new cd player wiring, can't figure it out

Okay..so i got a new cd player, hooked it all up..and it didnt work. here lies the problem, it only works if i twist the the red and yellow wires (ignition and battery) together and hook them up to the switched power wire of the car. if i only hook up the yellow wire which is the battery wire in my head unit to the swithed wire of the car my cd player will turn on and act like a disc is spinning for like 20 seconds then turn off. still some power though because i can hit display and it will show time just no functions. so i have to tie the 3 together to get funtions but then no memory is held. ive tried every combination. 

What kind of car? Ive had that problem before, which usually means your missing a wire, its best to usually always use a harness but if you dont want to spend the extra $15 then find the wiring diagram on here. Knowing the car year make and model would help in helping you.

its a 2000 alero and i did get the wiring diagram off the internet for it, and i checked the diagram from 3 different sources to make sure it was correct, there was a previous cd player in it before and it worked fine got this new on and yeah you know the story, the cd player was actually a display unit at a shop and i wanted and they didnt have anymore boxed so i got that one so i know it works, im starting to think maybe i blew a fuse on the car for that wire? but why when i hook up the one wire with the car on does it spin then shut off but works when hook all 3 up? makes no sense, ill probably bring it in and have it all checked out.

sounds like you have a blown fuse because you are missing the constant power source from the car. there should be a fuse somewhere that says "radio" or it might even be tied into the cigarette lighter circuit. worst case scenario you will have to run a new constant power to your radio.

it spins and turns off because you are giving it switched power to the constant source which is what it does when you first plug it in and it sees power on the constant wire. if it sees no power on the red wire then it will just turn back off

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here is thwe 200 alero std  radio schematic. tells you where each feed comes from.

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yuk
quiet rural missouri, near KC.
If your system moves you physically and not emotionally, you have wasted your money.