When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This is technically my first post and I just wanted to start by saying that I really love and appreciate this forum.
Car: 2011 Chevy HHR LT 2.4, I bought her used a few months ago, she's been in a wreck, around 110k miles so far. She currently does have some issues with air intake and exhaust and a cylinder is misfiring, that's another story I will post about next. And yes it should be my current priority, but money and I need my tunes.
My experience: I have tinkering/novice experience with computers, electronics and automotive. I am confident in myself in this project, but hitting some dead ends. I haven't done a stereo in a long time and last time was with the kit. I have various wiring experience and been doing my own speaker wiring for ever, building my computers and small auto repairs, so I know this is at my skill level, but I'm not an expert. I love tinkering, taking **** apart ad putting it back together and working on my car. I get it from helping my dad do that all the time, growing up.
Current Stereo: Factory Stereo - it has issues. I can only use the AM/FM radio, which I really don't enjoy. Aux input does not work, or works badly. I don't have SiriusXM or really want it either right now. I do not have OnStar, Steering Controls or Cameras.
Aftermarket Stereo installation: Boss Stereo BV755B, I picked it up from local Autozone.
The issue: I'm impatient and did not want to wait for a wiring adapter/harness to arrive...YES I KNOW I CAN JUST ORDER IT AND HAVE IT IN A FEW DAYS... honestly at this point, I just really want my stereo in my car ASAP...ha ha...
Also, I am having a horrible time finding a wiring harness/adapter locally or even online in some places. I'm in Chicago and this seems an impossible problem to have. Yes, I have found it though on websites...I know, I know...I'm stubborn. Plus, my budget is weak right now and this is a bit of a beater I bought a few months ago and I can't dump a lot of money into her yet, until I get to know her better and get the cylinder and air/exhaust issues fixed.
My preferred solution: Instead of waiting for a harness/adapter, I am going to splice the wires with out it, either with electrical tape or thermal shrink connectors.
Alternate solution tomorrow morning: I found a post about identifying wires with multimeter and other techniques that I might try to identify the confusing wires. I think this is the one on Lifewire.com.
The troubleshooting issue I am having: The colors of my "factory" wires do not match the diagrams I am finding on this forum or the rest of the internet. I'm having a hard time finding the right post, maybe? I was labeling the individual wires, to make sure I knew which ones were which before I snipped the plastic adapter piece off and ruin everything entirely. I always make sure everything is set up, clear and organized before I start cutting or removing and unplugging. No matter how I go about matching them up to the diagrams or the aftermarket wires that came with my new stereo, there is always an extra color, duplicate color or missing colors, sometimes it feels like I'm missing a wire, period...but the numbers and colors do match that other post I found here, so it has to be right somehow. I've gone back and forth.
I need some help figuring it out. I do know that diagrams may include wires that I wouldn't have, because of missing features, but it still doesn't make sense right now. One adapter I ordered from Walmart, was the wrong one, but the Antenna adapter it came with fits my aftermarket stereo, so that's all taken care of at least.
Not the best photo, but here's what I'm looking at.
Go to Crutchfield.com. They have free directions and everything you need at reasonable prices (and part numbers so you can get elsewhere).
Which stereo do you have? The Pioneer with sub-woofer or the standard. If you have a sub-woofer you can see it in the rear quarter panel trim. Do you have steering wheel controls?
Black-white is NOT ground it is 10V ref. There is no Acc, you need to either get the adapter or wire it to one of the unused fuse locations in the BCM.
I'll look at your posts for more schema, thank you. I posted a picture, the colors and locations of the wires haven't matched anything I've looked at so far. I found one other person on this forum with the same colors as mine, but the resolution was an expired file link, from 2014. And the labels I have are from other diagrams or what my other set of wires has. I'll check Crutchfield again too for the instructions.
Unless you have a lifetime imgur account it would be a lot better to host & post pictures on this site. The instructions are available in my sig.
Someday somebody is going to cursing you for an expired link.
09-08-2021, 12:44 AM
Aux input does not work, or works badly. I don't have SiriusXM or really want it either right now. I do not have OnStar, Steering Controls or Cameras.
