Factory radio kept cutting out so I put a new stereo in...still cutting out

[zachis4wheeling]

Like the title says, I've been having some real frustrations with the stereo in my truck.

Trucks an 87. Ever since I got the truck, the factory radio has never been really working right. It would be working fine for a while, and even though it sucks, at least I had tunes. I'd preset all my stations, and figure out all my audio preferences. Drive around and the truck would be fine. And out of nowhere, the radio would cut out, and not work. Nothing on AM or on FM. I'd shut the truck off and sometimes when I fired her back up, the stereo would work, sometimes it wouldn't. Sometimes it would just stay screwed up. Its almost like someone removed the power from the unit all together. Eventually it would "self correct" and I'd have tunes again, but none of my presets saved.

So last week, I put new speakers in the doors to replace the 6x9s someone had installed from before. I pulled the dash speakers and need to find some replacements. I also installed a new Kenwood CD player with aux, usb hookups and Bluetooth capabilities. I got the wiring harness adaptor kit and got it installed. Turn the key on and the thing sounds 100,000,000 times better. Speakers are loud and sound excellent. So I drive around for a bit and no problems.

Until 3 or 4 days later. I fire the truck up. Stereos sounding good as a mother.....I pull the parking brake release lever and stereo cuts out altogether. No lights, nothing. Then it turns back on, but across the screen, it reads "miswire problem. Shut off. Turn back on"........

And we're back to square one. Shut the truck off, pull the key out. Sometimes it resets, sometimes it doesn't. So obviously it wasn't the old radio.

Any ideas? Anyone had this same sort of shit happen and can give me some pointers?

 

[tinman_72]

Sounds like you need to run new power and ground wires.

 

[RonD]

This is the oldest diagram I saw here it is from a 1990 Ranger: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/pdf_documents/90_Ranger-BroncoII_base_radio.pdf

There are two power wires and two ground wires.

One power wire is "hot" all the time, this keeps the clock and pre-sets correct, but won't drain the battery much.
Second power wire is only hot when key is on, radio works

If e-brake pedal caused power outage then I would suspect fuse panel issue, it and it's wiring is just above there.

Loose or intermittent Ground is the same as loose or intermittent 12volts, power must flow from + to - for a device to work, disconnecting either will have the same symptom.

Power actually flows from - to +, but by the time "they" learned that it was just easier to leave the school books the way they were, lol
And in the scheme of things it doesn't really matter

 

[zachis4wheeling]

Kind of a long time since I logged on, but I ended up figuring out the problem. The Speaker wires were being pinched whenever I released the parking brake lever and I guess grounded out and cut power to the stereo somehow. Re-routed them. Problem solved.

 

[RonD]

Good working finding that

Thanks for posting the fix

 

[bobbywalter]

thats why my wires hang out all over where i can see them

that and with all of the cladding removed its easier to put out the fires