Car Stereos: car stereo wiring, car stereo wiring, constant power

Question
QUESTION: i installed a car stereo, all wiring is correct based on schematics, fuses are good but radio wont turn on any suggestions on what is should be looking for

ANSWER: Michelle,  There are many things that could be the problem.  Since you said that the radio won't turn on, I will assume that it does not light up, show a display, or anything.  Probably, the unit is not getting power.  First, I would inspect all of the connections that you made, and be sure they are good and tight.  Most likely a connection has come loose.  After inspecting connections, then you should check the ground wire, and be sure it is connected tightly to a grounding point.  If these are all ok, and the radio still does not turn on, and you have checked all of the fuses, I would suggest disconnecting the switched power wire (yellow) and connecting the yellow wire from the radio to the same wire connected to the red wire.  That will turn the radio on, when the battery is reconnected.  If the radio works this way, it means your switched wire is not working properly.  If it still does not work, then the problem is probably in your constant power line.  You will need to get a voltmeter and test the wire to see if it has power, also check the switched wire for power.  If there is power in those wires, then your radio is probably broke.  Hope this helps, Scott

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QUESTION: hi scott, now i have a new problem. in order for my stereo to work, the people who installed it finally ran into one issue, they had to put the constant and the switch wires together. it all works but i dont have memory or anything like that. so u have any futher suggestions and with them doing this with the wires, will it harm my car

Answer
Splicing those wires together will not harm your car at all.  We do it all the time.  The problem is every time you shut the car off, you will lose your presets.  It gets to be pretty annoying after awhile.  You will need to find out why the power wire does not have power.  If it cannot be found out, you can check the fuseblock for another unswitched power wire.  Use a fuse splice connector to add another fuse and lead from that fuse position.  Then, just run that lead up to the radio and connect the constant power wire from the radio to the new wire.  You will have your radio memory back, and it should work just fine for you.  Good Luck, Scott