Car Stereos: head unit install on a 01 jeep grand cherokee laredo, jeep grand cherokee, jeep grand cherokee laredo

Question
hi i am trying to install a touchscreen unit in a 2001 jeep grand cherokee lardeo and i have all the wires hooked up from the stock harness to the after market harness and it wont turn on but there is a ground that was attached on the back of the stock deck on a piece of metal off the back? and also a small yellow brownish wire was clipped in on the back of the stock deck and i did cut a lil bit in the middle of the other ground and just twisted it up into the after market harness and it still does not turn on idk if i need to do something with the yellow wire i told you of or what but help would be greatly appreciated

Answer
Hi David,

In a 2001 Grand Cherokee, the factory head unit ground is usually the one attached directly to the factory radio chassis.  You should be able to connect your new head unit's black ground wire directly to the vehicle chassis ground wire.  I'm not sure what the yellow wire is; typically you'd have a gray 7-pin plug, a black 7-pin plug, and a white 2-pin plug.  Neither wire in the 2-pin plug is required for the after-market head unit installation, so if the yellow wire was one of these, I'd just tape it off and not use it for anything.  However, any wire that was connected directly to the factory radio chassis (with a ring terminal or spade connector) should be combined with the factory radio ground.

If you're still not getting your new head unit to power up, the most likely problem is a blown fuse.  There are usually at least two fuses in the vehicle's fuse box that supply radio power: one for key-switched power, and one for the constant power supply.  Sometimes one or the other isn't labeled as a radio fuse.  This means you'll need to check all your vehicle fuses, including any fuse box located under the hood.

Hope this helps!

Brian