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Radio wiring help


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Okay, I am probably posting entirely too much as a subie newbie, but...so when I bought my brat, the original radio was behind the seat, and I had a gaping hole in my radio bezel from someone hacking an aftermarket stereo into it. The harness of course has been cut, as well as the wires on the back of the radio.

Can anyone help me identify the wire colors that I need to re-connect to splice the factory am/fm back in now that I have a replacement radio bezel? I will attempt to post pictures of my radio. I think the round cord plug might be for an accessory cassette deck??

 

Thanks in advancepost-63496-0-40560400-1468968874_thumb.jpegpost-63496-0-75161000-1468968937_thumb.jpeg

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To be sure, you need the year, and a FSM.


I am most familiar with 86-93 wagons.

I can guess a bit - the reds - one is likely power, the other lights.

Black = GND

Yellows = speakers

Blue ?  I've seen a single wire used for power antenna, or external amps, but the gender of the connector is wrong.  Type of connector isn't what I've seen for that wire either.

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The brat is an 86, I was hoping it would be more obvious when I started digging in, but it became more complicated when there was another radio in the bezel I purchased that also looks factory, and has all together different color combos....I am sure it must have been from a different year.  I have today off, so I think I will spend some time with a test light and ohm meter and start tracing the vehicle harness for a start.  There is no guarantee that this radio even functions, but I am hoping that because it was saved it might be good, I just wish they hadn't cut the plugs off.

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I'd test the radio first. All of my oem radios got flaky a long while ago. I used the radio's connector to make an adapter between the new aftermarket radio I installed and the existing car harness. Sometimes Subaru wire colors don't match between the harness and the radio or other device.

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My take on colours :
 

Black - Earth / Ground.

Blue - 12v Constant. ( For internal clock ? should be connected with fuse inline to battery )
Red / Blue - 12v Ignition ?
Red / Green - 12v Accessories ?

Grey - Powered Antenna ? ( not sure on this )
Black - Earth for speakers.
Yellow / Black / Red - L,R + Center channels ?

 

White cord - would be a link for other components as you suggest ...

Big round black thing is for antenna ... ;)

Would need the model number of radio to be 100% more accurate + you could look up the manual also ... :)

Cheers, Bantum ...
 

Edited by Bantum
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Thank you DaveT, and Bantum.  I will see what I can trace out and verify.  Both radios have the same blue wire with bullet connector, but one of them is fused, so your idea makes sense Bantum.  I did attempt to get the radio to power up with 12 volts and a ground, and was not successful.  My radio could be junk, but will keep playing.

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Typically, the speaker wires are in pairs. One wire for each speaker terminal. Speakers do not usually return via ground. No center channel on these old things. One of my wagons had 4 speakers - that one, the radio had 6 wires. Left return was shared, front and back had separate hots. Radio had built in fader for front to rear.

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ummm... so I can now get both radio's to power up by applying 12 volts through the blue wire.  Certainly not what I was expecting.  The radios are two different models, one is a Matsushita model 786201560 ref # CR-KF121A

 

The other is the one that was with the car and is a Clarion model no. RF-4881

 

I will google both of those and see if I can get a schematic to pop up.

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I found a copied manual for the Matsushita on ebay...The schematic that popped up on the clarion RF-4881 did not seem to match the wires on my radio.  I will keep looking, and might go ahead and order the copied manual.  If I learn anything exciting I will post it on here.

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  • 3 months later...

Yes, I got the radio functioning great after I received the manual for the radio that identified all wires.  The blue wire is 12v ignition.  I chose not to add the cassette deck because it did not have one originally.  The only thing I never got to work was the illumination of the display, but I am thinking the bulb may be blown.

I have had big issues getting pictures to upload on this site, but I could attempt to scan the radio manual for you if I had an email address to send it to.  Not sure which radio you have, but the wire combos are pretty similar.

  • Like 1
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Thanks for responding. Have Clarion RF4881. Pretty much figured out the power connector from previous post. The speaker 6 pin connector has gray,yellow,black,yel/red,yel/blk. respond here or email to ducunee@gmail.com. Hack job of different Suby radio ran new wires to speakers.

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OK My radio is a different model, but it looks like the color combo's are the same, as it looks like you have the same 5 wires.  Manual says:

 

 

Black:  Ground

 

Yellow with black:  Left rear speaker

 

Yellow with red:  Right front speaker

 

Yellow:  Front left speaker

 

Gray:  Right rear speaker

 

I hope this helps.

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  • 1 month later...

Got mine working. Connector to speakers original wiring.

 

    _________________

     RF

    ___    ___       ___

 

              RF        LF

             ___      ___

              LF

___________________            RF & LF are common

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