Stereo Install Questions..

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

Just got my 92 about a month ago and I'm looking to upgrade to a dual din stereo with camera. I've pulled the stereo out and I was greeted with this...

After sorting for a bit, I find this plug

and this plug that has been hacked... (I did find the 3 hacked wires to reconnect)

Seems like all of the wiring kits I've found, have 2 plugs like my last picture... Does anyone have any idea if I'm missing something, or if maybe the amp is bypassed?

By the way, the last stereo install, they bypassed the factory stereo wires and ran cheap wiring, didn't even hide it well.

Thanks in advance guys..

 

[B.erazo712]

Wow, someone chopped that up... I'd get a new one plug, will be way easier then messing with that thing.
Mustang Radio Install Wiring Harness (87-00)

 

[Jersey Joe]

Holy hackery Batman

 

[Jersey Joe]

What's with all the wire nuts ???

 

[89oem]

I just installed a radio yesterday my 89 (Thank you Santa!) There are two plugs, black for speakers - 8 wires and grey for power etc, if you unplug the radio from the amp up under the dash clipped below the hvac controls there is a second set of wires and plugs - this is for non "premium -no amp" cars same set up, the amp just plugs between the radio and the standard harness, If you need/want a new harness Metra sells them, I just cut my factory radio side harness and soldiered mine to the new radio leads and plugged it in. It was kinda stick from the tape glue but it came off with paper towel...

Use a NINE volt battery to check speaker lines and speakers functioning pos to pos, neg to neg - just touch and speaker will pop, looking at them - pop out means correct +/- in and its backwards.

The ground is the heavy Red wire - go figure...

Metra - online or Walmart (beside Noobz347's box lol)
1987-93 Ford Mustang
Custom Kit 99-5025
Harness to Car 70-1770
Harness to Radio 71-1770
Speaker Adapter Harness 72-5500
Custom Antenna 44-FD80
Universal Antenna UT-L

This diagram is 100% accurate - note there are 2 pink/light blue speaker wires in the speaker harness - thanks Ford - so the 9 volt trick comes in handy to figure which goes where...

Hope this helps,

Clearer diagram non notated

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

I just installed a radio yesterday my 89 (Thank you Santa!) There are two plugs, black for speakers - 8 wires and grey for power etc, if you unplug the radio from the amp up under the dash clipped below the hvac controls there is a second set of wires and plugs - this is for non "premium -no amp" cars same set up, the amp just plugs between the radio and the standard harness, If you need/want a new harness Metra sells them, I just cut my factory radio side harness and soldiered mine to the new radio leads and plugged it in. It was kinda stick from the tape glue but it came off with paper towel...

Use a NINE volt battery to check speaker lines and speakers functioning pos to pos, neg to neg - just touch and speaker will pop, looking at them - pop out means correct +/- in and its backwards.

The ground is the heavy Red wire - go figure...

Metra - online or Walmart (beside Noobz347's box lol)
1987-93 Ford Mustang
Custom Kit 99-5025
Harness to Car 70-1770
Harness to Radio 71-1770
Speaker Adapter Harness 72-5500
Custom Antenna 44-FD80
Universal Antenna UT-L

This diagram is 100% accurate - note there are 2 pink/light blue speaker wires in the speaker harness - thanks Ford - so the 9 volt trick comes in handy to figure which goes where...

Hope this helps,

Clearer diagram non notated

So if I get the
Harness to Car 70-1770
Harness to Radio 71-1770

I will splice the 70-1770 to the wiring in the car, and the 71-1770 to the wire harness that comes with the stereo, then connect them?? The problem I have is that I dont have the black and gray 8 pin connectors, I have a gray one, and then the big 12 pin connector. I can't find the black 8 pin connector under there to save my life.

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

What's with all the wire nuts ???

That is for all of the "generic speaker lines" they ran, then used wire nuts to connect them to the stereo harness.

