Hello Brickboarders,
Here's the problem - stock radio (with stock harness as far as I can tell) died and trying to figure out the pinout to replace with some 21st century equipment. Figured out the 4 door speakers at the amp, no problem but at the back of the radio none of the wire colors match anything in the literally hundreds of posts I looked thru here. For example the dash speakers are usually listed in 740/940 as Brown-White (+) Brown (-) adn Grey-Red (+) Grey (-) which are what colors they are at the dash speakers themselves but at the radio connector no such colors! Here's what I got at the connector

1 white-black 8 red
2 yellow-black 9 green-yellow
3 grey-white 10 green-red
4 grey-red 11 white
5 green-red 12 black
6 empty 13 blue
7 yellow-red 14 blue-red
8 red

I'm leary of applying voltages to determine the power antenna or speaker output from a boombox to find the dash speaker wires because I'm afraid I'll pick one of the rheostat wires and fry something in the cluster. So without a diagnostic approach and no pinout that matches what I have I am stuck. Help - that new Alpine unit is calling me ...

Robb McC

Robb,

The audio outputs for most Volvo radios of that time (and I believe for the CR-814) are via a DIN cable (six pin connecter). This cable connects directly to the amp. The pin functions for the DIN cable are as follows:
1. Left front speaker
2. Right front speaker
3. Right rear speaker
4. Ground
5. Left rear speaker
6. Remote amp power ‘on’

The connecter you’re referring to sounds like the amp connector (which most likely passes through additional connecters before getting to the speakers). The radio connecter should have only about ten wires; power, ground, antenna remote, illumination dimmer, etc.

Michael
Melbourne, Fla

1985 740 460k
1988 780 Coupe V6 190k
1992 745 200k

Michael,
The din connector carries the 4 door speaker output to the amp and I've figured those out and spliced in extensions back into the radio area for the new unit. But the rect. connector on radio outputs the dash speakers, antenna trigger, rheostat etc and those are the ones I need help with. None of the pinouts I can find match my colors even though it appears it was all stock wiring.
Robb

This may help.

http://www.installdr.com/InstallDocs/Volvo/PDF/865001.pdf
--
Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.

Thanks, I did look at that ( a very nice install guide btw) but none of the wire colors match what I have except the door speakers at the amp which I have already figured out. What they call pins A-N instead of 1-14 at the rectangular connector at back of radio are still unexplained.
Robb

About all you can do now is get out the volt/ohm meter. As posted before, one has to be constant hot with key off. Another hot with key on. You should be able to look back in the trunk for the hot lead to antennae. Ground should be easy to find via continuity. Dash speakers, if you can get to the back of them, join the speaker wires together, then "continuity" them at the connector.
--
Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.

thanks - did already figure out and label the "easy" ones like pwr and switched power and antenna and ground. It's the internal lite and rheostat + - and dash speakers I cant get. I'll try the shorting out dash speaker wires technique for those. Then on the illumination it's confusing because the volvo's always list rheostat + and - plus another one listed as "illumination" while my new radio only has 1 lead for internal lite. I guess I don't use the rheostat ones for modern radios?
Robb

I think the rheostat was for when you brighten/dim your dash lights, the radio would also. Modern ones don't. Guess if you have to chase the dash wires, removing the glove box is probably the simplest way to go.
--
Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.

Hmm, now that you make me think about it, I really don't need or care if the radio lights dim with the instrument lites because 1 I never turn off my headlites and 2 what does it matter if radio internal lite is on in the day if I were to turn off headlites? So now it's must easier, I just wire the internal illumination of new radio to the switched 12v and all I have to figure out is the 4 dash speaker wires which I should be able to do with the VOM test you suggest . Thanks very much for the help.
Robb
PS: my first thought when I read you post was "we don't need no stinking rheostats..."