Lights control the radio?

[SmallTownStang]

I just bought an 87 2.3l Hatchback. It had a crappy legacy tape deck in it. I took it out to put in a pioneer deck that I had lying around. Before, and now, when I turn the dimmer switch the power to the radio goes out. Also, the memory doesn;t work, everytime I turn the car on the radio is back to factory settings. It did this on both radios. The legacy wasn't connected with a harness, the person who owned it before just cut the wires and hard wired the radio to the car. Any idea which wires are crossed somewhere? And what could be missing that would effect the radio memory?

Preston

 

[HISSIN50]

It sounds like the battery power wire (for the deck) is connected to the accessory source.
And the accessory input for the deck is connected to the dimmer wire.


IIRC the car's accessory wire is yellow/blk
Lt green/Yel is the memory power source.
The dimmer is or/blk or something along those lines.

If you test each wire with a DMM or test light, you can narrow it down real quick. The wire that's hot with the key off is the battery source, the wire that's cold with the car off but hot with the key at run is your accessory wire, and your test light or DMM will go down as you turn the dimmer down.

Good luck.

 

[SmallTownStang]

One thing I noticed is that the power and acc. wire from the radio are both wired into one wire coming out of the dash. What wire is the acc. wire coming out of the dash? Also, with the headlights on, if I take the key out the radio stays on, even when it is supposed to be in the off position.

Preston