 

[89oem]

My guess from the top pic, they kept the power harness plug- pic 3 and just straight wired the cars speakers to the "new radio" harness. You could do same since the speaker harness plug seems to be gone. idk what the second pic plug is for.

Just solder the wires and use shrink wrap over the connections, I got a pack at Ace hardware for a buck. And just do same for power connections since that plug is messed up, Or yes buy the harness plugs as you said...you can reference the parts on metra.com the link to the LMR site is a Metra harness by looks of it.

FYI you do know in top pic 3 grey plug, the green wire hot all times through fuse panel and yellow is hot keyed accessory, dont blow a fuse or worse with those bare wires.

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

89OEM, that sounds about what I was thinking. They did run separate wires, but they didn't "hide" them well, and that really bothers me. In the 2nd pic, that big plug has what looks to be all the colored wires for the speakers. That's what made me think maybe they bypassed the amp. Essentially, all the wires "look" to be there, they just aren't in the harnesses you would expect.

Thanks for you help thus far, I may need to find out more about how the amp is connected, I can see it under the heater/AC controls, just doesn't look like a lot of fun to get to. I should point out that I found wires running to the back seats that appeared to be amp wires, so they may have added an aftermarket amp and bypassed this one. If I find anything else I'll update back.

 

[89oem]

The Amp. those are the plugs that go into the post amp harness plugs. You MUST bypass the Amp either way as it is not compatible with your new stereo (impedance and such)

It is easy to remove, two screws - one each side you can see them facing you when you look in the opening.

The harness runs along the top of the opening and is held by 2 nylon type straps that lock into two holes along face of frame above hole.

You can then buy the metra radio side harness - like the LMR one and plug into the factory harness - Ford just plugged the Amp into the factory "standard" radio harness between the radio and that plug set.

Some guys pull the center console for easier access... takes 30 minutes maybe...

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

So... if I'm following you, my larger connector in pic 2 should go to the amp, and I can actually cut those and buy the metra set and solder/shrink wrap the wires? There was an aftermarket Sony stereo in the car when I started, so that amp should already be bypassed, and they just hacked the stock flat 8 pin connector to get power to the new harness?

 

[89oem]

Sounds about right, they bypassed the entire speaker harness sounds like .... once you pull the amp you could actually use the harness lines and plugs coming off the back side of the amp instead of metra, as you see in my pic, they are the same... that tape is gooey though so a little cleaning the goo off would be called for, I used the harness and plugs from the radio side just cause it was right there and cleaning off the tape goo aint no big thing when wanting to get it done...

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

So it's finally warm enought to tear into the car... are these the 2 connectors you spoke of 89OEM? I found them attached to the side of the back of AC controls.

 

[89oem]

Yes exactly, so if the plugs that connected to them (mates) are available, cut them off the removed amp. solder them to the respective stereo leads (get some shrink tube its only a few bucks and looks good and no exposed wire...). Just use the diagram I attached.

And confirm speaker line polarity
Use a NINE volt battery to check speaker lines and speakers functioning pos to pos, neg to neg - just touch and speaker will pop, looking at them - pop out means correct +/- in and its backwards.

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

Have it right here.. didn't even think of that. Almost ordered a harness. Appreciate all the help. Anyone else that has issues, just keep digging, you'll eventually find the harness behind the AC controls lol...

 

[Joe Kent (5.0 Joe)]

Updates Updates.. Got the stereo in and wired with factory wires. Big thanks to 89OEM for the help, also going to post something that helped immensely, in case others need it. This is a diagram of the two connectors that were mounted to the air bag controller behind my A/C switches.

 

[Slaterdude92]

Sounds about right, they bypassed the entire speaker harness sounds like .... once you pull the amp you could actually use the harness lines and plugs coming off the back side of the amp instead of metra, as you see in my pic, they are the same... that tape is gooey though so a little cleaning the goo off would be called for, I used the harness and plugs from the radio side just cause it was right there and cleaning off the tape goo aint no big thing when wanting to get it done...

Do u have a pic of what u did