MX-3.com

hey i was hooking up a new deck to my mx3 that had the oem tape deck, i bought the harness but it didnt have a corresponding wire for the ground from deck to harness. where should i ground the new deck?

You can ground it to any bare piece of metal on the chasis, preferably behind the deck. Crimp a ring terminal onto the end of the decks ground wire, and run a self-tapping screw into a piece of metal that's grounded (nearly every metal part of the car). Or remove an existing small screw or bolt and fasten the ring terminal that way.

If you have a test light or multimeter, you can verify if the ground is good. But it's very likely that it will be. And if your deck doesn't work, then you know why. There may also be a heavier guage black wire that has fallen behind, and is separate from the car's harness.

do you think the ecu bracket is a good idea? (one of the two bolts that holds it in place)

I can't really see it being a problem, but I might try to stay away from the ECU. There should be some metal right where the deck slides in, if I'm not mistaken.

no i did find the ground wire tucked down behind the dash. it was still connected to a cd player harness that mustve been left in there. thanks anyways for your help.