Radio Wire Harness

When you receive your new radio harness it may have a number of additions soldered to it.

1. Accessory Power (Red)

A fused red lead has been added. The factory radio harness in all Porsche models after 2002 have no switched power because the factory radio is activated by data-bus. For vehicles manufactured in 2002 and earlier, this extra connection is not needed.

996 Models

This wire has a semi rigid loom on it to make it easier to route through the dash. 

Route the wire through the dash starting at the radio cavity and working your way to the ignition switch. Be careful to secure the wire so that it will not become entangled with or make contact with moving parts in the car such as your feet, the brake and gas pedal, and the rotating parts of the steering column. Connect the fused end of this wire to the Orange wire on the back side of the key switch. This is most easily accessed while laying in the driver’s floor area looking up. Remove the heater duct that runs along the bottom edge of the dash area-this will enhance visibility and access. 

997 Models

This wire should be routed to the harness located at the rear of the center console structure (not in the radio cavity).

Once the side panels of the console have been removed you can see a black connector located behind the HVAC controls. This connector contains both Acessory (Orange) and Illumination (Grey/Red) circuits. The plug is in a hard to reach spot. To make things easier, remove the HVAC controls by pushing in on the metal side tabs and then pulling the control box out from the front. Unplug and set aside.

Release the black plug from it's mounting bracket by turning it counter clockwise and pulling it off of the bracket. Once off of the bracket, unplug the two sides of the harness. This is most easily done by putting one hand through the HVAC opening and grabbing the other side of the plug through the side opening.

As you can see below. The plug is visible through the HVAC opening.

Once the plug has been disconnected, you can  pull it out of the left hand side of the console. This will give you much better access to the circuits in this plug.

2. Illumination (Orange)

A length of orange wire has been added to your harness. Connect this to the illumination circuit in your car. A good place to tap this circuit in the car is the cigarette lighter socket that is located near the radio. The wire color is Gray/Red. 

3. Radio Source Ground & Amplifier Turn-on (Black, Blue)

This twin wire lead contains a 

A length of Black and Blue wire have been added. Route these two wires to the rear of the radio cavity, across the firewall, to the left, and through the large rubber grommet above the gas pedal. 

Open the trunk and remove the three black plastic service panels that cover the battery area. 

Loosen and remove the 13mm battery hold down bolt. Slide the battery to your left (passenger side). The battery will move a few inches. Doing this give you good access to the large grommet above the gas pedal. You can now clearly see the grommet from the trunk side of the firewall. 

!Caution!

When routing wires into the trunk area, be sure to avoid running them parallel to the large black cable inside the car that runs along the left side of AC box directly behind the radio cavity. This is the battery cable that runs the length of the car. This cable carries a strong magnetic field that will induct a buzzing noise into your audio system if your cables run along side of it. When routing your cables you will have to cross this cables path. Make your best attempt to cross your cables perpendicular to this cable in order to avoid electromagnetic induction from this cable.

Once inside the battery compartment, route your cables past the battery to the passenger side of the compartment and through the