Help needed

[wright1]

I need help for my son's 1996 Ford Taurus.

As a result of an electrical problem, the radio stopped working.

I took it to an authorized Ford dealers and they determined there was power going to the radio and that indicated the radio was 'fried". I purchased a replacement radio unit and my mechanic put it in. This radio did not work either. It is baffling to him as well. There is power in the wiring as well as the wiring harness. All the fuses are fine. ***one note*** this model Taurus is the one that has the radio, cassette, heat/air, and rear defrost all in the same unit that fits into the dash. Some people call it a football. All the other features in the unit work perfect.

He says if he had a schematic he may be able to track down the problem. I don't know if this is true, but in any event, I need help identifying this mystery.

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated

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[indosia 10+ year member]

Sound like the authorized ford dealers are idiots. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif Your head unit/radio needs power, +12 volt turn on, and ground. After determining there is power, they should have checked the ground and the turn on wire. Often electrical problems are result of bad ground.

 

[Dr. Boom]

I agree with indonesia. One other point though. I'm not 100%, but on some newer vehicles there is a lot of security built into the decks. When the power is lost to the deck, there are codes, or electrical impulses(if you're a pro) that will allow the deck to work again.

 

[indosia 10+ year member]

Maybe, but the replacement radio that was hooked up should have worked.

 

[LSCCEO 10+ year member]

Is the entire head unit dead? The reason I ask, the radio tuner is actually in the trunk on the left hand wheel well under the carpet, and if that went out the radio itself won't work.

 

[indosia 10+ year member]

the tuner is in the trunk. How do you change the radio stations? Is your h/u just a tape or cd player?

 

[wright1]

As far as I know the entire unit is in the dash, along with the other components...heat and air controls, rear defrost. These all work fine.

Can someone tell me where I can get a schematic for this unit? If the ground wire is coroded or broken then obviously it won't work, but I don't know which is the ground. There are 5-6 wires going into the radio portion of the unit.

Thanks

 

[indosia 10+ year member]

Ussually ground is a black wire

You can use a mulitimeter if your not sure. but it should be a solid black wire.

Or go look at a chilton book at kragen auto parts, for schematic.

 

[hittinloweclips]

I have a 98 Lexus GS-300 I need help to add a radio in and bypass or use the factory amp????

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

the tuner is in the trunk. How do you change the radio stations? Is your h/u just a tape or cd player?

I'm pretty sure he meant the actual brains of the tuner were in the trunk. The dash component is just a control unit and the player for whatever (CD/cass).