When we got the fiesta, and fixed the alerntator and replaced the battery and changed the sump and replaced the starter and got the ignition key barrel replaced and got the brake unseized, it worked perfectly apart from the stereo. Most of the time the left speaker didn’t work, and the CD player didn’t work at all.

After fiddling for ages trying to get the bezel off from around the stereo so I could slip it out of the DIN hole, I decided to just go ahead and remove the fascia from the dash.  I learned two things:

1) fords really are easy to work on!  Pull off some knobs, remove ashtray, remove three screws, and the fascia is off!

2) The bezel doesn’t remove.

The car’s wiring for the stereo finishes in two neat connector blocks - one for speakers and the other for power and shenanigans like an electric antenna.

The stereo’s connector consists of an extremely neat connector block having all power and speaker stuff all in a tidy package.

Unfortunately, between these two was a morass of bullet connectors, two fuses, and an immense black box with a coil in it (I think it was an RF suppressor or some such).  All this was gobbed up with electrical tape and shoved in the gap behind the stereo.

Having removed the passenger door panel (7 screws and a clip) and checked the passenger speaker and wiring, suspicion fell on this eldritch horror from beyond the nether pit of the dashboard.  So I pulled it all apart, untangled it, reconnected it all nicely and then…

Then the difficult bit: getting it all shoved back in the space behind the dash.  It was physically very close to the can of worms analogy.

Anyway, it’s all wrestled into place now and we can listen to the radio on both sides of the car now!