i have just changed the stock radio for a fancy thing out of halfords. I have bought the correct wire adaptors etc, but now when the engine is off and the key is removed there is 2 lights staying on on the radio and the alarm keeps going off. if i remove the front of the radio its no bother. has anyone got any ideas???

What's the lights that are staying on ?

What's the lights that are staying on ?

One of them is (T-INFO) for traffic info and the other one is (DISPLAY) to change the display

Could this be caused by a Can Bus error ? Do you have/need a specific Can Bus cable to fit a third party or aftermarket head unit ?

Could this be caused by a Can Bus error ? Do you have/need a specific Can Bus cable to fit a third party or aftermarket head unit ?

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i have no idea sorry

I might be wrong but with modern cars you now need specific parts especially when altering the electrical system. Other forum members may advise better but you may need an exact wiring harness to avoid any electrical errors.

Might be better asking an audio specialist rather than 'Halfrauds'

It's obvious that the radio is being fed a constant voltage from the system to store settings and such.

Most probably the alarm is going off as the system is reading the power drain as a tamper on the car.

I'd get the power connections on the radio checked as it's obviously drawing a lot of stand-by current.

with fords depending on the stereo you bought the new connector needs the red and black wires swapped over. if its like the mk1 the stereo should not work with the ignition off only in position 2. as its not the ford stereo it doesnt run through the can bus so you wont have 1 hour mode or vin number etc. in my mk1 i had to switch the two wires round in order for it to work correctly but only on the new connector not on the ford original connector

+ 1 . Yes it does sound like the perm live feed could be in the wrong position and may need switching over , check your manual for the wiring and then check the connector to see if the power feeds are correct

If the radio is always drawing power from the battery, there is a risk of a flat battery when you return from a 2 week holiday, not good news!

Double check that it is the radio by removing all power to it and see if the alarm goes off.

If after power is removed and the alarm goes off , check the bonnet connection.

If it does not go off then it has to be the wiring harness

Double check that it is the radio byt removing all power to it and see if the alarm goes off.

If after power is removed and the alarm goes off , check the bonnet connection.

If it does not go off then it has to be the wiring harness

Great idea!

thanks everyone, tried all these ideas but alarm is still going off when radio is in. also i have noticed that the dash board display with the miles on never goes off now, even when the front of the radio is removed??

Put the stock HU back in see if it clears all your faults, then a trip back to Halfords me thinks. Don't rule out faulty New HU.

+1

Something is still drawing current for sure.

i put the original head unit back in and it cleared all the faults so ive decided to keep it like that lol

simply swapping the 2 wires would have sorted it the connector that plugs to the ford loom requires the black and red are swapped round.

looking at the plug you will see at the end of the wires inside the plug connector theres 2 small wings pushing those in allows the wire and end to come out simply swap the 2 and youre good to go. its easy to tell as the stereo will only switch on with the ignition in position 2 and all stations will be stored the mk1 was the same should you want to try again