Radio in my cobalt won't work
05-31-2017, 01:10 PM
#1
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Radio in my cobalt won't work I have just recently got a new aftermarket radio for my 2008 Chevy cobalt. And I hooked up all the wiring for the stereo harness as well as a harness adapter for my cobalt. When I installed everything in my car and I hooked my negative back up to my battery and turn the key over the radio didn't work so I went back and checked my wires and all the wires match up. So I'm not sure what's wrong but I've been looking online and everyone's been saying that I need to do a ground in my car even though the harness that hooks up to my car has a ground so I'm not sure if I need to leave the ground on the harness unhooked and just It off and then ground the stereo on the car? But I've also been reading that I need to hook the red and the yellow wires up to the fuse box and that's also something that I just can't wrap my head around so if y'all have any information that could help me I will be very greatly appreciated. Thanks.
05-31-2017, 02:56 PM
#2
which harness adapter did you use?
Cobalts and most GM cars from the last 15+ years or so use a data signal to turn the radio on, not switched 12v.
If you purchased a data retention harness, it should work, if not, the harness may be bad. Exchange the harness.
If you did not purchase a data retention harness, there will be no voltage on the red wire to turn the radio on. You can do one of two things: buy a data retention harness and wire it up, or pop off the cover on the passenger side of the center console, find one of the sorta thick pink wires (ignition power) and run a wire connecting the pink ign wire of the car to the red ign wire of the radio.
This will allow the radio to come on, but since you are not retaining the data features of the factory radio, the door chimes and Retained Accessory Power features will not work anymore.
Cobalts and most GM cars from the last 15+ years or so use a data signal to turn the radio on, not switched 12v.
If you purchased a data retention harness, it should work, if not, the harness may be bad. Exchange the harness.
If you did not purchase a data retention harness, there will be no voltage on the red wire to turn the radio on. You can do one of two things: buy a data retention harness and wire it up, or pop off the cover on the passenger side of the center console, find one of the sorta thick pink wires (ignition power) and run a wire connecting the pink ign wire of the car to the red ign wire of the radio.
This will allow the radio to come on, but since you are not retaining the data features of the factory radio, the door chimes and Retained Accessory Power features will not work anymore.
Last edited by tophatjimmy; 06-01-2017 at 12:16 PM.