1999 Mazda Protege Radio Wiring

Mazda released the compact Protege in the 1990 model year. In 1995, Mazda eliminated the two-door 323, leaving the Protege as the maker's entry-level vehicle. Four years later -- in the 1999 model year -- Mazda redesigned the Protege, giving the compact sedan a more modern appearance. The 1999 Protege did not come standard with a radio, but had three optional radios available: AM-FM, cassette player and CD player.

Power Wiring

The stereo system in the 1999 Protege requires two power supplies. The main power supply provides the Protege's radio with a constant 12-volt power supply to maintain the radio's presets and the clock's setting. This constant power wire is blue with a white stripe.

The secondary power for the Protege's radio provides 12-volts only when you start the vehicle or turn the ignition to "Acc." This is the power supply that actually turns the radio on and off. The wire that provides this voltage is pink with a black stripe.

Radio Lighting

The 1999 Protege's radio has two wires to control the lighting on the radio. The main lighting wire, which turns the radio's lights off and on, is yellow.

You can dim and brighten the interior lights in the Protege by way of a switch on the dashboard. The wire that controls the brightness of the radio's lights is light green with a black stripe.

Speaker Wiring

The 1999 Protege comes with a four-speaker audio system. It had a speaker in each of its four doors, and each speaker has its own set of wires. The right-front speaker has one white wire and one red wire. The left-front speaker has on black wire with a white stripe, and the other wire is black with a red stripe. The left-rear door speaker has one brown wire, and one brown wire with a white stripe. The right-rear speaker has a green wire with an orange stripe, and a green wire.

The 1999 Protege's radio has an independent ground wire, so the speaker wires are not positive or negative. This only occurs on older radios, where the radio grounds through the speakers.

Ground Wires

The Protege's radio has a single ground wire. This wire is all black in color and attaches to the right side of the vehicle's steering column.

Stereo Wiring Tips

When installing an aftermarket radio, professionals recommend using a wiring harness adapter intended for your 1999 Protege. This adapter connects to the aftermarket radio's wires and plugs into the Protege's radio wiring harness. Always solder the radio's wires to the adapter's wires and cover the bare parts of the wires with high-quality electrical tape.

If a wiring harness adapter is not available, always connect the aftermarket radio's wires to the Protege's wires using low-resistance solder. After soldering the wires, wrap the bare parts of the wires with high-quality electrical tape.