My 1987 Mercury Colony Park

[DerekTheGreat]

If you're getting power to the horns but they're not honkin', try adjusting the screw thing on them. I had that problem with my TC an Ashley's TC- bumping them sometimes "adjusts" them to open circuit. Also, my horns didn't measure within spec resistance wise. Sustained horn use of greater than 1 or 2 seconds would blow the fuse. First found that out in the middle of road trip, it also takes out cruise control when that happens.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

If you're getting power to the horns but they're not honkin', try adjusting the screw thing on them. I had that problem with my TC an Ashley's TC- bumping them sometimes "adjusts" them to open circuit. Also, my horns didn't measure within spec resistance wise. Sustained horn use of greater than 1 or 2 seconds would blow the fuse. First found that out in the middle of road trip, it also takes out cruise control when that happens.

Nope, no power at the horns. I definitely hooked the wires up backwards, so now the horn works.

FWIW, I popped the 20 amp horn fuse at least twice with the old relay/wiring setup fitted, and I think I know why now: The contacts were disgustingly corroded. Looked like someone had been dumping battery acid on it. Hopefully that won't be an issue ever again.

[DerekTheGreat]

Oh.

Yeah, the green crusties wreak havoc on things. My neighbors must've hated me while I was fiddling with the horns. They're quite obnoxious in a driveway.

[87gtVIC]

Looking good!

You have plenty room to grow yet in there?

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Looking good!

You have plenty room to grow yet in there?

If you mean adding much extra, not really at this point. All four relay slots are used. Horn, Headlights (Hi/Lo relays), and E-Fan are in there. Most of the traditional ATO slots are taken save for maybe four total, there's two open circuit breaker slots, and there's about five open Mega ones. It's fairly loaded up, save for really any crazy, high amp ones.

[gadget73]

the +12v wire into the horn relay should connect to 30 and 85. Horn should connect to 87, the horn pad to 86.

Most of the time you can reverse 85 and 86, but not in a diode suppressed relay. Either way power has to connect to 2 pins or no honky honky.

[87gtVIC]

If you mean adding much extra, not really at this point. All four relay slots are used. Horn, Headlights (Hi/Lo relays), and E-Fan are in there. Most of the traditional ATO slots are taken save for maybe four total, there's two open circuit breaker slots, and there's about five open Mega ones. It's fairly loaded up, save for really any crazy, high amp ones.

I see. Same happened to me. Then I installed an additional relay box (factory two banger) and then an aftermarket one (relays and fuses) on a factory bracket that fits right behind the newer inner fender air boxes. I am good now with spares. lol

If you need more relays spots you can JY search for this factory box and bracket:




Think it may be a couple year model only thing in town cars around 1998 with a certain option.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Took a crack at modding the old Electronic radio.





I'm no wizard with a soldering iron, but following Gadget's video and double checking the pins on the jack, this should be configured correctly. The cable I used has two shielded pairs inside so I only had to deal with one cable run. My plan is to mount the jack inside the ashtray to the left of the cigar lighter. There's enough space to allow for it so it stays out of sight, and the aux jack can be accessed easily when its wanted. That all also assumes the radio actually turns on, and the jack properly breaks the signal with a jack inserted so you don't try to listen to two things at the same time.

Guess I need to get a connector solution done up so I can actually do the install.

[87gtVIC]

Nice . When I got my radio and had the bug for swapping it in I was looking into those jacks. Where and which one did you purchase?

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Nice . When I got my radio and had the bug for swapping it in I was looking into those jacks. Where and which one did you purchase?

eBay Audio Jack

They make different variations, but I haven’t found many that are very substantial looking, but I assume if it works properly, and if you want to hide it, appearance doesn’t matter much.

I’ve got plenty of spares. I’ll never use all ten of mine in case you want one. I’m sure I could throw a few in a padded envelope and mail them.

[gadget73]

yeah they're all like that, and they're all pretty shitty. I would like to find one with screw jacks or even some sort of in-line housing but no dice. I guess I could learn how to design circuit boards and make a board to solder this to that brings the connections out to screw terminals.

so far I've just wired it up and put heat shrink over the whole mess so its protected. The one in the Continental is in the dash so its not visible anyway.

about half the time I get the inputs and the outputs backwards and it just goes quiet when plugging something in.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

sigh

I had been under the dash the other day and noticed a radio connector chilling out near the ash tray, and I kept thinking, "Nah, it's gotta be the one being used for the radio power".



I was wrong. There's three plugs I recovered. The one on the left possibly fed the audio to the amplifier, but none of the wire colors match up in my EVTM (but that's been wrong before), the one up top is where the power for the adapter came from. The one way at the bottom has some other freaky stuff going on, but it's had many leads chopped, but appears almost identical to the one up top. No idea if its getting any power on that circuit, and I don't think it's supposed to be there. Has some noise capacitor wired into it.

I guess I might use the three slot bullet connector socket up there for 12v switched for my gauges, since right now they're vampire tapped on the same power feed on the plug adapter.

All in all, I doubt I should worry much about any of this since:
1.) The Premium Sound was bypass long ago by this ugly-ass rat's nest (CD player that came in the car was from 2000)
2.) I plan on doing a proper re-wire and aftermarket amp install, so factory stuff working beyond the head unit is not a concern
3.) I really only need four wires for the 12v hot, 12v switched, ground, and illumination

I just need to figure out the best way to clean this crap up, and determine if the harness that's been hacked apart is getting power at anytime, or better yet, why it exists. Someone is an imposter.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Little update: I tried wiring up the power to the radio... and nothing besides illumination. I used the adapter connector from the other radio and just spliced it on, so I had 12v constant, 12v switched, illumination, and I added a ground to the back of the unit to the ground wire from the adapter, just to make sure. It just didn't power up. Maybe I did something wrong, but maybe it could also be dead. Shame if it is though.

[sly]

Try grounding the case as well.

[gadget73]

yeah there is often not a ground wire in the factory harness, it uses the metal clip thing. Related, make sure that and the surface is clips on to is clean otherwise you'll get random static and probably some alternator whine. Scotchbrite and a wipe of spark plug grease afterward does wonders.


Is one of those other plugs the door dinger perhaps? I seem to remember it being similar to a radio plug.

someone has definitely done some bullshit in here. Have to trace wiring to figure out whats up, and that sucks.