2005 Chevy Cavalier Aftermarket Stereo Install
My new car is frustrating the hell out of me. I bought a 2005 Chevy Cavalier used. It's a nice car with a strong engine. But the stereo situation is a nightmare. I tested every wire in the car, twice, with two different light up testers (which both work). There is no constant power wire (according to the Haynes wiring diagram it's the orange wire, but it doesn't have power), there is no switch power wire (from what I have read there isn't one in my car by default). And you have to buy an antennae adapter. So, what fuse do I tap into for switched power, and which for constant power? I already bought the antennae adapter and one fuse tap, so I guess I will have to buy one more. If someone can tell me where to tap hopefully this nightmare will finally end. I have a large gauge wire for an amp that used to be in the car that I won't be using as well for power, if I could use that as an alternative to fuse tapping. But I would rather use a fuse tap if I can. I just want the stereo to work. And after researching on the internet for like 4 hrs so far, and trying to get the stereo to work for as long as I have, I am ready to pull my hair out lol.
Are you trying to cut into the stock harness?
You should be able to wire up a normal harness adapter to all your wires except the switched power(red on the aftermarket harness) and ground(black). You will be running a wire from a switched power source in the fuse box such as the wiper fuse. Grounding the new stereo to something solid and paint free such as the dash frame should work. I can't remember if the factory harness has a good ground to where you can just wire the adapter normally or not on those cars.
Like Mike said, are you trying to cut the factory plug off and hard wire the new stereo? If so, STOP, go to Best Buy or an audio shop and buy a harness adapter. Why people cut off plugs and hard-wire is beyond me, and is just a flat out stupid way to do it. You are then left with no option but cutting out the stereo and rewiring every time you change head units and are screwed if you ever want to return to stock.
(tabs) wrote:z yaaaa wrote:its not much fun trying to argue with a wall.
oh, trust us, we know
I didn't buy an adapter, no. And I'm not cutting into anything. And there wasn't a plug or connector on the end of the wires from the wiring harness when I got it. The deck was wired into the wires from the wiring harness with nothing in between. I'm just trying to figure out what fuses to tap for the switched and the constant power. I have heard people say that the higher rated ones like windshield wipers are ok to use (at 20 or 25 amps). But if 10 amps (correct me if I am wrong) is 12 volts, that seems like overkill to me. From what I have read switched power/accessory wire only needs to tap 1 amp (again correct me if I am wrong). And constant power needs to tap at 10a/12v. So it seems a bit dangerous to run way more power than is needed (as I understand it) for the constant power. But I assume there's only so many things that provide constant power, so maybe I'll just have to go higher. I just don't want to fry my deck...
Buy the Scosche GM2000 from walmart and be done with it. easyer
And how is that going to give me constant power when my constant power wire has no power running through it, or give me switched power when there is no switched power wire to connect to exactly?... I fail to understand how that would help me. I need both constant power and switched power for my deck.
The stock radio harness does have a constant power wire in it.. it's the orange wire. If there's no power there, then the fuse is blown or some other problem like the wiring's fooked.
There is no switched wire in the stock radio harness on 2000-05 model year J-cars. Read the sticky for more info.
Yes, the orange wire that is constant power has no power running through it. I checked all the fuses, none are blown. None of this is the issue. The issue is where do I tap in the fuse box for constant & switched power, and how much power is need for each respectively. Or, alternatively, should I just run the wire to the battery for constant power and if so what type of wire. Thanks everyone.
If there is no power at that wire, it IS a problem. Whether you want to ghetto rig (or further ghetto rig what the previous owner already did by cutting out the factory plug), or not is not the entirety of things. That wire is supposed to have power going to it, and it doesn't. Fix that.
(tabs) wrote:z yaaaa wrote:its not much fun trying to argue with a wall.
oh, trust us, we know
As I said before.. there's supposed to be a constant +12 volts on that orange wire. If there isn't, there is a problem you should probably address. Who knows, it could be something simple or it could be something melting that will eventually affect other circuits. Now that you've identified it, best to fix it now. Check the fuse block (take the radio fuse out, see if there's 12 volts on one pin, and actually test the continuity of the fuse to ensure it's good, not just visually). After that, the power for the radio goes to the C200 connector behind the driver's A-pillar kick panel behind the carpeting. It's the long black connector with 24 or so pins in it. Not sure off the top of my head which pin, but if you really want to know I'll go and look it up for you. I do want to help you here..
You could run a new wire to the battery for the constant power, if you really want. Just make sure to fuse it.
For switched power.. I've always used the thick brown wire in the ignition circuit, and fused it. You could tap onto the windshield wiper fuse as well, either with a fuse tap, or go behind it and tap the wire (just make sure you get the fused side), or stick a piece of wire in the fused side and run it under the dash to the radio.
The stereo fuse got blown at some point. I replaced it. Then I tapped the windshield wiper 25A fuse for switched power. And finally after hrs of battling my car there it was, success. I almost couldn't believe it when the deck finally powered on.
A big thanks to everyone for all your help!
