Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day, Check the Fuses, Fusible Links, and Ignition Switch, Fixing a Car Radio That Stopped Working After the Battery Died, What to Do When the Gauges in Your Car Aren't Working. Make sure that your stereo doesn’t have an alarm and take it out of the cockpit but don’t unplug it. If the metal wire inside the plastic casing is severed or damaged, a blown fuse is preventing power from reaching the starter relay or solenoid. The reason it wont turn on is because your ground power is loose or cut off. Get your answers by asking now. email me this info an i can tell you more.i have over 10 years experiance installing car audio. My car stereo doesn't have these wires to connect to. This problem can have several causes, most common ones being blown out fuses and bad wiring. I'm trying to diagnose it from a world away (she's in Tennessee, I'm in California) and it just does not want to work properly. an im mecp certified. One cold morning, I started my car and noticed that the stereo’s lights were on but no sound or display. The stereo needs TWO wires to have 12 volts in order to switch on, plug the ground lead needs to be grounded to the car's chassis. Well while it was in and the stereo was on I touched the tip of the cable to the power socket that looks like the cigarette lighter. I have a somewhat similar question about my pioneer bluetooth car stereo. Ok so I have a Sony Xplod stereo in my car and at first it worked fine but one day when pressed the source button to use my iPod it started flashing on and off and could play anything. And it also loses preferences (volume, radio stations, etc) Info about the connection from the car: Yellow wire - it is labeled "Battery" (on the car side), voltage is 12 when car is on, 0 when car is off. The car's internal fuse box will have many of these blade fuses, all numbered. i need to know what the year make model of your vehicle an is the radio factory or aftermarket. No sound or display, but the lights never turn off? if its staying on once you have turned the key off, your red lead is going to a constant power source, not an accesories power source. IMPORTANT: Turn off the ignition before cleaning and remove the key from the ignition switch before cleaning the connectors. Other causes can be a short in the wiring or other wiring problems. If it accepts a charge or a jump from another battery and the vehicle starts, then the problem is solved. There are other signs of a broken starter, such as smoke billowing from the engine, a broken solenoid, or oil soak beneath the engine on the starter. Ok, so here is the old Car 400 radio that came with my car when I bought it. Ive tried fuses,pulling the radio out and checking the connections, checking speaker connections,ect but it still continues to do the same thing. But yet whenever i turn my car on. Now, let’s get to the bottom of this and determine the possible causes behind why the car stereo won’t turn on but has power. Any ideas why this would have happened so randomly and how to fix it would be appreciated greatly. Remove any surge protector. The reason why the radio, dash lights, headlights, and other electronics draw power while the engine doesn't has to do with the amount of current each device draws and what may be interrupting the path. Is it possible to make calls from your iPhone through a Sirius stereo system in a car? He also ghostwrites articles for numerous major trade publications. So, I'm trying to install a stereo into my girlfriend's Dodge Shadow and the #$#%s thing won't work. This is what the back looks like, the red line is the blade fuse. Check Yellow wire for 12 volts all the time, check Red wire for 12 volts when accessory is switched on. After you have verified that the car stereo is getting the correct amount of power, it’s time to look at your speaker wires. Cars are unforgiving environments for electronics, and vibration, heat and dust can all cause premature failure. The weird thing is that the power button on it is still illuminated with a red light indicating that it is receiving power, but when I press it to turn on the stereo nothing happens. If it doesn't start, it may be a blown fuse, a broken ignition switch, or a bad starter. I have the most perplexing of issues at hand, and I don't know where else to turn to but here. I have to turn it all the way down to turn it "off" now. if you are concerned, run a new constant power (yellow) direct to the positive battery terminal (with an inline fuse) and run the accesories power (red) to the positive side of your cigarette lighter socket or some other location near the head unit. A good sign is that it has power, so it means it’s not busted. Diagnosing and fixing a broken ignition switch is more complicated than checking for a blown fuse. The power harness of our In-dash units is all color-coded to properly identify the purpose of each wire. 2000 Avalon radio will it for on a 2002 Siena? How do you listen to music from your phone in an Infiniti QX60 model from 2016. Now there is no clock or anything, but the buttons light up when I turn the interior lights on. Can I get an email address so I could see if u could help me figure out what is wrong with my car stereo? Vibration can cause wiring to become loose. Your Red switched power wire on the radio is not receiving power. The reason why the radio, dash lights, headlights, and other electronics draw power while the engine doesn't has to do with the amount of current each device draws and what may be interrupting the path. Headlights, radios, and other car electronics draw very little amperage—usually no more than 20 to 30 amps. Will I get cancer from a cd player with radio? Check if the power connection wires are properly connected. We put it in his, and you can hear the clicking through the speakers but it doesn't turn on. At any rate, part of car radio troubleshooting is to locate the car’s main accessory fuse block and inspect it. Drive or run your car for about an hour or so, turn it off, and then restart it. In some situations, the ignition switch delivers power to the car's electrical components but not the engine starter. 