Car Stereos: 1992 toyota tercel stereo change, fuse boxes, 1992 toyota tercel

Question
QUESTION: HI! I tried to change my car stereo. I removed the old one, cut the wires, and started to re-apply the new wires. I heard a crackling noise, and when I tried to turn the stereo ON, it did nothing. My friend said I blew the fuse because the interior light no longer works. I tried searching for a diagram to re-wire it, but my colour seem different then the ones I have found online. And I do not know where to find the fuse, and how to figure out which one is burnt!  Can you help me out!? THANX, Kristina.

ANSWER: Hi Kristina,

First, you should be able to find the fuse by looking at the back of the panel that you removed to access the fuses.  It should have a diagram showing you which fuse is which.

Second, reconnect the wires that you cut, and get an aftermarket wire harness for the stereo.  Connect the like colours, and you'll avoid having to guess which wires go where.

Justin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I think my car has two fuse boxes. there was one under the hood, is it the "DOME" fuse?

The new stereo has a harness, but the ones from the old stereo were too large to fit. Can I not cut the wires and strip them and then cover with electrical tape?

Answer
Hi Kristina,

No, it should say 'radio' on the fuse.  It will almost certainly be a 15A fuse.  I *believe* it's in the fuse box inside the car, but I'm not positive.

As for the harness, you have to buy a harness specific for your car.  You'll connect its bare wires to the bare wires of the wire harness that came with the deck, and the rest should just clip together.  I STRONGLY advise against just connecting and electrical taping together the wires as it makes things tougher for you, tends to cause the issues you're having, and requires you to do a lot of work to correctly figure out which wire does what, which includes getting the polarity right.  Without it, you could end up hooking up speakers backwards, and that will just make it sound weird.

Also, when you reconnect the old harness back together, and connect the two new harnesses, don't just use electrical tape; it will wear, and eventually give out.  Solder them together and then heat shrink them, or use 'butt-connectors' and cover those with electrical tape.  Simply wiring the wires together and then taping them will eventually give out and short something.

Justin