96 Ford Windstar CD Player

Help!  I am trying to replace my piece of crap factory cd player on my 96 Ford Windstar.  The CD player has NEVER worked, it clicks constantly and only plays the 1st 3 or 4 tracks of every cd, that is if it even loads.  I decided to replace it, just so I don't have to carry around 60 cds for 3 cds worth of tunes.

I bought 3 different wiring harnesses, and an FAI.  From my dash I have the rectangular flat pin cable(hooks up to the wiring harness fine, although I cannot figure out where to stick the orange illumination wire and I am guessing I don't need to hook up the solid blue wire for power antennae if I don't have a power ant.)  Power is going to stereo, as I can eject a cd, but no display, no cd spin, etc.  I also have a smallish 2 pin cable witha  tan and lt blue/pink wire.  This is for rear radio control.  No biggie, never used this feature. I have 2 speaker grey speaker cables.  One is a square 8 pin, the other a square 6 pin.  The 8 pin hooks up fine in the wiring harness.  The 6 pin I cannot find any harness that it can hook to?!  I tired the factory radio without the 6 pin, and it will only function with both 8 and 6 pin speaker cables. 

I read on installdr that I needed a Ford Integration Wire harness for premium sound amplifier bypass?!  I cannot find one that will accomodate a 6 pin square speaker cable.  I just want to be able to listen to a cd all the way through.... 

Can anyone help?  What do I need to do?  Do I neeed to keep that darn FAI?!  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I have 4 harnesses coming from the van.  I have bought 3 different harnesses from WalMart which all specify premium sound Ford vehicles.  Not a single one has fit that darn 6 pin.  The 8 pin is a real tight fit, but it works fine.  One of the harnesses I bought even had 5 different ends, but not a single one was even close.  I can't seem to find a single person who knows what I'm talking about with this second speaker cable.

I thought I had 4 speakers, but I could be wrong...

Thanks

There is sometimes the small square 8 pin plug (these are the speaker wires or should I say low level signal to the factory amp)

Then there is a same style of plug but with only 6 pins (this is usually for headphone jacks and other crap)

Then there might even be a small single pin plug, and last there should be the long single row of pins that is usually grey in color.  This grey one is power and dimmer, illumination and ground

You'll need to make sure that the red and yellow wire has power when the key is turn on....both have to have power in order for the radio to turn on.  If your not even getting the radio to power up, start there.  Don't use a test light because a test light will show voltage however it will not show voltage amount and some times poor connections have the ability to drop the voltage down to a point that the radio will not turn on, but the light turns on and makes it look like it has power.

Anyways if your getting the radio to turn on next you will need to make sure that the amp turn on wire in your wiring adaptor is connected (blue/white trace)  Make sure this is connected to the amp turn on output of the radio.  This wire supplies power to the factory amp and is the only way your going to get power out of amp.

Hope that helps.

That is great help!

Ok so I have power to the unit.  What do I do with that blasted 6 pin?!  I have no sound.  I have the 8 pin and the flat rectangular hooked up, smallish rear control taped up.  but without that 6 pin it won't work.  The factory won't even work without both 8 and 6 pin connected.  I have looked at so many wiring harnesses I am cross eyed.  Does a wiring harness that accomodates a 6 pin exist?!  maybe another make?!

Thanks!

but where is the amp located?  sorry for the notejack!