1981 Radio wiring
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6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6
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From: spokane wa
1981 Radio wiring
I am putting my stock am/fm cassette radio back in my 81 ,there are three plugs in the back of the stereo each with four wires per plug, I assume that one set is for speakers front, and one for speakers rear and one for power etc, the problem is I was missing two of the plugs, the plug that I still had is the top plug with a black wire that I thought was ground, a pink,yellow and grey wire I thought the pink was power and the yellow was clock when I benched test off a battery put the black wire to ground and the pink and yellow wires to the hot side 1st pink then yellow I was getting a big spark off the wire like it was shorting out,as for the other two plugs, I found ones that fit the stereo at a salvage yard, I am almost positive those are for the speakers, any Ideas?? :nopity
8th Gear
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Duncanville TX
Re: 1981 Radio wiring (Darron)
The leads to the radio should be combined on three plugs. One plug is used to supplypower to the front speakers. Wires for the right front speaker are LT. GREEN and DK. GREEN, left front wires are TAN and GRAY. Second plug will supply the right rear speaker through a LT. BLUE and DK. BLUE, and the left rear speaker through a BROWN and TAN wire. The third plug I think usually has three wires. One of them should be switched 12 volts through the ignition switch. Second wire should be HOT all the time to supply radio memory and clock functions and the third should be a ground. Check your radio case - sometimes G.M. had the phase designations stamped on the radio case - I.E. - which wires are positive and negative for the speakers. See if you can find your supply wires behind the insterment cluster then test to determine what color the 12 volt switched wire is along with the 12 volt constant power source is then bench test accordingly. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
