ford explorer headlight stereo dimmer

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=118840
Printed Date: May 12, 2025 at 4:25 AM

Topic: ford explorer headlight stereo dimmer

Posted By: andycr
Subject: ford explorer headlight stereo dimmer
Date Posted: December 26, 2009 at 10:53 PM

I have a 1993 Ford Explorer which I just took to Car Toys to get a JVC KD-AHD59 installed in. Everything works fine (except that I seem to have a blown speaker, but that's a separate issue), but the lights of the stereo are supposed to dim when you turn on the headlights. It doesn't, and it's very bright and distracting at night. I can turn the dimming on and off manually, but it would be nice if it worked. I notice from a pinout of the car that the switch does indeed have a pin to the stereo, and the stereo has a pin to accept it. Did they just fail to hook it up? What do I tell them to get them to fix it? If they won't, can I do it myself?

Thanks!

Replies:

Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: December 26, 2009 at 11:27 PM

Battery	LIGHT GREEN/ YELLOW	(+)	RADIO HARNESS
Accesory	YELLOW/BLACK	(+)	RADIO HARNESS
Ground	BLACK	(-)	RADIO HARNESS
Illumination	ORANGE / BLACK	(+)	RADIO HARNESS
Dimmer	LIGHT BLUE/RED	(+)	RADIO HARNESS
Amp Turn On	DARK BLUE	(+)	RADIO HARNESS

Posted By: andycr
Date Posted: December 28, 2009 at 5:50 PM

Thanks. I don't think I'll have Car Toys do things for me from now on...

Car Toys Manager (Chad): "We'll do it for free if you want. We didn't connect it because it might blow a fuse." (??)
Me: "I'll try it and see."
Chad: "Actually, your stereo doesn't have a dimmer wire."
Me: "Yes, it does. It's orange and white striped."

Then he tried to sell me a $500 amp...

Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: December 28, 2009 at 6:26 PM

Did they get the dimmer wire connected? Is it working properly now?