97 Civic EX CD Player

I trolled through the old posts and didn't find anything on this, so here goes (sorry for the length, but I'm trying to get as much info in as possible): I am installing a Panasonic CQ-DP20EUC CD Player/Receiver (I know it's old...a gift from a friend, the box wasn't even opened). The person I got the car from cut out the factory harness, so a few months ago I went to the boneyard and pulled the most similar harness I could find (colors were a bit off, but I got it soldered in ok). For this install I bought a harness from Radio Shack to give me the loose ends to work with. So far so good. Then I got out my multimeter (El Cheapo GE2527 analog) and went to work making sure I had everything identified properly. I got the wiring diagram here to help me out. Enter problem 1: that diagram doesn't have all the wires in my harness, and I can't seem to find a more accurate one. So, I got a constant ~12V reading on Pin 4 (Yellow/Red) and a ~12V on Pin 5 (WHITE/ Yellow) that switches with the ignition. I have really high voltage (~52V, I think) on Pin 6 (RED / Black) with headlights on and voltage that varies with the dimmer switch on Pin 3 (Yellow/White). The speaker wires all match the wiring diagram, so no worries there. At this point we should be golden, right? Enter Problem 2: The deck doesn't even light up when plugged in. Not only that, but the Radio Back-Up fuse in the engine compartment blew; now I get no voltage at all on the Switched 12V+ wire and ~52V on the Constant 12V+ wire, even after replacing the fuse and checking all the fuses in the fuse panel under the dash. Any help would be greatly appreciated; this is really frustrating! Thanks.

Thanks for the advice. Is there a DIY guide or FAQ or something you could point me to for tapping into the fuse box? I've never tried that sort of thing before and don't want to screw it up (I've literally had nightmares about inadvertantly blowing up this car, though it had nothing to do with audio stuff).

I don't know about any guides, but probably.  I'd tap into the fuse that supplies the stereo, it's probably the one you blew.  You could still use the 12v+ from the harness, but I'd definitely not use the harness ground.

Ok. I guess it's off to Radio Shack for butt connectors and wire, then. I just wish it wasn't so ***** hot & humid (Northern CA transplant in the Midwest :-().

Actually, look for wire taps too, probably 16-18g, that'll be easier at the fuse block.  85 degrees on the southern coast of France for the 2nd stage of the Tour.  I'm climbing on the bike wishing I was there. 

Are you _in_ France wishing you were here, or wishing you were on the Tour? I don't know what the humidity in France is like, but it's been ~90 consistently here with high (at least for a Cali boy) humidity. My idea of hell, especially with how easily I succumb to heat-related illnesses (there's my Irish shining through!). I've been out of the house a lot lately and haven't seen much news. How is the Tour going? I have a couple days' respite from driving to Cincinnati & back (~100 mi round trip) coming up; hopefully I'll get this thing wired then and let you know how the project turns out. It's pretty simple - just a HU and two 5.25" speakers.

Oh. One more thing: I don't know how or if I should get this posted in the Vehicle Information Database, but I found another wiring diagram on installdr.com in their Civic Radio Replacement .pdf: Please forgive the sloppiness. I'm chasing my 2-year-old while cobbling this post together This seems to match my wiring more accurately. Note that my harness' pins are numbered, not lettered; they are also numbered in a different order than the picture above:

In Colorado wishing I was riding the TDF.  Not that I could keep up.  I'll settle for our mtns instead.  The Tour's been stellar so far, day one was riveting, Lance actually passed Jan in the opening TT - Holy shhh!  Four americans in the top 6 spots, including a first-timer in yellow since day one.  Great sprints the last 2 days, everyone's really brought their best game this year.  What an amazing event - over 50 million spectators will see it live, another 400 million thru TV...

I don't know much about it myself, but it does sound like an incredible competition. I read some about the bicycle technology in WIRED a while back, and the amount of planning, training and preparation that goes into it is simply staggering. Alright...I have to get some sleep so I can get that beast wired in the morning. With luck my next post will have some meaningful mobile electronics content