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Bad connection? Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:54:45
In Reply to: Radio/CD Player extreme weirdness, Paul Rogers, Wed, 15 Aug 2001 10:06:54 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The radio gets two power sources - one that's on all the time, and one that's switched with the ignition. The 'all the time' power keeps the memory presets alive. It also tells the radio it's still in the car. If the radio is removed, it won't work again until the code is entered as an anti-theft method.
If the radio is going to 'code', it tells me that it's momentarily losing the 'all the time' power. The power goes away, so the radio thinks it's been out of the car.
Let's say there is a bad connection in either the 'all the time' power lead, or the ground connection of the radio. A bad connection will show up as increased resistance. This resistance will drop the voltage to the radio, enough to make it think the power has been out. So the radio runs for a while, and the resistance of the bad connection makes the connection heat up, which makes for higher resistance. At some point it drops out, and the radio comes back asking for the code. Give it an hour to cool off, and you're OK again for a while.
The CD player takes power, and I'll bet that when the motor that ejects the CD comes on, that extra current through the bad connection drops the voltage, and bam, back to CODE land.
So - what do you do? Check the 'all the time' power for the radio, AND the ground connection. A bad ground can cause the same problems.
Try a few things-
Pop out the radio, and clean the contacts on the connector at the back of the radio, and if possible, on the connector in the 'cage' the radio sits in. Some rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip will be fine.
If that doesn't do it, start looking for bad connections.
Now, I don't know what year car you have, but in most years the fuse for the 'all the time' power isn't in the fusebox. It's in an in-line connector BEHIND the radio. You'll need to remove the radio, and then pop out the 'cage' the radio fits into. I say look at the fuse, because the best place for a bad connection is where a connection exists, and a fuse-holder is very prone to corrosion. Replace the fuse in case it has a bad internal connection. Clean the contacts with some fine sandpaper. Make sure all the connectors are tight.
If that doesn't do it, then it gets tricky, like finding the ground lug for the radio and cleaning it up. But I'll bet that if cleaning the contacts on the back of the radio doesn't do it, cleaning up the fuse will.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157....
, Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:54:45 <-- Viewing This Message
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