Need Help With My Car Stereo

MorPhiend

MorPhiend

CAGiversary!
Feedback
14 (100%)
Just looking for advice from CAGs with car audio experience. My stereo sound (radio and CD player) started randomly dropping out for a few seconds sometime last summer. Then it got worse where the sound would just go away all together. Then I realized that it was usually when I would hit a large bump it would shut off. But the stereo still has power and you can hear the CD spinning. So I don't think it's the stereo. Well, now the stereo hardly ever works so I leave it off. But if you do turn it on, it will be silent but randomly the sound will come on for brief blips. I never tore it apart to fix because 1) I know nothing about that stuff and 2) I figured out how to get to the back of the stereo and you have to disassemble the center console to get to the screws for the entire front panel of the dash and then take that off.

Anyway, I was sitting in my car during my lunch break today while re-charging my phone and randomly hit the stereo button. The CD spun up and started blaring through the speakers! After work I got back in the car and the sound worked just fine. I drove out of the parking lot and down the road. I hit a patch of "repaired" road and the tiny bump shut the sound off again.

I have long assumed a short or a loose wire behind the stereo. So I got home tonight and tore the interior of the car apart to get to the back of the stereo. Well, I have tried pushing the wires into the stereo to make sure they aren't loose, I have tried jiggling the wires to see if there is a short. Nothing happened, not even brief static.

Anyone know where else I would check for connection problems? Thanks for any help.
 
I dont really have much experience, but do you happen to have a detachable head-unit? The connections might be dirty/worn-out.

My mom's car has a similar problem, but cant seem to locate the problem either. Probably just worn out since we've had it for 5+ years.
 
If you have a spare speaker and are comfortable with cutting some wires I would hook up just the basic wires (power both constant and the one hooked to your fuse that turns it on when you turn your car key on) then hook up the antenna and hook up two of the speaker outs to the spare speaker. If you don't have a spare speaker then I have a bunch of questions that if you answer I might be able to point you in the direction of what could be the problem. I've hooked up car systems in a couple dozen cars so I sort of know what I'm doing (get the job done but doesn't always look pretty). When you turn the radio on does it power on and just not have sound or does it fail to power on at all? If it powers on can you turn the unit on without the car having the key in it? If it is powering on does it not have sound for any mode i.e cd, am and fm, ipod input if it has one? If its powering on and your not getting any sound try changing the settings to just one speaker i.e front passenger then rear passenger and so on tell you check all the speakers. If its getting power and not getting any sound then find a speaker and run the test I said above. If that speaker doesn't work when its the only thing hooked then your deck is probably shot.
 
Yeah, it powers on. All functions seem to work, just no sound. In my car, it's not supposed to work with no key, so that is a no to that question.

I don't know what you mean by head-unit. If you mean the face plate, yeah that comes off. And it's always been buggered. But the unit won't even power on if that's not firmly in place.

I don't know if it has an amp. It's nothing fancy and I would assume I would know if they had an amp hooked up, so I'll say no on that. Like I said, I know nothing about sound systems. I think the only thing changed on it is the previous owner put in a different stereo. But that was eight years ago. So really, it is time to upgrade anyway, but I don't want to right now.

Well, I'll see if I can get a better look at it in the daylight hours today then.
 
I have been out of car audio for a long time but will try to help as much as I can.

To me it sounds like a connection is loose.

Chances are you don't have an amp because 90% of the time people use them for subwoofers and you would know if you had them or not. However some cars do have amps in them that are factory. What type of car do you have and what year might help some that know more then I do. If the last owner did put an after market amp in just for the speakers chances are you would see it. If they hid the damn thing I would say your issue is with it but I don't think you have one.

Do you loose all power or just sound? If you still have lights on, on the unit check your speakers. Chances are your loose connection is with them. If lights go off on your head unit then your issue is with that.

Also by head unit we are talking about the radio in your dash.
 
I figured what you explained about the amp. And there is no sub and there is nothing I have ever seen, so I am going to continue with no on that.

It is a '97 Honda Accord EX (4-door). I pulled the unit completely out this morning and saw one red wire in the harness isn't even connected, but I fail to see how that would make the sound come and go. Nevertheless, I tried sliding the wire into the connector and nothing changed. Later I'll un-crimp the connector and try to connect it better to see if that does anything.

I have never lost all power. Just sound. And I found an in-line fuse behind the unit this morning. But it looks good. If I have another 10A fuse, I'll switch it in case the fuse isn't bad, but maybe going bad.
 
It sounds like a bad connection with your speaker wires but for them all to cut out it would have to be either the main connector (the big rectangle or square plastic piece that all the wires run into that plugs into the back of the radio) is really lose or the unit might be taking a turn towards the grave. Do you make it a habit to play your radio at the highest volume level? If so you might have blown the unit.
 
I actually don't like my sound too loud. I figured originally that it might be the wiring harness, but didn't want to buy a new one if there was just a loose wire. So at this I'm guessing that it is either the harness or the head unit itself. Both are old and I wouldn't be surprised if both are bad.

I did get that red wire re-connected and nothing happened. Whoever put this in did a crappy job splicing the wires. And the in-line fuse is good.

Maybe I should just spend the ~$12 on the new harness and see if that solves the problem...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top