my radio wont remember my current settings when i turn it off. it wont remember the time, my bass settings anything like that. did i miss hooking up a wire or soemhting? if so which one? i could't use a wireing harness because the factory wireing was butchered pretty bad.

 

Your HU should have 2 power wires along with a ground connection. One needs to be hot even when the keys is OFF. This is the one that retains the memory. The other is for powering the amp section of your HU. It sounds like you have the wire that needs to be hot all the time connected to a switched 12V connection.

 

Sounds like the power wire isn't connected correctly.May be connected to something that only supplies power when the key is on,instead of a fulltime supply from the battery.So everytime you turn the key off,the radio turns off and all programming is lost.

 

Do you own a Volt meter?

If so then you should have already been using it.
Tap the fuse box or factory stereo wiring harness with it for a 12volt source constant. This is your main power.
Next cut your ignition on and tap to find another 12volt source , but when you cut the ignition off it will kill the source.

Basically what the others have already told you , but please use a volt meter.

Also be careful with tapping the volt meter into fuses blindly. Do not stick the volt meter into the wiring harness for the air bag or you will be sporting the needle end of the volt meter in your forehead. It will deploy the bags.

Later
Mike