URGENT: head unit installation

[Glliw]

So I have made a few stupid decisions. I got my head unit in today and wanted to install it. I thought I had to go through and cut off the adapter that plugged into the old stock radio and attach each wire that comes from that harness to each of the new one. As i was doing this I realized the majority of the colors didn't match up. Am I screwed?

 

[boosting_laser]

No, but it would of been easier using a harness adapter. But this should help you out

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/wiring-gen2wir.html

Good luck!!!

 

[Black94DSM]

If you cut the stock harness on the car side, then you will need to put it all back together. Then go out and buy the install kit for your year car, they cost like 16 bucks. Best Buy or Circuit City should have them in stock.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

No, you'll just need to do the wiring job old school. You would've been better off just buying a harness adapter from Metra (for future reference), but you're not completely screwed.

I don't know what features your specific head unit has, but the instructions should tell you what each wire coming from the new harness is for. You'll also need to look up the wire colors and functions feeding your stock harness. Then match functions and connect the wires either by soldering or otherwise - I recommend solder and heat shrink tubing.

I looked all over for wire colors/functions when I was doing my head unit - I found the colors for the speakers, but no one could give me a clear answer when it came to the power wires (illumination, ignition, etc.), and I didn't want to take chances, so I just bought the Metra.

Maybe someone else could chime in here with the proper wire color codes.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

If you cut the stock harness on the car side, then you will need to put it all back together. Then go out and buy the install kit for your year car, they cost like 16 bucks. Best Buy or Circuit City should have them in stock.

Or just do this... it's a much easier solution (I don't know why I never thought of it).

 

[Glliw]

I don't mind having to connect them without the harness, just need to know which wire does what. Also, why couldn't i just solder the wires back to the harness? I left about a half inch dangling from the harness. Would that be enough?

 

[VelocitàPaola]

That's what Black94DSM was suggesting - you can re-solder the stock harness back together.

It's a real pain trying to figure out which wires do what otherwise. Even that VFAQ article that was posted earlier is lacking a little. I would just get the Metra at Circuit City or Best Buy to eliminate any chances of screwing this up. You wouldn't want your brand new head unit to get fried because of bad wiring...

 

[Glliw]

OK cool. Thanks bro

 

[Glliw]

I was thinking I could just try and follow the vfaq, but it does leave out some blanks, at least i know where the speakers would go, but I would have no idea about the power ones. The harness has like 12 wires so i got a pretty slim chance of making it work i guess .

 

[bmason]

this place call www.the12volt.com will give u a wire diagram for any car and make and model

here is a link for your car

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay...Mitsubishi&model=Eclipse&ID=18459&type=Stereo

 

[BoBbOrAzE]

I made mine work. Im trying to find the site I used but I as well cut my harness and I spliced every single wire into the head unit, it was fun... anyways trying to tell you that it is definitely possible just keep searching for wiring color diagrams for the eclipse and match that with the corresponding head unit wires.

 

[Glliw]

Wow thanks for that diagram. The only thing is that the diagram has 14 wires listed and it says black and black/white twice.

 

[bmason]

it either means that it could be either of those because of when the car was made in 97 or it means that its black with a white line threw the wires if u take a mutimeter u can basicly figure it all out or when u connect then use the fade and balance

 

[snyper1982]

If they are speaker wires, take a small AA battery and quickly tap it to the wires, it will make a little pop in the speaker that is connected to it.

 

[Glliw]

Ok, I know this thread is dead, and has been for awhile, but I thought I had my ground wire in a good spot but apparently not. The ground was bad and would cause spontaneous cutouts of power in my car. Could anyone tell me where they have their Ground wire at?

 

[sk8shorty01]

My ground is running to the body bolt that is just to the right of teh gas pedal on the very end of the kick panel that runs along with the center console. This is where i now have a grounding block for a common ground to run but before it was just connected to that body bolt and i never had a grounding issue. If you la down on the floor and look just to the center console side of the gas pedal, right about even with the pedal if it was pushed half way down you would see exactly what bolt i was talking about.