With the radio issue. If you did put in a new headunit and you spliced the wires, the hot when ignition and/or constant power can be hitting ground now. If jsut one of your wire splices (or wire nuts if someone took a lazy short cut) comes lose it has nothing but ground back there. The entire dash support break is solid metal. For diagnostic issues i would start at the radio and just pull it out and check, most likely the issue.
-Greg
1999 Ford Contour Lx, 2.5L V6 ATX, 145,000 miles
Pioneer DEH-P6400 H/U , Rockford Fosgate 351M 350 Watt Amp, Pioneer TS-W305DVC 12" Sub, Compustar 2WSS, Whelen CSP650 Strobe Pack with 6 strobes, Whelen Talon B/B LED Dash Light
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