Car Stereos: no factory stereo, vw vanagon, fuse size

Question
I just purchased a cd player and speakers for my old VW Vanagon that has no factory stereo in it. The dash has an area for the stereo, I will have to install the antenna,but the trick is the battery is in the rear of the van. What wiring do I need to go from the stereo to the battery which is approximately 9-10 feet??

Answer
Hi Anne,

For the power wire from the battery to the new CD player, I'd recommend using 14-gauge primary wire.  You only have to run a single wire from the yellow wire at the CD player to the positive battery terminal.  You don't have to run a second wire for the negative terminal; you can just fasten the CD player's black ground wire to a metal part of the dash or firewall at the radio mounting location.

You'll need to install an in-line fuse holder on your primary wire, as close to the battery terminal connection a possible. Use the same fuse size as the one in the back of the CD player.  

I haven't worked on a Vanagon (as far as I can recall) so I don't know if there's a convenient location for a power connection at the front of the vehicle.  You might want to take a look at your fuse box; there may be open terminals available that are made for powering add-on accessories.  This is quite common on older vehicles, and could save you the trouble of running new wiring to the battery.  In addition to the constant power connection for the yellow wire, you'll need a key-switched power connection for the red wire at the CD player.  You should be able to find a key-switched accessory power source at the fuse box, the back of the key switch, or possibly the cigarette lighter wiring.

Hope this helps!

Brian