Car Stereos: Aftermarket Car Stereo instal 04 durango, infinity sound, dodge durango

Question
I bought an alpine stereo for an 04 Dodge Durango.  I bought the metra 70-6502 harness and attached all the wires by color to the harness from the stereo.  When I snapped the harness into the car, nothing happens?

Answer
Hi Jon,

The 04 Durango doesn't use a standard key-switched power wire in the factory radio harness.  That means the red wire running to your new head unit isn't getting any voltage.  You have three options:

1.  If your Durango is equipped with an Infinity sound system, you'll need to purchase a Metra CHTO-01 adapter module.  This will take care of the accessory power problem, and allow you to use the new head unit with the stock Infinity amplifier.

2.  If you don't have the Infinity sound system, you can use a Metra XSVI-6502 harness instead.

3.  Another option in the non-Infinity vehicle is to disconnect the new head unit's red wire from the 70-6502 harness, and route it to a key-switched power source somewhere else in the vehicle.  Usually these trucks are equipped with a 12v power outlet that switches on and off with the key; you can connect your head unit's red accessory power wire to the feed wire for this outlet.

Hope this helps!

Brian