Spaghetti Confusion!!

['88740GL]

Hi there, guys and gals,

i've got a new radio (original volvo R-4012) no tape, just the radio, i'm trying to fit it into my 1988 740GL but the problem is, is that the previous owner, put in a ford fiesta cd player and instead of buying an ISO connector, he cut the wires to the connector that would go into the amplifier, and used speaker wire to wire these cut wires (presumably to the speakers) straight into the back of the ford cd player.......:-( ......now i have 14 wires i have to try and rewire,

as he literally just cut the end of the wiring loom going in to the amp....damn it!
i've no idea how to wire up the new stereo head as it has a 9 pin connector and its mono, plus i dont even know if it actually needs this amp or not...sigh....

please help me!

[Profpriv]

You could try going to a breakes and finding one with the same wiring connector, and doing what the last owner of your car did = cutting off the relevant connectors and taking it back to the OEM colours/connectors.

Connect the new socket back to the existing wiring soldering or the IDC type connectors and then get an ISO lead to make the change from OEM to aftermarket.


Thats what I would do.
Hope thats not too garbled!!


Shaun

[Oilydad]

The previous owner, put in a ford fiesta cd player and instead of buying an ISO connector, he cut the wires to the connector that would go into the amplifier, and used speaker wire to wire these cut wires (presumably to the speakers) straight into the back of the ford cd player....

Oh WHY do people DO this to cars !!!!! AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!

Some of you will know that I used to work within the Auto Electrical industry, manufacturing side, and I've seen more CAR FIRES caused by this sort of BOTCHING, than most of you have had hot dinners.

A pair of proper connectors would have cost about a fiver, and made the job easy and SAFE. But no, this MORON cuts all the wires, risking fire, shorts, and all the rest of it. It makes me SO angry that people work like this. Bodgit and Scarper Ltd.

What an absolute KNOB !!

Anyway.............Rant over......til next time.

There's quite a lot of information in the Volvo FAQ, which would be a good start.

http://www.installdr.com/InstallDocs...PDF/865001.pdf


This, in particular, should be of help. Have a good look at it, and as you get nearer to the bottom of the page, you'll find all the cable colours etc, and what goes where.
Good luck with it. Let us know how you get on.

['88740GL]

Many thanks to Shaun, and Oilydad, i've managed to sort out the wiring now, the proper volvo 'R-4012' radio is installed, it took an afternoon to get my head around the wires, and color codes, all i needed to do was connect was the power, ground, and the 4 speakers up and then tidy up the botched wiring, make it safe to and tidy to my high self standards of being a neat freak and perfectionist....

Works great except i need to install a new power retracting antennae as i bought the car and it was already broken (some bugger of a vandal probs snapped it off, haha ) and there seems to be a lot, and i mean a lot of electrical interference when the radio is on, (if you turned the indicators on or and electrical switch for that matter, be it on or off you would get a loud 'pop' or crackle, and even though the ignition system is shielded, you can still hear it buzzing on the radio, do i need some sort of electric capacitor in line with the power connection maybe?

thanks again!

[Oilydad]

I need to install a new power retracting antennae as i bought the car and it was already broken (some bugger of a vandal probs snapped it off,

On my last 940, one of the car loaders on the Seacat Ferry at Dover decided to force the aerial down by hand as we entered the car deck, because he was afraid it was going to hit the roof above the car. (You know, about seven feet up) !! Needless to say he completely knackered it. Because I hadn't powered it down, they wouldn't accept my claim.


So, we had a fortnight in France care of Mr Coathanger aerial !! French coathangers are quite good actually. Must be made from a better steel than ours.

There's always one.

['88740GL]

'French coathangers are quite good actually. Must be made from a better steel than ours.'

Anything made out of this country is better i'd say!

['88740GL]

with a little help from wire color codes, and carefullness, i found the 6 wires i needed to connect and got the radio working, i didn't need the built in car amplifier after all, and the ariel wasnt broke either, it was pushed down that far it was all to easy to think it had broke off... yay! radio now!

thank you all for your suggestions and help!