Your car isn’t all nuts and bolts. Some systems are dependent on liquids and chemicals, such as the lubrication, cooling, fuel, and brake systems. Other parts of your car are dependent on electrical power. Automotive electrical components are designed to be pretty much plug and play. At least, that’s the case with factory-installed components. They are designed with plugs that are a specific size and shape to match up with the car’s wiring harness. Aftermarket accessories don’t always follow this rule. They often have wires without connectors that will need to be adapted to work with your car.

A good example of this is car audio installation. Most aftermarket stereos come with a wiring plug that terminates in bare wires without connectors. So, how do you attach this to your car? You have a few options. First off, you need to remove and unplug the factory stereo, if present. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to purchase an adapter harness which will bridge the gap between the stereo’s wires and your car’s wiring harness. Typically, you attach this to the stereo’s harness with crimp connectors or by soldering. If a harness adapter isn’t available, you may need to cut the connector from the factory wiring harness and connect the new stereo directly. Often, you’ll find that the car’s wiring harness follows a standardized color code that will match up to the stereo. If not, or if you’re not sure, you’ll need to determine which wire on the car is which. Speaker wires should be pretty easy to figure out, but one place to get tripped up is with power wires.

There are positive power wires and grounds. Grounds wires will typically be brown or black. Positive power wires may be red, orange, or yellow. These wires all provide electrical power, but do it differently. Some will be live 100% of the time. Others will be tied to the ignition switch, and will only provide power when the ignition is switched on. Typically, you’ll need a constant power source to maintain your stereo’s settings, including radio presets. You’ll need a keyed power source to turn the unit on and off. While you could connect everything to a constant power source, you then run the risk of draining your car’s battery.

Connecting other aftermarket accessories, such as gauges and lighting follows largely the same process. Just remember to take your time, cut into the factory wiring harness only when you’re necessary, and only when you’re sure what you’re doing. Also, make sure to disconnect your car’s battery negative cable before doing any electrical work. If you don’t, you can sometimes cause momentary short circuits that can burn out fuses and damage other components.

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