Taurus CD changer wiring

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=15517
Printed Date: July 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM

Topic: Taurus CD changer wiring

Posted By: jaym
Subject: Taurus CD changer wiring
Date Posted: June 27, 2003 at 9:02 AM

I am installing a factory CD changer in a 98 Taurus and the wiring harness has two wires hanging out at the radio end that may have been in a plug but I don't know. One wire is black with green stripe (most likley ground) the other is green with purple stripe. Does anyone know where these wires hook? The radio and CD plugs fit fine but until I find where the two wires go the unit does nothing.

Replies:

Posted By: esmith69
Date Posted: June 27, 2003 at 11:52 AM

I was going to say maybe they were for steering wheel controls or something, but those would not have to be connected for it to turn on and function properly, so it has to be something else.

The ground wire is supposed to be a black wire with a green stripe but you should test both wires in question with a DMM first before making any permanent connections to them. I'm not sure what the green w/purple stripe wire is though.

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Ethan
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Posted By: Chris Luongo
Date Posted: June 28, 2003 at 9:49 AM

Where are you in the car...up front or out back?

The unit in the dash is only a cassette deck and control unit...the tuner/amp pack is in the left rear of the trunk against the wheel well---right behind that square lump you see in the carpet. There should be an empty plug in the tuner pack for the CD changer connection.

There's also a small empty three-pin harness back there clipped up to a metal brace, but that's for the optional power antenna.

Posted By: jaym
Date Posted: June 30, 2003 at 11:41 AM

Yes the radio unit is in the trunk and I hooked the cable the the changer and the radio. If I push the CD button on the head unit it displays NO DJ. There is a power antenna and it is hooked but there is another empty plug on the main harness. The wires in this plug do not match the extra two wires on the changer harness. These two extra wires must apply power or cause the power to be applied to the changer because the eject button does not work. I have looked at the harness on web sights that sell them and you can see a second plug at the radio end of the harness.

Posted By: Chris Luongo
Date Posted: July 07, 2003 at 6:05 PM

Oh, I understand what you're saying now! The two extra wires you have came with the changer......I thought you meant they were part of the car.

I've installed many Audiovox Ford-specific CD changers, but not a factory Ford one. But they should be roughly the same.

Those two wires are indeed for power and ground. To determine which is which without blowing anything up, you'll need a multimeter and know how to operate it.

Set the meter for Ohms. Connect one lead of the meter to the metal chassis of the changer. Connect the other lead to each of the two wires you have, one at a time.

The wire that tests at 0 ohms (or close to it) is ground, and the other one will want constant power.

You can get constant power right at one of the factory radio plugs back there. You'll have to test the wires until you find constant, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be on one of the corners of one of the plugs.