A friend gave me a cd changer he bought a while back. His current truck has one and he doesn't need it. It's a Clarion CDC605, but it does't have any install instructions. Connecting the bus cable is no problem but I don't know what the three wires do. One is yellow and goes to a fuse (some kind of power) and then a red one and a black one.

Anyone know where these would connect on my E?

Yellow is always on +12 VDC. It goes to a circuit that is always got 12 volts on it, regardless of the key position, including out.

Red is switched power. It should only power up when the key is in the start, or run position.

Black is ground. You should find a metal spot in the car to attach it to. Metal bolts going through metal parts attached to the chassis are good. I'm sure someone here knows where the best ground points are.

GL

Yellow is always on +12 VDC. It goes to a circuit that is always got 12 volts on it, regardless of the key position, including out.So if I did an add a circuit, I'd have to find a existing fuse that's always hot. Speaking of the add a circuit things, does it matter if the one it's piggybacked on to is the same size?Red is switched power. It should only power up when the key is in the start, or run position.Then this one should be the same wire that turns on the radio. From the back of the stock HU is the yellow wire with green strip. This is where I spliced in a wire to go to my new amp, and this should go to that one, I suppose....
Black is ground. GLThere must be something up by fuse box under under the dash, so this shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for your help!!

First off, here (http://www.clarion.com/jsp/search/InstallationManuals.do?mode=category&current_page=2&page_flag=true) are the appropriate installation manuals for the Clarion FM modulators used with their changers. You probably have either an FMC 150 or FMC 250.


Yellow is always on +12 VDC. It goes to a circuit that is always got 12 volts on it, regardless of the key position, including out.So if I did an add a circuit, I'd have to find a existing fuse that's always hot. Speaking of the add a circuit things, does it matter if the one it's piggybacked on to is the same size?
First question: yes. Second question: no. The second one really is academic. The power fuse for a CD changer has to be quite small. Any circuit you find in the fusebox will be rated at a higher power.


Red is switched power. It should only power up when the key is in the start, or run position.
Then this one should be the same wire that turns on the radio. From the back of the stock HU is the yellow wire with green strip. This is where I spliced in a wire to go to my new amp, and this should go to that one, I suppose....
You can use this. That will work.



Black is ground. GL
There must be something up by fuse box under under the dash, so this shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for your help!!
Ground to someplace on the firewall. You should find a screw going into that you can use for a ground.

First off, here (http://www.clarion.com/jsp/search/InstallationManuals.do?mode=category&current_page=2&page_flag=true) are the appropriate installation manuals for the Clarion FM modulators used with their changers. You probably have either an FMC 150 or FMC 250.This page generated "c0182i0 error!!" but actually the changer is a CDC605. I haven't had any luck searching for an installation manual. I'll try this link later...

The only other problem is the antenna. From what I've looked at here it appears that the antenna lead from the car now goes into the box at the end of the bus cable from the changer, and the one from this box goes into the HU. As has been discussed the antenna plug is different so best is to get an adapter for each end of antenna wire.

The antenna plug from the car wire harness seems to be only two wires. Is it possible to spice these into the Clarion unit somehow?

The changer is a CDC 605, which was a standard Clarion changer. The FM modulator you are using has to be a FMC 150 or 250. Those are the two models that worked with that changer. The FMC 150 or FMC 250 are the pieces with your power, ground and remote turn on wires. The changer only hooks up though the DIN cable. Its install instructions, which aren't on Clarion's site, are mostly about mounting it. For basic stuff, look at the CDC 635 changer install manual, which is on line. It is a later generation changer but this manual might help.

Yes, that link was bad. Sorry. Clarion makes you go through their "I accept your requirements" page first. Instead, go to http://www.clarion.com/us/en/top.html, then Support, then Installation Manual. You can limit your search of manuals to Audio and Changers. You will find the FMC 150 and FMC 250 on page 2 of the installation manuals when you limit the search to those requirements.

You will need two antenna adapters to hook this up. One that goes from Honda radio to Motorola plug and another that goes from a Motorola plug to the factory antenna. They are available in one package, the Metra 40-HD30 (http://www.installer.com/item/display_item.php?it=40-hd30). Don't forget to hook up the blue wire that runs to the antenna. It needs to be powered for your reception to be good. The yellow/green wire would also do this job.

