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need help with radio wiring harness

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8.8K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  VAGguy  
#1 ·
Hello, first I'd like to say that my English isn't very good to talk about technicalities and such, so sorry in advance.
So the thing is I would like to remove my factory head unit and replace it with new head unit but the problem I'm having is that I don't know what wiring harness do I need to buy so it could connect to the new HU. I made a mistake by buying Metra Part # 70-9003 harness but it doesn't work in my instance. I post the pictures so you can more clearly see the problem. I think I need to find suitable harness but also so that it could connect to my new HU. I can connect the wires manually with connectors, like I did in the photo with the wrong harness, so that is no problem. I can't find anywhere the harness where it could connect those blue green yellow black blocks. I don't know what to do, any help?
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#2 ·
No, the 70-9003 harness is not the correct part for this application - that's for the newer Quadlock radio connection (used in MY2002 and later, except for cars with navigation.) You need a Metra 70-1784 (this fits cars with the older ISO-style plugs.)
You aren't going to use the colored connectors, as those are the connections to CD changer, telephone, and remote display - none of which will work with your new HU.
One other thing - it looks like you connected the HU's blue/white wire (REM_PWR) to the Metra's blue wire. This is incorrect. If you had plugged this in, nobody would be able to diagnose the car anymore, as the VW blue wire is for the diagnosis bus (K-Bus, as indicated on the navi radio label.)
When you get the correct harness, the blue wire should be loose in the package. Do not use it. Tape off the end of the new HU's blue wire.
 
#3 · (Edited)
No, the 70-9003 harness is not the correct part for this application - that's for the newer Quadlock radio connection (used in MY2002 and later, except for cars with navigation.) You need a Metra 70-1784 (this fits cars with the older ISO-style plugs.)
You aren't going to use the colored connectors, as those are the connections to CD changer, telephone, and remote display - none of which will work with your new HU.
One other thing - it looks like you connected the HU's blue/white wire (REM_PWR) to the Metra's blue wire. This is incorrect. If you had plugged this in, nobody would be able to diagnose the car anymore, as the VW blue wire is for the diagnosis bus (K-Bus, as indicated on the navi radio label.)
When you get the correct harness, the blue wire should be loose in the package. Do not use it. Tape off the end of the new HU's blue wire.
I appreciate your reply. So I have few things to check. Firstly, if I understand you correctly, I only will need to connect the black block to the new harness and nothing more? Secondly, is it the blue wire like in this photo? If so, if I understand you correctly, I need to leave it open and NOT connect to anything, you are talking only about the blue with white strip wire, yes? There are also 2 white wires but they need to be connected, yes? Also looking at the Metra 70-1784 I see 2 connections but I will only need to connect that one black block to it? And what are the 2 blue wires who comes with the Metra 70-1784 for, will I need to use them?
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#4 ·
Purples, Greys, Greens, and Whites are speakers - so, yes, you'll need to connect the white and white/black wires (unless you don't want left-front speakers. ;) )

Correct, the blue/white wire will NOT be used on your car. In the original spec for an ISO/DIN radio plug, blue (or blue/white) was used for REM (REMote turn-on - e.g. amplifier, or power antenna) trigger. When VW made the radio diagnosis-capable (put it on the K line), they used that position, and powered the antenna... differently. If you connect that wire, it'll put a hard +12v on the diagnosis line, making it impossible to scan the car (and, possibly, damaging a scan tool, as well.) Other than the blue (or blue/white) wire, just match colors as usual.
 
#6 ·
No, you're missing a plug in your very first photo. If I'm seeing the keyway correctly, that's the power connector. The blue, green, and yellow plugs will not be used. You seem to be missing the 'speakers' plug. Did it go hide like a turtle?
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the reply. So the factory radio isn't working and so I cannot check if the speakers would be working now but I can say that they were working before. I'm posting a picture to show how all plugs were connected, I doubt it that this factory radio was touched by someone. IF one plug is missing then it is gotta be somewhere really deep because I couldn't spot it sadly.
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#8 ·
The connector Cuppie is trying to help you find is a brown plug the same size and shape as the black power plug. It fills that missing space in the back of the radio next to the other connections.

See attached for what I am talking about. When was the last time you had sound playing from these speakers and was it from this radio?
 

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#9 ·
The last time radio worked was maybe 6 years ago and we can't remember for sure if everything was working correctly then, it was the same radio as now. It's really strange that when I first pulled back the HU and there wasn't any brown plug, now I tried to find it with the flashlight behind the HU space but nothing. Could it really be somewhere very deep in the car? If so, maybe better I get the car to autoservice than try to break any interior to find it
 
#10 ·
The only way that the brown plug (speakers connection) could have gone far is if someone cut it off. If that didn't happen, then it has to be somewhere in the radio cavity.
This does leave me wondering just what happened 6 years ago, when the radio 'just stopped working.'
 
#11 ·
The only way that the brown plug (speakers connection) could have gone far is if someone cut it off. If that didn't happen, then it has to be somewhere in the radio cavity. This does leave me wondering just what happened 6 years ago, when the radio 'just stopped working.'
Damn I tried looking with the flashlight everywhere in the radio cavity, very weird, I doubt it was cut off. The radio well didn’t exactly stopped working, it was working then the battery died and after that something happened with the radio and now its just locked with the pin code which we don’t have and can’t even try to write any numbers for the pin code because either the screen is unresponsive or the buttons next to the screen.
 
#12 ·
Ok that confirms what I was kind of thinking. The MFD may be a DSP amped system, not monsoon or base system with speaker wire to the amp (high level input). The DSP version has a line out (like low level input RCA signal wire in an aftermarket system) from the radio to the amp on the yellow plug. Locate the amp and confirm the wire colors coming in, too.

Check for a fuse for the amp as well.

Some information on how a member swapped form Monsoon to DSP for reference. May help for coding as well if you have VCDS and can scan the radio module.