stereo wont work?

ok i tried to test my stereo to see if it worked in my truck. i plugged the harness i bought into the factory harness. then i plugged in the antenna. i held the stereo in my lap and turned on my truck and the display lit up. i tried pushing the power button and still nothing, it just stayed the same. i hit the reset button behind the faceplate and still no change. i turned my truck back off then on again. unplugged then plugged back in the harnesses. the memory wire is not connected but the accesory wire is. what am i missing hear. i cannot think of anything??

You need to connect the memory wire for the radio to work.

Yeah, you have to connect the memory (constant 12 volt) wire (usually yellow) and the switched accesories (Acc 12 volt) (usually red) wire for the radio to work. Since you have the adapter plug harness...just connect all the wire on your radio to all the wire with the matching colors on the adapter plug (some wires you may not have to connect like power antenna and the illumination wires). And, if there is nothing wrong with the radio it should operate normally. Duane...

If you think you're confused, imagine how you feel.   

ok. for some reason i thought that it would work without the memory wire but with the ignition wire only plugged in. i thought i would just not be able to save the stations.

Yea you'll always need a constant for any deck, it will work if u have a constant with a switch but it wont work at all if u dont hook it up---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----

1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp

2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs

1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

if I remember, I think that the constant wire was orange....just match all the wires from your HU to your new harness and everything should be good to go If we learn from each success and

each failure, then we can improve ourselves

well you should be able to find a wire under the dash, that you can use for the constant...you had a multimeter didnt you? If we learn from each success and

each failure, then we can improve ourselves

What HU are you installing?   There is ALWAYS a constant.  It may be called "memory" especially if you are using a JVC.  It's the wire with the fuse on it from the factory.  Are you sure the harness adapter you bought is the right one for your vehicle?  A multimeter is a very basic and handy tool.......

DYohn its a 87 fullsize chevy I beleive....in a previous thread he stated that he was told that there was no reason for there to be a constant wire...(im assuming that the factory stereo did not have a clock or station preset) If we learn from each success and

each failure, then we can improve ourselves