Installed an aftermarket headunit. Cheap quality cheap brand. It's not taking in that much power I don't think. Here are the problems:
1) illumination from speedometer tach deck is gone 2) fuses in tail lights keep burning
Should I cut the illumination from the headunit? Would this give me my lighting back? Help help help, this is frustrating!
George
Anonymous
Posted on
Well, did you run the illumination from a factory output, or just tie it in with your instrument lights? It could possibly be the instrument voltage regulator, or just a short, or a ground. make sure your head units ground is solid. You could possibly be hitting something with the brake light sending unit, or the sending unit is tied in w/ the instrument voltage reg. and the head unit was the straw that broke the camels back.
I ran all wires from headunit to factory. It's obvious that there is a short as none of the normal lights show up in my car when the headlights come on. None of the wires I spliced into are hitting anything they are not supposed to.
I've changed out the fuses and several bulbs. Seems like it is a short somewhere and the head unit was the main cause. I don't know how to fix it or where to start.
Anonymous
Posted on
You may want to check for a frayed wire down in the factory harness, where you can't see it. Maybe a sharp piece of metal cut a wire somewhere. I know this can happen because I gashed a finger open trying to run RCA cables, had to go to the ER and get 9 stitches. First troubleshooting issue is to turn the head unit off and see if it stops. If the problem is still there, that means it could be related to your constant wire, the one that comes straight from the battery for remembering settings, time, etc. Next, unplug the harness completely from the back of the head unit and see if that changes anything. If none of this helps, you don't have a problem with the head unit. You may want to tell us what kind of car you have, so we know what kind of electrical nightmare you may have (or may not have) under your dash. But, hard to diagnose past the Head unit, it could possibly be that a wire in the brake light and the instrument panel got crossed.
I don't see how any of the wires would have gotten frayed. I tried the lights without the headunit in. I doubt that it is the problem now, but it surely caused a whole heck of a lot.
92 Toyota Corolla. I'm going to check out the lamps behind the cluster tomorrow morning!
Anonymous
Posted on
If you can't figure it out, you may want to get it checked by a professional at a car dealership. It's very hard for us to diagnose not being there to see it (sorry) but at least you'll have peace of mind. If your tail light fuses still blow, then you still have a problem.
Took everything out. Tested the speedometer cluster. All the lights in the back were functional. While this was the most difficult part to take out and put back in, I noticed that a yellow lead was somewhat spliced. I think that is the illumination wire. Anyhow, it wasn't cut so it wasn't the problem. But I did patch it up and the lights still don't work.
Looks like it will have to go to a shop to get checked out. Argh! This is frustrating not knowing what happened and how to fix it.
you shorted something out in the wiring of the head unit. you apparently have a damaged wiring harness in the car somewhere. bad news, bear.
Mikew
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I have a 1981 monte carlo with a clarion aftermarket head unit everything worked fine and then i took the deck out and found 2 wires coming from the deck a black and a tan that were going no where once i put everything back in the speakers no longer work only my amp+sub
JeremyC
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Well every deck I have ever installed the black is a ground, and the tan is normally a speaker wire. If you are using rca outs to supply the sub then it is very possible the tan is a speaker wire that came loose and shorted out. If so it probably thru your deck into protection mode or fried the internal amp. Pull it back out and solder and shrink tube all the connections. I am going to guess who ever installed it used crimp connections, and when you pulled it out the wires came apart. If you have to, look at the wiring diagram for the deck and the wiring diagram for the adapter harness (used to tie the deck into the factory harness). If any thing doesn't match up, or any wires aren't connected, there is your problem. As for the soldering, and shrink tube, you can purchase every thing you need at radio shack, or take it to a high end install shop (not best buy or circuit city), and they can do it for you. If a good job is done soldering the wires you will never have a problem with them comming apart.
Odyeric
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Just put in 4 new Alpine 6.5" coaxial speakers in my 2003 Honda Odyssey. Strange little problems in the swap due to mounting issues, but the Honda wiring for the all the speakers use different colors for each one! By the time (in my haste) to hook them all up I think I might have a 'polarity problem'. Not with the speaker connections, as they are clearly marked + & - and the slip on connections are large for + and narrow for neg.
It's the Honda wires TO the speakers that are a mystery. Anyone know what all those colors indicate? (or how to check them for polarity without undoing everything and starting over from scratch?
Thanks in advance..for any hints, clues, old wives tales...anything, I am stumpted.