Problems installing a new deck

[pearldrumbum]

I have an 88 ranger with a perfectly working stock radio. Today i bought a new fancy pants kenwood deck and installed it. It came on flashing "Protect". According to the manual for the new kenwood deck, this means it detects a short in the speaker wiring, either to itself or to the chassis. I checked all my wiring very closely and I know i didnt cause a short, everything looks perfect, and I've done this a hundred time for other peoples cars and my own cars in past. I know i have not missed anything. I used one of those easy adapter harnesses (i usually just cut off the ford plug and splice all the wires straight through, but the guy threw in the harness for free so i took it).

Unplugging the new one and plugging back in the old radio, everything works perfectly again. If one of the speakers were shorted, that speaker would not work, right?

So i am thouroughly confused. I've reset the new kenwood and each time i try plugging it back in it flashes "protect".

I notice that on the ford speaker wire harness, there are only 7 wires. It doesnt show any sign of damage like the 8th was ripped out or anything. Is this how it's supposed to be (maybe the front speakers share a common neg or something?) The first 5 slots have wires in them, the 6th is empty, and the 7th and 8th have wires in them.


As a side note, i also found a wire back there, wrapped in the same harness as all the radio related wires, that had a bare eye connector on it and it was hot. Anybody know what this is for? It wasn't hooked up to anything. It appears somebody has been messsing around back there in the past, as the "original" radio that i pulled out has Ford Fiesta written on it in a paint pen like it was bought from a junk yard.

If anybody has any suggestions i would love to hear them!
Thanks guys,
Jesse

 

[flyingbrick]

Speakers never share a common ground, and if it is an OEM Festiva radio put it on eBay there worth about $40 to Festiva owners.

You could try to get warranty on the head unit I have seen faulty ones in the past.

 

[pearldrumbum]

so if speakers never share a common ground, then im missing a wire? Why do all 4 speakers work with the stock radio?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Does your truck have the premium stereo with an amp?

We fought and fought with that junk in my grandmother's Durango, ended up running new wire from the stereo itself. The stock radio in it would come on but do nothing though so we figured the amp was fried.

 

[pearldrumbum]

it does say premium sound on the dash trim. Where is the amp located? I saw something under the driver seat once, but i thought it was for the power lumbar, so i didnt look at it too close.

 

[Ranger SVO]

Your 88 Ranger has a common ground set up. Run speaker wires from your radio to each of the speakers. This will solve your problem.

You can also use a device called a "Floating Ground Adapter", but the sound quality will suck. (used to use them back in the 80's and 90's. Don't use them any more) run speaker wires.

Finally, if your factory radio does not have a rotary volume knob (turn for volume up and down), but a paddle switch, push up (volume up) push down (volume down), then you have a premium radio and an amp.. Again run wires to the individual speakers. Those old amps were only capable of 7 watts per channel RMS, even though Ford rated them at 10 watts, ya right.

Again run your own wires.

 

[pearldrumbum]

oki-dokie.
thanks for the info SVO!

looks like ill be pulling new wires!

 

[AllanD]

Uhhh.... No.

The SPEAKER connector on the factory Radio has EIGHT contacts and ALL of them are used.

The POWER connector has SEVEN terminals and all of them are NOT used

the factory '85-88 premium sound radio uses oddball connectors for the line out
to the amp.

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