gh86E

The BOSE system has 3 4-wire connectors (for speakers and power), a pink wire with single connector, a thick shielded black wire coming out to a single connector, and brown and orange wires coming out to a 2-wire white connector.

My '86 shop manual doesn't show an orange wire coming out of the radio, it shows a pinkw/stripe wire going to a 2-wire connector along with a brown wire. OK. The pinkw/stripe wire in the diagram indicates it's clock power, and the brown wire looks like it's display power. The 2-wire connector was cut
out of my car during a previous custom stereo installation. But I assume I shouldn't need these two connections just to test the radio.

So I bought a supposedly working early C4 BOSE system off eBay. Just plugged it in to try it out. No sound out of rear speakers (door BOSE speakers aren't even in the car). Radio seems to be working. The STEREO light flashes as I go through the stations. There is +12v going to the rear speaker amplfiers, and I hear a slight high pitched whine from the speakers (a BOSE trait).

So the questions I have are:

What does that think black shielded wire go to or what's it's purpose?

And if the 2-wire connector isn't hooked up, could that prevent the radio from sending audio out to the speakers?

Black 'n Blue

Does your manual show which color wires operate the power antenna?

TopDown

If the black shielded is really thich it is the antenna, if it is smaller then it is the ground. My Haynes manual indicates that pink is power antenna black is ground greens/left front---yellow-brown/left rear----tan-gray/rt front-----blues/rt rear---single yellow goes to radio fuse----single brown goes to light switch for dimmer control----pink w/stripe is hot.


hope it helps you out

gh86E

OK. I took a break - napped for a while outside (it's close to 70 here today!), sat in the hot tub for a while, then went back and tried a few things.

I did continuity checks on the wires to the rear speakers. I found a web site on BOSE systems that confirmed the orange wire is for always-on 12v. I found a place to tap 12v from, and jumpered it over to that 2-wire connector. BLAM - had the volume turned all the way up! That was it. The always-on 12v that comes in on the orange wire to keep the clock running is also used to enable audio out. Now I'm inspired to tear apart the doors and replace the BOSE speakers in them - they were chopped out by a previous owner. I tried a custom non-BOSE stereo, but that was a disaster. So I found a near mint-looking BOSE system on eBay, and this will allow me to finally finish off the interior (and it sounds better than I had remembered the BOSE sounding like).

Thanks for your help.

gh86E

Don't have the manual in front of me, but the antenna 'up' line comes off one of those 3 GM-type 4-wire connectors, not one of the special orphan connectors.

TopDown

You know I took all mine out and did aftermarket, the only pain was rewiring all the speakers...wait it was a big pain!