Car Stereos: installation, broken wires, installation question

Question
QUESTION: why does my car stereo turn on and then back off again after i turn on the power? i cant seem to get it to stay on.
ANSWER: Hi Dan

I didn't see this question when I answered your first.  What kind of car stereo is it and what kind of car?  What year?

Dave

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QUESTION: oh ok sorry i have a 1982 f-150 and i had an am radio that i took out and im installing a jvc stereo cd player and i cant seem to get it to stay on. the display will show up breifly and then turn off the same as when i instert a cd

Answer
Hey Dan -

Ok, there are a couple of things that could be going on here.  It's tough to not be there to look with my own eyes but I'll try my best.

The problem is one of two things.

Either there is bad wiring (either broken wires or incorrectly installed) OR the actual head unit is defective.

I need to know if you're using an aftermarket "metra" type wiring harness or if you're going directly from the radio's harness into the Ford's wires (did you cut off the factory plug?)

There are ways to test both of these, it just helps to know how you're installing.  Let me know!

Dave