# Radio install question



## tkidd354 (Jan 1, 2010)

hey guys im kind of new to nissan and had a few questions... I recently bought a new car radio for my sentra, i wire it up and its seems to be getting no kind of power. Everything was connected correctly but still nothing. fuse box, everything is fine, fuse in the radio is good as well. the only thing i can notice which may possibly be causing a problem would be when i pull the dash "casing" out including the cigarette lighter and unplug it there seems to be two stray harnesses which arent plugged in. If that is the case can someone please let me know where there would go thanks alot any help would be great. if you guys need pics i can probably post some later.. once again thanks..


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## JNCoRacer (Apr 18, 2003)

Pics would definitely help.


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## SwivZero (Nov 5, 2006)

Did you try it with everything screwed back into place? Mine seemed dead until I screwed the frame down - I guess that's the only ground point. It sparked on my screwdriver when I screwed it in too  (I probably should have disconnected the battery first)


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If you installed an aftermarket radio, did you use the standard harness adapter kit that allows the OEM connectors to be used. Also make sure there's a ground connection to true chassis ground.


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## Teamglock24 (Jan 2, 2010)

yes, used metra oem harness to connect aftermarket stereo. I figured out that the ground wires were useless and had to be grounded to the main chassis. got the stereo to work... Now I still have no interior lights and i cant not brighten or dim my instrumental panel. and the door light is still on sayin a door is open


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Nissan (and some others) use a floating ground for the dash and stereo illumination.
You have likely grounded that connection directly to the chassis. The original radio was grounded through the mounting screws that secured it to the dash. Go back to the previous radio and look where the floating ground was.


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## Teamglock24 (Jan 2, 2010)

floating ground... im clueless lol.. mayb you can tell me what exactly i should be looking for. Sorry. I installed radios in all my previous cars and never had this problem.. :wtf:


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

OK, so is everybody ready for the Nissan car wiring tutorial?(yawn)Manufacturers love to save time and money by doing things that make most men mad. Here is one you will love.
Have you noticed how the factory stereo stays brightly lit with the key on acc? and then when you turn on the light switch the stereo dims down to the setting of the rest of your dash lights... Well, here's why.
The stereo is internally grounded with a separate wire that runs back to the dimmer switch. When the ignition key is in the accessory position that little wire is grounded directly to the chassis. When the key is in the on position the negative current (ground) is being connected to the dimmer switch, "How does this apply to me?" you are saying.....When you swap out that factory stereo with an aftermarket one you are changing the intended path of the ground wire. Soooo........when you plug in the new stereo it doesn't work. The solution? Look at the old plug for the factory stereo and compare the color of the wires coming from the harness and going into the plug. Now compare this to the plug used for the new stereo. You probably will find that the new plug skipped or eliminated some of the wires coming from the harness. There's your problem. The aftermarket plug is made to accomadate many cars in general and not your specific vehicle. So how does one fix this problem? If you are still reading this and haven't fallen asleep, try using an external ground on the new stereo. That means securing a wire or a screw to the METAL chassis of the new stereo and connecting that to a known ground. This, of course, with the aftermarket plug hooked to the wire harness as instructed by the manufacturer,
If that doesn't work, find the "hot" wire on the new stereo (usually red) and connect it to a positive source.(make sure this positive source is NOT the "constant" wire that has only enough amperage to hold your settings) 
Now touch the ground wire, usually black, to a known ground.
Did the stereo light up? If so you have found the main "hot" and the main ground.


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## singleparin (Sep 10, 2010)

Hi dreamteam, I recently installed an aftermarket stereo on a nissan quest, grounded the harness to chassis and is working perfectly fine. My problem is that when i turn on the lights, I have a buzzing sound on the right speakers, very prominent on the rear ones. Is there something I missed? asked you cause you seem to know pretty much about nissans, hope to hear from you soon, and again thank you guys for a great thread.


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