this is for an 03 accord. I have the dash kit and head unit and everything i need. wire harness and all... i connected all the necessary wires and im having problems. the head unit is not turning on. i think it has something to do with the power wire...could somebody explain the wires and colors on the back of the radio please? specifically the power wire/ignition. and i know its not the head unit because it was being used in a friends car a few days earlier.

thanks.

 

did you buy the correct Metra wire harness or did you cut off the factory wiring harness?

These are the Honda wire color codes
Radio Constant 12V+ Wire: White/Green
Radio Switched 12V+ Wire: Yellow/Red
Radio Ground Wire: Black
Radio Illumination Wire: Red/Black
Radio Dimmer Wire: n/a
Radio Antenna Trigger Wire: Yellow/Green
Left Front Speaker Wire (+): Green/Black
Left Front Speaker Wire (-): Light Green
Right Front Speaker Wire (+): Green/Yellow
Right Front Speaker Wire (-): Gray/Red
Left Rear Speaker Wire (+): Blue/White
Left Rear Speaker Wire (-): Blue/Black
Right Rear Speaker Wire (+): Pink
Right Rear Speaker Wire (-): Blue/Yellow

These are the aftermarket radio color codes:
http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/headunitharness.asp

 

Also, check fuses. if you didn't disconnect the battery before you disconnected the wires, something could have shorted out.

Finally, how did you make the connections? solder and heat shrink? crimp caps? twist on caps (bad)? wire twist and electrical tape (bad)?

 

i cut the factory wiring harness. did i screw up? if so whats the best way to fix that.

 

it is never a good idea to cut factory harnesses. the only good way to correct that action is to solder and heat shrink the factory harness back on, which takes me about an hour to do in total including setup, prep, solder, shrink, bundling, etc. (and i'm experienced). it's also difficult since you're working inside the vehicle.

with the purchase of a $10 harness adapter, you can make all of your wiring connections on a desk or table in your house, and the adapter has the same color codes as the aftermarket radio. this allows for ease and comfort, and you can make extra sure your connections are secure. then you simply plug the adapter into the factory harness and you're off and running.

you've made A LOT more work for yourself, with a higher possibilty of error. The factory color codes will NEVER match the aftermarket for any manufacturer.

You can use the color codes i posted above to make your installation work. Still, check fuses, and make proper soldered or crimped connections.

 

how did you know what wire colors to use for the install? did you already have the Honda wire color codes?

do you have a volt meter that you can use to check switched and constant 12V?

i recommend grounding your new head unit to an existing bolt on the floor, not the small ground wire in the harness.