2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT please help:(

LAVALUI

MEMBER
2002 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT
6.0L
V8
AWD
AUTOMATIC
140 MILES

Hi Guys, so heres my issue''s''

I recently bought a 2002 Escalade Ext '' truck'' it came with no stereo system, to my knowlesge they come with a single din system, but who ever owned before me must of had a a double, and kinda made a mess of things. So I have a really nice system and when I went to hook it up, I noticed a ton of wires I have never seen before on other vehicles, I have installed stereos before, and I am familiar with the 3 mean wires'' red / yellow/ black, and of course spkrs. But this had none of the above, just a ton of other colors and 3 harness, that I have no idea where they go. But my issue s is this, after playing with some of the wires tryn to find power and ground, I seen to made a mess of things, bcus now, I have no Heat, rpm not workin, fuel not work and msg gauge also not work, only working gauges are the batt. Oil, and engine light is on, which was previously on due to 2 broken manifold bolts, I have check all the regular fuses, and all seem fine, not sure if it could be the bigger black fuses '' I think thats what they are called'', but if anyone has any ideas where and how I can fix this please please let me kno. Its minus 25c and its not a very nice thing to be driving with no heat. Thanks very much in advance. :)

2 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,864 POSTS

There were a number of different systems, but lucky for you, 2002 was the last year before the engineers at GM started to build the Body Computers into the radios so you had to leave them in the vehicle. If the original plugs are still intact, you should see two with four wires in each one. Those are the 8 speaker wires. A larger plug has the ignition switch 12 volts, memory 12 volts, switched 12 volts, (for an amp or power antenna), tail lights, dash lights, and ground wire. If you have steering wheel controls or if the original radio had speed-sensitive volume, the fourth plug will be there too. That one also has quite a few spots but it usually only has one or two wires in it.

My guess is you also have steering wheel controls for the heater system. If so, I'd check first for a blown fuse from playing with the radio wires. The radio's memory circuit is always tied into some other circuit that is always live, like the interior lights, horn, or cigarette lighter. The HVAC Computer is going to have a memory circuit too, and it may be tied in with the radio's memory circuit.