Car Stereos: dash lights, blown fuse, blown fuses

Question
my friend put a cd player in my truck and now the dash lights are not wrking cld it be how he wired it and can i tk the cd player out will it wrk

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

You probably have a blown fuse in your vehicle's fuse box that's causing the problem with the dash lights.  However, it's certainly possible that an issue with your friend's wiring caused the blown fuse, and if that problem isn't corrected, then the fuse will just blow again.

You'll need to check the wiring at the back of the CD player.  Make especially sure that there are no uninsulated wires.  For example, if electrical tape coming from a wire connection fell off, then the wire could short out and cause a blown fuse. Also, if any wires in the adapter harness aren't connected to anything, make sure the ends are taped off. There is at least one wire in the factory radio harness that's tied into the dash lighting, because it provides illumination power for the factory radio.  Be sure to inspect the wires for spots where they may have been pinched against the chassis of the head unit; this is another common source of blown fuses.

Once you're certain that the wiring is all undamaged and fully insulated, you can find and replace the blown fuse.

Hope this helps!

Brian