Hey guy So I installed my head unit with the adapters I bought. When I plugged it into my 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and turned it on, the head unit powered up no problem, but when I tried to play a CD there was no audio. When I switch to tuner mode, there is sound, but there is an odd clicking that stays at the same volume level independent of volume, fade, and balance. Whenever it's in tuner mode, the wierd repeating patter of static is present in the rear speakers. I think the head unit might be busted, as it sat in the back of my jeep for almost a month before going back into the dash. What do you guys think? thanks much
Well there's definitely something wrong with it. Nobody on this forum is gonna be able to tell you anything unless they personally check the headunit out. My guess is it's screwed. What brand is it btw, that might be part of the problem...
the clicking is most likely caused by your ignition system. you're hearing sparkplug firing patterns. this is usually the sign of a bad ground.
the problem with radio/CD is simple. you used the PWR ANT wire instead of the REMOTE (REM) wire when you wired up the harness for the head unit. power antenna only sends voltage when the tuner is being used, to raise an antenna. REM sends voltage whenever the head unit is powered, regardless of source.
We fixed the CD function, it was just a case of miswiring. Now the clicking is present in all modes. I think you might be right on target with the spark plug idea. That's exactly what it sounds like. The unit was tested in another vehicle with an identical head unit and it worked flawlessly. I will try grounding it directly to the frame using a ground loop isolater (will that help?). It's an Alpin CDA-9807 unit BTW. thanks much glasswolf for your help and any further suggestions. I 'll get back to you with the results of our further work.
grounding directly to chassis metal instead of using the factory ground in the harness should do the trick. If it doesn't, try the isolator. Be sure no wires behind the radio were left exposed to ground out the radio. Always good to tape up unused lines.