97 explorer cd player still won't work.I powered it on and hooked it up to a spare speaker i have and itworks

Question

cd player is not the problem cause i got sound using a spare speaker, as soon as i hook it up to the speaker wire harness in the truck i get nothing.

Answer 1

There are a few possibilities, but the most likely one is that you have a factory amplifier. Factory amps are very common in the Explorer even if they're not equipped with an upgraded sound system. If you have the factory amp, it needs to be activated or bypassed for the new radio to work.

Bypassing is the preferred method, but it's more work; you need to use a special harness at the amp location to connect the inputs directly to the outputs. The amplifier, if equipped, is located under the panel on the passenger side of the rear cargo area.

You can also get audio by activating the amp; to do this you need to connect the amp turn-on wire in the factory harness to the remote output on your new CD player, and connect the amp ground wire in the factory harness to chassis ground.

Your problem could also be caused by a speaker wire that's pinched or shorted, but in an Explorer, I'd suspect a factory amp first.