QuestionQUESTION: Hi, I am trying to replace the stock radio in my 2001 dodge ram truck. The stock radio is am/fm/cassette/cd. I used connector BBCR01AB to connect to the truck wiring harness, then made all connections to the after market radio JVC KD-HDR50. Al wires are used except a solid blue wire from the truck, which is labeled MUTE on the feed connector. None of the speakers are working, I assume there is no signal to turn on the stock amp. Any ideas on how to get the speakers to work?
ANSWER: Hi Greg,
When you refer to a solid blue wire, do you mean the color of the wire in the factory plug, or the color of the wire in the BBCR01AB adapter harness?
If it's the blue wire in the adapter harness, then it should be connected to the blue/white wire from your JVC head unit. That will activate the factory amplifier. I'm not sure why the wire would be labeled "mute"; typically the mute wire is a brown wire at one end of the gray plug. The blue wire should be at one end of the black plug, and will match with a factory wire that's green/red, green/black, or light green.
Hope this helps!
Brian
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QUESTION: Hi Brian, perfect advice, thx! Yes, it is the blue wire from the harness, so it is the light green wire from the truck - and connecting that worked. New problem, hte left front door speaker works now, but not the right front door speaker. I took off the inside door cover and removed the speaker (with infinity amp). All connections look good. There is 12 volts at the connector prior to the speaker with the ACC on. The speaker itself ohms out at 4.15 ohms. Any ideas on this speaker or amp? Thanks again, Greg
ANSWER: Hi Greg,
I'd probably test the speaker terminals for AC voltage while the system is playing. That should tell you whether the attached amplifier is producing any output for the speaker. If you're measuring AC voltage which increases and decreases with the music volume, but you're not getting any sound from the speaker, then you definitely have a bad speaker. I think that's the most likely explanation.
I've seen problems with the molex plug between the door and the truck body, preventing the audio signal from getting into the door. However, in your truck the factory amplifier also drives the front tweeter on that side, as well as (sometimes) the rear speaker. If the door speaker is the only one that isn't working, and the rear speaker and tweeter work like normal, then the factory amplifier appears to be getting a signal and is working. That leaves the speaker as the likely trouble spot. The AC voltage test should confirm it.
Hope this helps!
Brian
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QUESTION: Hi Brian, current status is that there is no voltage to the front door speaker connections, but the tweeter and rear speakers continue to work. So based on your advice, I believe the amp to be bad. I am trying to find a replacement amp/speaker in town. Last question please - is there a preferred connector type for connecting the radio wiring to the BBCR01AB connector? I prefer to get high quality parts so I don't have to remove the radio in the future. Thx again for all of you advice - you have been a huge help! Greg
AnswerHi Greg,
For radio harness connections at the head unit, I like to use a crimp-on "bell" connector (also known as a crimp cap). Here's what they look like:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_060CCC1418/Installation-Edge-Crimp-Caps.html?tp=990
To attach the connector, strip about 1/2" of the insulation from the end of each wire, place them side-by-side, and twist the two ends together. Place the cap over the exposed wire and crimp it on with a crimping tool. Pull on the cap to make sure it's secure. A properly crimped connector will never come off.
In cases where the harness wires are very short, I've used crimp-on "barrel" connectors. For connections in places exposed to moisture (such as in the door) there's really no substitute for a soldered connection, covered with shrink-tubing or high quality electrical tape.
For car wiring, you should NEVER use wire nuts, twisted connections without a crimp or solder, or anything but high quality electrical tape (such as 3M's Super 33+).
Hope this helps!
Brian
