Audio Systems: Stereo wiring, plymouth neon, cable side


Question
I have a 98 plymouth neon and i just bought a new stereo for it and i pull out the old by cutting the wires from the car to the stereo and now i have no idea what wire goes conected to what. I bought a SANYO FXCD-550 for my car but it didn't have any instructions or anything, what should i do?  

Answer
Hi there,
Apart from panic, I would solder the wires back together again as factory and buy an adaptor lead Plymouth to DIN, this leaves your Plymouth factory and able to plug in any DIN radio.

O.K. so you wana do it the hard way?
Speaker wires. These are normally twisted together in pairs if you are lucky and are the same colour for each pair but one with a colour trace on, i.e. blue and blue/white, green and green/white. (but not always) Touch a pair across the battery and you will hear a noise on the corresponding speaker, label it (e.g. left rear), continue until all four are identified and labelled.
Earth one side of your meter or tester to a metal part of the car, probe each wire until you have a wire that is live all the time with the ignition OFF, label this ‘+30’.
Switch on ignition and redo test until you find another previously dead wire now live, this is ‘+15’.
Switch off ignition and switch on the side / park lights, repeat test until you find a third live, label this ‘lights’. Switch off the lights
You should now have two or three left. One will be earth, (usually black or brown); one could be to an amp and or electric ariel (usually blue or blue white) and one for phone mute if fitted. Clip tester to +30 and probe one of the remaining wires, if you have an electric ariel it will go up. Connect your DIN plug to the correct wires and jobs a good un’.
DIN connections  are.
Speakers

Right rear -,  right front -,   left front -,  left rear-,
Right rear +, Right front +, left front +, left rear +

Power block viewed from cable side

Phone mute (white),/   n/c, /      ariel & amp (blue), /ignition (red)

N/c, / 12vlive, (yellow or orange), / lights, (various colours),/ negative (black)

Hope that helps, Peter