The FM modulator you are using has to be a FMC 150... never occurred to me that the modulator itself was a number!! You will need two antenna adapters to hook this up.that's what I thought. Don't forget to hook up the blue wire that runs to the antenna. It needs to be powered for your reception to be good. The yellow/green wire would also do this job.This is the blue wire coming from the same plug where I cut the L&R front door wire to put the RCA plug, right? Is the antenna powered whenever the radio is on or only when FM is on? I've cut the yellow/green wire and right now I've got the primary wire from my yet to be installed amp (looks like over 100 degrees today, so it probably won't be today either...) joining it (I think these three are now soldered). So the blue wire join to that? (And also the red wire from the FM modulator...

as always, thanks for your help

You guys make me want to tear into my E, but since I'm far too lazy, I will live vicariously through your electronic exploits. Trombe, I'm glad that you finally have a solution to your multiple cd requirements. I only wish we could have found a way to get the audio through the head unit without the FM modulator. I'm sure you'll still enjoy it, regardless.

This is the blue wire coming from the same plug where I cut the L&R front door wire to put the RCA plug, right?

No.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-1/940070/40-hd30.jpg

And yes, you want to hook it up with the red remote turn on wires for the CD changer and the amplifer, which are all powered by the yellow/green wire coming from the deck.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-1/940070/40-hd30b.jpg

The antenna is powered all the time, whether you are listening to the radio or not. This is the way the factory radio is wired.

Looks like option two is easier -- just connecting the wires from the two adapters.

When I got home I looked at the FM unit, and it's an FMC100. Couldn't find at Clarion's website, but since wiring looks identical to the FMC150/250 it shouldn't be a problem.

If you want a laugh, print a page of that pdf. I believe it's made to print on gigantic paper like many audio stuff is these days. I reprinted in 11x17 paper and now it's just hard to read. On 8.5x11 it was real funny it was so small....

Now if only the weather would cool off....

If I remember, the FMC 100 and the FMC 150 were the same, except the FMC 150 came with a wireless remote control. I could well be wrong. This was so long ago that back then stereos were powered by steam.

You're on your own regarding the weather.

If I remember, the FMC 100 and the FMC 150 were the same, except the FMC 150 came with a wireless remote control. I could well be wrong. This was so long ago that back then stereos were powered by steam.Although the print on the instructions was VERY small, that must be what they meant. I thought it said "powered by dream" ...

And this one didn't have a remote, so you're probably right.

Got the antenna adapters today from my local shop. Didn't do anything yet since it was 100 degrees today, will be 100 tomorrow, 101 on Thursday and cooling off to 99 on Friday..... (but next Monday there's a real cold front coming in, with projected high of only 91 degrees!!!!)

So the question of the day -- the yellow wire coming from the modulator (has a fuse on it) is the one that goes to always on 12v. Since there's one of these coming from the HU also (also yellow, as I recall) wouldn't the easiest thing be to splice into this one -- cut it and solder the three parts back together (1 to the HU, 2 to the factory harness and 3 to the changer)

This seems simplier than trying to find another source for always on 12v. It's a wire I KNOW I can find and one that I KNOW is 12v always on....

You can probably use that wire, but instead of cutting and splicing, why not just strip a little shielding off of the radio wire, strip off about an inch off of the cd changer wire, and then wrap the cd changer wire around the radio wire.

Sort of like this, but you would wrap one wire around another, not around each other.

http://workmanship.nasa.gov/img/guidadv_recmeth_wu1.jpg

You can probably use that wire, but instead of cutting and splicing, why not just strip a little shielding off of the radio wire, strip off about an inch off of the cd changer wire, and then wrap the cd changer wire around the radio wire.would taping it then suffice, or should it be soldered?

Tape is a must. Solder is whether or not you can do it well. If your soldering skills are not up to par, then extra tape should suffice. Use 3-m all weather. It won't melt off in the summer heat (which you seem to have plenty of this year) and it won't crack and split in the winter cold.