Expert: Ernesto R - 6/23/2011

Question
I'm attempting to replace the stock yu3f 18c868 aa stereo in a 2001 Ford Explorer to an aftermarket radio, and I'm more than a bit confused! I found this wiring diagram on a site:
http://www.modifiedlife.com/car-stereo-radio-wiring-diagram-2001-ford-explorer/

and it doesn't seem to work. I have 3 wires coming from my aftermarket(not including the speaker wires of course): yellow (continuous power), red (switched power), and black (ground). According to the schematic on the above site, red goes to yellow/black, yellow goes to green/violet, and black goes to black. I've hooked them up and I get nothing. I've checked the fuses in both the vehicle and the radio, and they're good, and the stereo is new out of the box. I noticed a black with a green stripe from the existing harness that's quite heavy, and it isn't mentioned in the website diagram(?). I'm assuming I just need to insulate the red/black wire since there's no separate illumination on the aftermarket stereo. Do you have any idea what I might be doing wrong?
 Thanks in advance!
   T.R.Zanaglio

Answer
Light green/violet constant power on all the time this is for the yellow wire
Yellow/Black ignition wire this is for the red cable
black is ground

there is a second black with white stripe that is the amplifer ground, in that vehicle there is a factory amplifier that turns on with ground

it is bes to to buy the 10 harness from wallmart and also sound like you cu the factory wires
fix the factory harness and use the new plug, do it now because it will be faste to install the factory radio back in the future when you sale the vehicle

good luck