Dig around behind the lower cubby/hole and see if anything is hanging loose there...

As well, see wiring here:
http://www.35thatr.org/Radio/RadioRelatedPages.htm

Then dig into the tray in the trunk to see if the amps/harnesses are still there or if they've been removed/bypassed.
Click to expand...

Yes it does have a cd player and all the jbl equipment is still in the trunk and I looked and there isnt any odd looking bypass wires. If it helps they both illuminate when the headlights are on but looking at the wiring those are separate from the power wires. Im having a heck of a time trying to pull the cd player out to see if a wire is disconnected in the back of it. I think its funny how when I got this I thought it was gonna be a 5 min job now its gonna turn into a 2+day ordeal:eek:
 
Sorry for the book im just trying to get this sorted out. I know its somthing incredibly easy that im not doing right but im pulling my hair out right now!


Update: I went and bought the tool to take out the cd player to take a look at the cables back there. What I saw was all the wires plugged in and the one capped looking one plugged in as well but it was kinda plugged into what would look like a grounding spot on the back of the cd player. It really wasnt a plugin but more like a metal post that the wire fit on. Well anyway I took the head unit and made my own post type thing since it looks like if it had a post its gone. Still nothing turned on:( The more and more I think about it the more I think the past owner spliced into the factory wiring harness somwhere I cant see it or used some sort of bypass kit( I dont know where the bypass kits go so looking for them is near impossible). The only thing supporting that theory is the fact that he had a remote turn on wire for his amp coming out from underneath the glove box but I dont know where it originates.

Anyway im still struggling with it and still need the proper advice on how to trace this problem. I know there is someone on here that specializes in these units I just cant think of his name right now but if you do please let me know!
 
The link to 35th.org includes the name of the 'expert'.

Did you check both fuses?

Save yourself the grief and stick with aftermarket units :)
 
KMT said:
The link to 35th.org includes the name of the 'expert'.

Did you check both fuses?

Save yourself the grief and stick with aftermarket units :)
Click to expand...

Memory and radio fuses both check out. And I dont want to go aftermarket I figured when i bought this car if everything is there I might as well use it.
 
The green/ black wire, I believe, is a common ground used between the CD player and the head unit.

Is there a plug for the 6 pin connector going from the CD to the head unit....

Have you checked the 5 amp fuse in the Power Distribution Box near the battery....
 
275hptbirdsc said:
Bought I jbl unit from becerra and it arrived today but I cant get it to work and I think its because of a lone spot that has nothing plugged into it. I may have read somewhere while I was doing some searching that it is some sort of ground/memory wire? Also there was an odd wire I found I at first thought it was the wire that filled that hole but it turned out that the wire didnt even look like it could be plugged into anything it was just capped off.
The very bottom right one is the one im talking about.
bbd1c3fa.jpg

Heres that odd wire
da232456.jpg
Click to expand...

On the back of the radio:



The hole (with 2 pins) in the lower right corner of your photo is not used in our cars.

There is a separate ground wire that runs from Radio to CD Player and attaches to male spade terminals that are part of the plastic rear supports on both units. The support on the CD Player is black and the one on the radio is white. Both should have a single flat metal spade terminal sticking out at an angle, close to where the stud with nut is located on the back of each unit. This single ground wire is not necessary for operation but attaching it CAN help lessen electrical noise when playing a CD.

All three larger plugs must be inserted in the back of the radio and both plugs must be inserted in the back of the CD Player for the system to work properly and send audio back to the main amp in the trunk.

If you have everything connected properly but still get no audio, then your CD Player may be bad. The way Ford designed these particular audio systems, if the CD Player fails to power-up internally because of it being bad, you will not get any audio...even from radio or tape. One way to tell is to power the radio on then try to insert a CD. If it gets sucked in then your CD Player should be okay.

Does your radio power on okay and do the buttons function and numeric display light up?
 
No the radio does not power up and I have checked all the fuses over and over countless times. The cd player also does not take a cd with or without the radio plugged in. I really hope I didnt buy a dud:(
 
>And I dont want to go aftermarket I figured when i bought this car if everything is there I might as well use it.

You see those RCA connectors in the photo? Those aren't stock. You're messing with a system that has been modified/migrated to aftermarket....take the hint.
 
KMT said:
>And I dont want to go aftermarket I figured when i bought this car if everything is there I might as well use it.

You see those RCA connectors in the photo? Those aren't stock. You're messing with a system that has been modified/migrated to aftermarket....take the hint.
Click to expand...

Well I already removed pretty much all his wiring anyway. They only way im going aftermarket is if there is somthing in my way preventing me from using the stock system beyond my repair.
 
275hptbirdsc said:
No the radio does not power up and I have checked all the fuses over and over countless times. The cd player also does not take a cd with or without the radio plugged in. I really hope I didnt buy a dud:(
Click to expand...
With a meter or test light, please recheck for power and ground AT THE BACK OF THE RADIO in the main power plug. (The long rectangular one.)
If power (12 Volts DC) is present at both pins indicated in the photo attachment below, and the radio still does not turn on, then the radio is probably at fault.
 

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TwoTimeSC said:
With a meter or test light, please recheck for power and ground AT THE BACK OF THE RADIO in the main power plug. (The long rectangular one.)
If power (12 Volts DC) is present at both pins indicated in the photo attachment below, and the radio still does not turn on, then the radio is probably at fault.
Click to expand...

Thanks you have already been a big help. Ill run out and get a test light tomorrow and report back sometime in the early afternoon and we can go from there.
 
You should have three different power feeds to the radio on the long plug.

1) constant "memory" power
2) faceplate illumination power (only preent when the driving/headlights are turned on)
3) ignition switched power (of course, only when the ignition switch is in "on" or "accessory" positions.

Check for these three using the ground wire for the radio (black)

You might not be getting power from the ignition switch...sounds like at least the illumination and ground is good though.
 
275hptbirdsc said:
Went and bought this voltage checker http://www.epinions.com/prices/Dorm...tage_Continuity_Tester_Screwdriver_Type_86614

My light turns on starting from the top on pin 1 2 3 4 6
Click to expand...

There should be no power on pin 6 because it should be radio ground.

Please check for voltage (not continuity) between pin 1 and pin 6 then check between pin 3 and pin 6

These checks should be performed at the PLUG coming from the harness when it is unplugged from the radio. Perform these checks with the key on and again with the key off then report back.
 
re radio

Hello there, not sure if you had figured it out yet but I figured it would not hurt to say..I just recently installed an aftermarket deck in place of the jbl unit and one thing you might wanna check for is that there are more than one amps for the speakers, there is one right where the sub is and the one (if there was a bypass wire used) would be plugged into the one under the rear deck in the trunk. It is held on by clips that you can pull down, it is a ~~~~ to get to if you don't un-clip them.. I hope this works. I am not sure if it makes any difference to yours but that weird plug that you could not figure out, was the plug that controls the speakers on mine and was intended to look like that, it is not capped off. Good luck with the radio, hope that was useful
 
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