Radio Wiring Harness

sikwan

06 Tin Can
This is from the service manual. I've verified that 2003 thru 2006 service manuals are very similar. I also used this chart to install a new deck in my 2006.

Please use a voltage/ohm meter to make sure the color coded wires are correct.

I know this thread is ancient, but it's still 3rd Google result for 2006 Sprinter radio wiring harness. The Front Right polarity is reversed in the main post. The BR/RD is Front Right + and BK is Front Right -.

It didn't make any sense to me that the solid color wires between left and right wouldn't be the same polarity, nor that the two positives wouldn't be physically side by side. (Same with the negatives). So I looked it up elsewhere and my suspicions were confirmed.

https://www.tehnomagazin.com/Auto-radio-car-connector/MERCEDES-Car-Radio-Wiring-Connector.htm
Code:
RED/YL       Battery
BK/RD        ACC
GY/DG/RD     Light
BL/RD/WT     Vehicle Speed Sensor
BK           Power Antenna

BR/DG        Front Left + (speaker)
BR           Front Left - (speaker)
[COLOR="blue"]BK[/COLOR]           Front Right + (speaker)
[COLOR="Red"]BR/RD[/COLOR]        Front Right - (speaker)
 
WT/BL        Rear Left + (speaker)
BR/BL        Rear Left - (speaker)
WT/GY        Rear Right + (speaker)
BR/GY        Rear Right - (speaker)
As a reference, here are the color codes used throughout the vehicle.

Code:
BL   BLUE
BK   BLACK
BR   BROWN
DB   DARK BLUE
DG   DARK GREEN
GY   GRAY
LB   LIGHT BLUE
LG   LIGHT GREEN
OR   ORANGE
PK   PINK
RD   RED
TN   TAN
VT   VIOLET
WT   WHITE
YL   YELLOW
*    WITH TRACER
 
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topless

Wichita, KS
A late model VW plug will let you leave the stock wiring and plug in, the only variance is you have to reverse the wires for switched power and battery.
 

nocky

Member
Thanks for the info I have a Sony mp3 player that I installed on week 2 of ownership. I put up with crummy radio reception for a long time. (2 years) I was told by some one that was because of the different type of antenna adapter you had to use. Anyway I just got done hooking up the black antenna wire (the pink one on the vw adapter). The Sony has a remote antenna lead Blue. WOW much better now. Even the sub sounds better. I ended up using rockford fosgate HPC1204 speakers in the front, some speakers have to big of a magnet
Thanks Again
 

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sikwan

06 Tin Can
Thanks Nocky for the connector picture. :rad:

When I was listening to my Panasonic, my AM stations would fade out every time I drove under an overpass. I don't remember ever having that same problem when I had the Becker. I blamed it on a lousy Panasonic tuner. :thumbdown:

I knew about the powered antenna and I remember hooking it up, but decided that I had to recheck it. Lo and behold, I hooked up the black antenna wire to the GND of the deck and the vehicle GND was bundled up with the rest of the unused wires. The deck still worked because it was using the cd changer GND. :bash:

After I moved the black wire to the remote turn on of the deck, my AM stations did not fade out like they use to. :thumbup:

Seek

ps. I think GND is the Brown wire right below the BLK/RED wire. Check it.
 

topless

Wichita, KS
I changed out the Becker (made in South Africa) and the front speakers (made in Hungary) what a difference.
I'm not a big time stereo buff, but 3 radio presets and a crappy cassette deck for a head unit in a $40,000 truck is silly. When I bought my van, the battery had been disconnected, and the P.O.S. Becker had to have a security code entered before it would play. I didn't know where to find it, so I drove 3 hours with nothing. When I got it working, I was very disappointed in the quality of both the head unit and the speakers. Not what you'd expect for such an expensive vehicle.
 

fergetit2

New member
Just started converting the stock radio to an eclipse nav avn7000. Does anyone know what the blue wire is in position 11 (above the vehicle speed sensor)? Also has anyone found an antenna adapter?
 

mgameros

SprinterFest 2007
So all I have to do it connect this black wire? I thought we needed this adapter CLICK HERE Could I have used this CLICK HERE and connected the black wire? I'm lost here with this. If we do need the first adapter with the red wire, where does that connect to? Do we need to connect that to the power ant form the radio and not worry about the black wire on the factory harness? Please help!:thinking:
 

mgameros

SprinterFest 2007
So all I have to do it connect this black wire? I thought we needed this adapter CLICK HERE Could I have used this CLICK HERE and connected the black wire? I'm lost here with this. If we do need the first adapter with the red wire, where does that connect to? Do we need to connect that to the power ant form the radio and not worry about the black wire on the factory harness? Please help!:thinking:

Any idea on this seek? :thinking:
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
So all I have to do it connect this black wire? I thought we needed this adapter CLICK HERE Could I have used this CLICK HERE and connected the black wire? I'm lost here with this. If we do need the first adapter with the red wire, where does that connect to? Do we need to connect that to the power ant form the radio and not worry about the black wire on the factory harness? Please help!:thinking:
The black wire on the radio connector needs 12V to power the antenna. You can connect that to the "remote" output source from your new deck.

