Content with keeping a stock radio until...........

[porschpow]

The radio that comes with it works. It turns on and searches for a station (with no luck). The volme switch is torn off. So I wanted to swap it out with a radio from a 1986 and 1987 ford, Total different wiring harnessess. here's what I saw when I took it out






It looks to me that wire harness (the gray one going to the extreme corner) is for the speakers. I would like to change the radio but I haven't got a manual or anythign, can anyone help me figure this business out!!

[mrltd]

That's the line level outputs for the amp in the trunk. Premium sound radio. Have you looked around in here? http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/forumdis...rket-and-stock

[porschpow]

I have looked through, it was a little helpful but still doesn't help.

So from the sound of it, it looks as the the speakers run from the factory amp, if I am getting another radio (cd player) I guess there woiuld be no need to use the factory amp

[tjc78]

OK, what you have there is Premium Sound.

The Rectangle plug is what gives you power, ground, and illumination.

The Square plug is the input to the factory amp.

You have two options.
1, With your new head unit, get the proper harness for behind the dash and an "AMP BYPASS CABLE" this connects in the passenger side rear of the trunk to bypass the amp entirely.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Best-Kits-Ford-1989-1994-Bypass-Aftermarket-Harness-/200483242293?pt=US_Wire_Harnesses&hash=item2eadbb8135

2, Get an "amp integration harness" this uses your aftermarket radio RCA outputs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Amp-Integration-WIRE-HARNESS-w-RCAs-1991-2000-/380346570836?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item588e6c1854&vxp=mtr#ht_3952wt_1161

http://www.metraonline.com/part/70-5510

Personally I would go with #1 as most newer decks have as powerful an amp as the factory premium sound.

[gadget73]

The 88+ premium sound radios and the 86+ JBL radios had those connectors through the mid 1990s at least. If you want to just plug in a stock radio, find one of those and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

[porschpow]

good to know, I will go aorund a junkyard and see if i can find a panther body late 80's thru mid 90's...if i luck out, thanks a lot guys!

[tjc78]

good to know, I will go aorund a junkyard and see if i can find a panther body late 80's thru mid 90's...if i luck out, thanks a lot guys!

Just be careful with how the radio mounts. Many of the early 90's cars had the radio bezel that just clips in. That will not work on your 89. You can tell if it has two holes on each side of the faceplate.

[porschpow]

Thanks!

[sly]

Metra makes an adapter for those... I have one holding the Kenwood in the dash of my 88 right now.

[MattsLincoln]

Your missing the jumper plug on the radio which will cause it not to get any sound/and or possibly stations. I have an extra one if you need it

[sly]

if that is all it needs and fixes the problem, Matt is getting rep points from me.

[porschpow]

that will be awesome, so im missing a jumper cable???

Well also my vol knob is pretty jacked up....well its gone!!

[gadget73]

They don't all need it, and actually most of them do not. The jumper was for models that could control a CD changer. Most just have that connector plug with nothing in it. Neat tidbit though, if you find a radio that has the jumper plug, and you happen to be handy with wiring, you can convert that to an aux input using a headphone jack of the type that completes the circuit when nothing is plugged in to it.

You can get compatible radios from Mark VII, Mark VIII and Thunderbirds as well, and probably anything else that had premium sound. You will have to fit the earlier style side brackets on to a later radio, but its nothing a couple of short sheetmetal screws can't take care of.

[MattsLincoln]

I thought they needed it according to what paul protos told me. The jbl headunits were the same as the premium sound ones for late 87-92 models. I know for a fact without the jumper in my radio i would get no sound. Once the jumper was put in i got sound. Early 87 radios had the older harness plugs except for the silver faced jbl radio which was styled like the older premium sound radios with the 4 button memory buttons. Inside that jumper plug actually is a plate of metal that the contacts all touch together on. No wires but the metal plate between the jumper plug is what contacts the radio plugs to close the circuit i believe.

those radios are known well for failing capacitors which also cause the radio to not recieve any fm stations.

[86VickyLX]

I can agree that the radios will NOT produce sounds if that jumper is not there, unless it has the optional cd player bs.

And is that how Paul got your AUX input to work with your Mark VII cd player Thain?