How do you hook up a new car stereo?

Answer 1

Well it helps if you have a repair manual for your car so that you can reference the wiring schematic for the stereo connections it will eliminate a lot of guess work. Using a multimeter find a wire in the connector in the dash that was formerly on the stock radio that has 12 volts when the key is off and this will be your Batt. connection. Now with the key on find a second wire with 12 volts and this will be your Ign. connection. If you have a power antenna there should be a connection for that on the new stereo and the wiring schematic will tell you which one that is. As for the speakers once again a schematic is the best way but you can take fir instance the left front speaker wires from the new stereo with the unit turned on and tuned to a station and through trial and error find the two that feed the left front speaker or Ive heard you can use a 9v battery and listen for a buzz to identify the correct wires, or use the continuity tester on the multimeter to identify the wires. The Radio will need to be attached to the frame from the old radio and may be smaller or larger than the stock unit so purchasing an install kit from the auto parts or stereo store will help a lot with giving it a clean appearance. I have done many stereo installs over the years and have finally decided that its best to buy the unit from a stereo store and have them install it, less headaches and they dont usually charge much in fact many places do it free.