Cd player wont work without parking lights.

 

wanka
Unregistered guest
ok.so i disconnected my old cd deck and installed a new one.everything is the same.the deck wont turn on unless i have my parking lights
(orange wire) connected to one of the power wires.and thats not all.my overhead lamp wont work without this as well.ive gone over everything ive hooked up my old deck and im having the same issue so its not the deck.its me.
help?
 

Silver Member
Username: Theelfkeeper

Stockbridge, GA USA

Post Number: 514
Registered: Feb-05
sounds like the deck accesory lead is tied into your parking lights. you'll need to retrace these wires and see whats going on. i don't recomend even connecting the illumination lead to the HU, heard dimming the HU can damage it.
the dome light problem will prob be solved once you get the other two wires figured out. run a new and seperate accesory lead from the fuse box if you have to.
 

New member
Username: Spradio

Post Number: 5
Registered: Nov-05
Please give more details. What is the make, model, and year of the vehicle. Are you working with a factory or aftermarket radio?

In the case of factory stuff, you should not be wiring anything, just plug it in. In the case of aftermarket installations, you should be using a wire harness adapter. A quality aftermarket adapter does not leave anything to chance. It will come with matching wire colors, and instructions. You attach it to the aftermarket radio at a work bench, and when finished, the radio and harness adapter are simply plugged in to the vehicle radio plug.

If your vehicle harness has been cut, then someone made a big mistake. In that case the cleanest way to do the job is to restore the vehicle harness by reinstalling the factory plug as though you were putting in a factory radio, and then you can proceed with a proper installation.

All modern radios require two power feeds and ground to power up. One feed is constant or sometimes called "battery". This wire never powers down and is responsible for the operation of the radio logic system. The constant power is needed to run the clock and retain memory for things like station presets. The other feed is from the ignition switch and goes on/off with the key.

In the case of most factory radios there are two more power wires associated with display lighting/dimming and button backlighting. Another power wire is actually a radio output and activates the power antenna. In the case premium sound systems an additional amplifier turn on output wire is present.

Since there are multiple plug pins with power on them, specific things must be known to proceed so as to prevent damage to the vehicle or radio and to get the desired result you are looking for.
 

wanka
Unregistered guest
Hey steve.
im putting it into a 91 honda civic.
im installing a sony xplod cdx-fw570
my old deck is practically the same as above.
now ive tried to put my old deck back in and it does the very same thing.i have everything hooked up the same as it was before i decided to swap out my player.

main issue - cd player will not work unless i have the orange wire hooked up to either power wource and the parking lights have to be on.if i shut off the parking lights for 20 seconds the cd deck doesnt save anything.

also.shouldnt my over head lamp work without a cd player there? because now it doesnt.
 

New member
Username: Spradio

Post Number: 9
Registered: Nov-05
In order to troubleshoot any device you must first learn exactly how it works. Only then can you methodically track down the fault.

I believe my post from Tuesday, November 15 covers the theory details. I was attempting to make clear the rudimentary design of car radio wiring which is fairly consistent for most radios and vehicles thus providing the basic information needed for troubleshooting.

If you need to be instructed as to which color wire needs to be placed where, then I suggest it may be better to get a local shop to look at it for you.

The only specific thing I can tell you about your installation is one of the two power feeds (battery or key on/off) is probably dead. It is probably the battery (constant). This is a common problem since it does not go off with the key and therefore you can pop the fuse if the wire touches ground at any time. When changing radios this probably happened.

Never assume the "radio" fuse (for key on/off feed) is the only fuse you need to check. Remember, there are 2 power feeds and therefore 2 fuses associated with the radio.

Most fuse boxes do not tell you which fuse is the battery (constant) fuse. Depending on the manufacturer of the vehicle it can be the same fuse as cigarette lighter, or dome light, or horn, or door ajar buzzer etc. and will not be labeled for radio. Sometimes it is located in the box under the hood and not the main fuse box, but look in both places. I am quite certain it is blown. Since your overhead lamp is not working, I would check that fuse first and stop fussing with the orange wire and put it back where it was before all the problems started.
 

wanka
Unregistered guest
well i already fixed it stevev. it was the constant i just ran a new wire to the battery.
and it fixed all my problems..
thanks for your help though man.
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