The Ebay adapter, I thought, was just a cable adapter. I don't know what the red wire is. I'm guessing it's for power, but for what? Did it come with instructions or a wiring diagram?

I read this from the Ebay auction...

It simply plugs into the back of the new radio and then your original Antenna wire plugs into this adapter.
...and I thought it was just a cable adapter. I'm using something similar except it does not have the red wire (power?).

You are correct on the Crutchfield adapter. All you really need is that adapter for the antenna. After that, you just need to hook the black line to your "remote" output of your new deck.

Sorry if I mislead you to buy the Ebay cable. I didn't know Crutchfield had such an adapter. I bought mine locally at a Fry's Electronics.

Seek
 

dsellsbear

PAWS8IV
I have two brown wires and can't figure out which one goes where. I pulled the stock cassette deck out and am installing a blue tooth pioneer deh790. Any suggestions? should I clean the wire casing to see if there is another color that I'm missing?
Also, does radioshack sell the antenna adapter?
 

dsellsbear

PAWS8IV
I'm on my way to get one right now. What should I look for when testing the browns and for that matter the two blacks as well?
I'm also going to check out the antenna adapter they carry.
Thanks
 

dsellsbear

PAWS8IV
Radio Shack doesn't have the antenna adapter. It seems as if it is absolutely necessary? I just paid $22 for the f...ing adapter from Crutchfield so that I can have it sometime this century.
Got the multi-meter though and going to figure out which browns are which and which blacks are which.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Check the browns to see if any of them are connected to GND (ohm or diode setting for continuity measurement) or 12V (DC setting).

If none of the above, you could verify if the wire is connected to one of the speakers. What you're really doing is to just look for the wires that you need for your deck. You may not even need the brown wires, but since you have a meter now you can do your checks.

Don't worry about the adapter. I think that's how much I paid for mine from I think Crutchfield. After I bought it, I found it at half th price at a local Fry's Electronics.
 

kmessinger

Active member
Got the radio pulled but the harness is a total surprise. It has only 9 wires. Three look like 20 gauge, one is yellow/black, two browns. Then I have what looks to be about 18 gauge and one is brown, one is red black, one brown/orange, one brown/blue, one brown/purple and one brown/green.

The stripped ones are speaker wires. There are only 4 yet I have at least 4 speakers, maybe a 5th in the center of the dashboard near the windshield.

The yellow/black seems to be ground. The red/black is hot and I would think from the battery. The 18 gauge brown is also hot even though the key is out - I thought that was the acc/hot.

The 2 20gauge brown wires are also hot.

The antenna wire is black and the connector on the end is more like tv cable (once I knew the names of these things!). It is hot. I assume from posts here it goes to the power antenna lead on the radio. Then nothing plugs into the new radios antenna connection?

So am I on the right track? Should I connect 8 speaker wires from the new radio to the 4 speaker wire on the harness?
I will ignore the 20 gauge hot wires. Connect the the ground to ground (black/yellow). Hot 18 gauge (brown and brown/orange to acc and bat on the new radio. Connect antenna to the antenna remote on the new radio.

Then I will do the smoke test.

Thanks,
Keith
 

narunas

New member
SO I took out my Sound 30 CD radio and installed Alpine iDA-X100 - a radio that has no moving parts, except a knob.
I took advice found here, got myself a late VW adapter to match the connector in the van, got the antenna adapter thingy and spend a few hours leisurely installing the new radio. iPod/USB devices will have to sit in the glove compartment.

All works very well - this thread is absolutely essential if anyone wants to change the Sprinter radio on their own! Thanks all!
All I can add to this - take your time looking over the connectors and matching the input/outputs - I did use a voltmeter.

Next to go are the crappy speakers in the front, - 5" are they? I am about to install a complete new "house" battery system with a 30 amp inverter/charger, with a D4 sized AMG battery that I will have to build a box for near the rear axle. Audio amp will be powered by that.

Will keep everyone posted on progress and anything else I can find...

2005 SHC 140" - 60K
Narunas
 

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