Car Stereos: Ford Transit Connect Radio, ford 6000 radio, ford 6000 cd

Question
I just bought this 2010 vehicle, and was considering changing the radio to one from an American built Ford with an in-dash 6 disc changer. Looking at the wiring connectors is baffling, as they don't appear to interchange. I also want to connect my XM reciever to this and figured it would be easier to do in one shot as opposed to buying something to work with the existing radio, then having to do it again with something else. Any thoughts would be appreciated. The radio in the vehicle presently says FORD 6000 CD and has one large knob about centered under the readout. Thanks, RC

Answer
Hi Roland,

I apologize for the delay in answering this question.

I'm not familiar with the Ford 6000 radio found in your vehicle, but it seems pretty common in the UK.  From what I can tell, the harness is one that's not used in any US Ford radio.  I did find a  diagram for the existing plug; if it's correct, then it appears that you'll have all the wires you need for a new radio to work properly; it's just a matter of switching the plugs.  Note that according to the diagram, there are a pair of CAN-bus wires connected to the radio.  I don't know the extent of the integration of your radio with the vehicle's data bus system; in some US vehicles (though typically not Ford vehicles) removing the factory radio can affect other vehicle systems.  In any case, if you cut off your plug and attach a new one for the new radio, you'll need to be certain to insulate the CAN-bus wires, and make sure they're not connected to anything in the new plug.

The diagram I looked at can be found if you scroll down on this page:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/car-entertainment-ice/408835-2006-ford-6000cd-rem...

For the basic operation of a new radio, all the wires you need should be in connector A.  Any new head unit will require a battery power connection, key-switched (accessory) power, ground, and four pairs of speaker wires.  It's also likely that you'll need an adapter to convert the European standard antenna plug to the American "Motorola" socket.

Hope this helps!

Brian