I have an ’07 XLT 4x4 Screw with the upgraded 6-disc MP3 player (Option #586). I’ve built a plug-and-play harness in order to break out the speaker wires going into and out of an aftermarket amp without cutting the factory wires. I’m using a Metra 71-5520-1 to go into the radio, and a Scosche FDK11B to connect to the factory harness. I couldn’t find the same brand from a single dealer, but the pieces “seem” to be compatible. (A couple of side notes: The Metra is made from a sturdier plastic and has heavier gauge wires than the Scosche, which seems a bit flimsy. Also, the Scosche kit has an additional connector to support the Audiophile system, but the main connector in each brand of kit is all I needed.)

The harness is not working, and the symptom would indicate a lack of +12V Acc Delay power on Pin 2 of the harness. That is, the radio has constant power for things like illuminating the display, the clock, and ejecting CD’s (even with the key off), but the radio won’t power on. It is not a blown fuse. In fact, I can measure +12V with my meter all the way through the harness. If I take my harness out and plug the factory harness directly into the radio, it works fine.

I initially connected the Metra and Scosche pieces back to back with all possible common wires. Each connector has a different number of wires, but both have more than the factory connector. Then thinking that maybe one of the connectors had some internal bridging (I never ohm’d it out to prove, but several of the wires were the same color), I disconnected all wires that weren’t present in the factory connector. Still not working.

I’m wondering if the after-market harness just isn’t meeting up all the way with the connector in the radio. The radio is suspect because even with the factory harness, the CD player “resets” itself sometimes. This only happens after I’ve turned the truck off and come back to it later. The unit often “forgets” where it was in playing a particular track on a CD, and you can hear the mechanism cycling through all the discs before starting over with track 1 on CD 1. However, just as often the unit works properly and resumes playing from where it left off. I’ve noticed that this “reset” behavior is the same thing that happens each time I unplug and re-plug the wiring harness.

One other thing that makes me wonder is that the radio has a big sticker right on top of it that says “ALERT # A11952719”. A couple of Internet and forum searches didn’t turn up anything. Does anyone know what that means?

Any other ideas?

 

From what you describe, your head unit is faulty. The 6CD MP3 player has been problematic since its inception. There are numerous TSB's to replace the head unit if it acts up. They often lock up, won't turn on and spit out CD's for no reason.

BTW, the after market harnesses are pin for pin (no internal bridging). If you check out the pin chart, you'll find several wires of the same color because they have the same function (GND, 12V ACCY) on different model vehicles. They are designed to be used on several different Ford/Mazda models, so they will have wires not found on your original F-150 harness. You may have saved some money not buying the Audiophile harnesses and going with the plain old METRA 71-5520 and Scosche FD23B.

 

Thanks for the info, worland. I've pretty much determined it must be the head unit, too. In a surprising gesture of good customer service, the local dealer (not even the one I bought it from) ordered me a replacement HU today without it even going through their service department. They left the old unit with me until the new one comes in this week, and are going to let me do the swap myself. (It's a lot faster for me to do it than to wait on them.) Pretty good for warranty work.

I'm disapointed to hear the 6-CD units are so problematic. Sure enough, when I was at the dealerhsip today a lady walked in behind me telling of how her unit has gone bonkers plus won't eject her CD's. They told her they were going to have to send it off to get the CD's out.

I really like the functionality of the factory unit, and just upgraded from the single-CD model in my '04. Coupled with my Pioneer amp and speakers, I know the unit can sound really, really good. The MP3 capability works well, and I plan to also add a sub to this truck. I just hope the HU holds up. I plan to post some pics and details of the setup once it's complete.

 

Well, it's not the HU. And the dealer wouldn't let me put the new (actually refurb) unit in after all. They had to have a tech clock in/out on the job in order get the warrantly coverage. So I waited 45 minutes to have the dash clips broken (which I didn't really notice until I got home). Now I have an ill-fitting, scratched up dash and the HU still won't play through my amp. Maybe at least the problem with the CD changer resetting itself is gone.

So I really dug into my aftermarket harness when I got home. I had already measured good signal on all the pins. This time I did a "depth test". Sure enough, the #2 Acc Power pin on the Metra 71-5520 was just a fraction of an inch deeper in the connector than the rest of the contacts. This is the problem.

BTW, while waiting at the dealership today I asked how many of these 6-CD changers they have problems with. It used to be 12-15 per week! But has now settled down to 1-2 per week. The advisor admitted that's still a lot for one dealership. Pretty depressing. I was really looking forward to my upgrade from the single-CD unit. Now I'm beginning to wish I'd spent the money on an aftermerket changer. If I have another problem with the HU itslef, I'm going to demand a refund...

 

Update: Everything is working great now. Replacing the HU did solve the problem with the CD changer resetting itself. That was very annoying. I also got my replacement Metra harness, and all pins are properly seated. This has corrected the accessory power problem.

A little bending and polishing, plus a bit of "get over it", has fixed up the dash trim problem to my satisfaction.

One other thing I learned is that the Scosche FDK11B is the preferred harness for matching up to the Metra 71-5520-1. When I ordered my replacement Metra, I ordered their 70-5520 to go along with it and replace the Schosche. The Metra units looks sturdier and have heavier guage wires. That's great, except the 70-5520 only has speaker and power wires, and none of the other leads used by the factory HU (such as mute, speed sensitive volume, etc.). So I stuck with the Scosche, as I wanted the speed/volume control.

Everything sounds GREAT and I'll post a complete installtion overview when I get a chance.