- 1). Apply the hand brake on your Ford Explorer and open the hood. Disconnect the negative terminal of the SUV's battery with an adjustable wrench to avoid short circuits and eliminate the risk of electrocution.
- 2). Remove the old stereo unit from the Ford Explorer. Insert the radio removal keys (available from car audio retailers or Ford dealerships) into the slots on the sides of the radio. Push the keys in until they click into place while holding the tab open. Gently pull the radio unit out.
- 3). Disconnect the old Ford stereo. Unclip the wire harness by pushing the tab on the side to open it and pull the connection apart. The wire harness is a port containing all the wiring for the stereo, including power and speaker wires. Pull out the black radio antenna cable. Set the old stereo aside.
- 4). Install the custom faceplate. The old radio unit is larger than a standard aftermarket car stereo. To compensate for this, a customized faceplate (available from car audio retailers or Ford dealerships) must be installed. Clip the faceplate into the holding slots for the old radio.
- 5). Connect the stereo wiring. Attach the wire harness adapter to the Explorer's wire harness. Push the connections together until they click into place. Attach the other end of the wire harness adapter to the new stereo's wire harness and click the ends into place. Attach the black radio antenna cable to the designated port on the rear of the new stereo (refer to the stereo instructions for the port location) and push it into place until secure.
- 6). Test the new stereo. Turn on the stereo and go through all the features one-by-one, checking that sound is coming out of the speakers and that they are all connected.
- 7). Insert the stereo into the dashboard. Push the wires into the portal first then slide the stereo into the portal until it is fully inserted and secure in the housing.
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