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Starter motors sometimes, but not always, make clicking noises when they fail to work. I just installed a kenwood kdc-355u into my 2002 Saturn sc2. Now it doesn't even turn on, I pressed the reset button but it didn't do anything. radio has power, but won't turn on. Don't rule out the starter just because you don't hear anything. Is There a Cheaper Alternative to Air Conditioning? When I reset the stereo it would buzz, and then do nothing after that. I bought the adapter for my car and it has two extra wires. To find out for sure, hire a mechanic. Attempt to turn on the car stereo system. Locate the ground terminal and constant wires. I drove it to work. I closed and locked the doors, but the stereo’s lights remained on. Black (usually ground) Red (usually battery) and Yellow (usually constant power). The stereo display does not turn on, nor do the buttons react in any way. The radio and lights work, but it won't start. Car stereo appears to have power but won't turn on? Also if it means anything, I usually don't have to turn it on manually myself at all, the stereo usually powers on as soon as I turn the key. You may need a fuse puller to remove the correct fuse and a light source to see its internal components. The weird thing is that the power button on it is still illuminated with a red light indicating that it is receiving power, but when I press it to turn on the stereo nothing happens. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. It is a Pioneer DEH-2700 with the detachable face plate. The factory stereo works with no problems. the idiot below me obviously has no concept of what power an ground even is so he cant help you at all. My audio shuts on and off going down the road. I just installed a car stereo into my 98 grand am. An illumination/dash light and a dimmer wire. Everything looks fine but it won't turn on, I had the ground wire from the stereo connected to the ground wire on the harness. Earlier today the head unit was working fine but now for some reason the unit won't turn on. I've had no problems with it prior to this, i've been using the radio for about 2 or 3 years with no problems. Having a bit of trouble with my car stereo, out of the blue it no longer turns on. Did you upgrade your car audio system? In order to determine this for sure, temporarily tie the Red to the Yellow radio wires together to see if the radio powers up. I have a AUX tape converter that goes into the stereo as a tape and has an AUX cable to play your iPod through the stereo. nope the idiot below me is wrong, if it was a loose ground wire that needed to be tightened you wouldnt have a light on on the radio at all, you would have nothing. I know that the stereo works because it works in my friends car. What to Do When Your Car Interior Lights Stop Working, Common Car Amp Problems (And How to Fix Them). It's been 2 months like that and still don't work. The purpose of the clutch position sensor is to allow the vehicle to start only when the clutch pedal is depressed, so if it fails the car won't go anywhere. Is my vehicle compatible with this aftermarket stereo? nicely in case you have a try mild or voltage meter i might try all of the fuse one greater time and than get the potential wires in the back of the radio to work out which one does not have potential flowing to the radio. I double checked that I have the correct wiring harness and that all of the wires are connected correctly. The most likely cause of a stereo not powering up is a blown fuse. This is a cool stereo with nfc (bluetooth that connects simply bly placing your smart phone against it), and my phone does recognize that that's there and tries to connect (but never does successfully) so we know it's more than just the cd player aspect getting power. The ignition switch isn’t the mechanical part that you put the car key into; it's the electrical switch that the mechanical part operates. Still have questions? How to Fix iphone 6s won’t turn on On in Simple Methods. Check your car's manual to find the location of the fuse box, then open it. One of the vehicle fuses, or the radio fuse is blown. One day the volume wouldn't work then it started working the next day. I took face off the stereo and warmed it up at home. If you have a manual transmission, a bad clutch pedal position sensor can prevent the engine from turning over while allowing the electronics to work fine. Make sure that your car radio has these 3 wires hooked up correctly. Jeremy Laukkonen is tech writer and the creator of a popular blog and video game startup. How to Fix a Car Radio That Won't Turn Off. If your car won’t start but the lights and radio work fine, it could be one of several problems, possibly including a dead battery. I have taken my car into the shop many times, but they can't find out what is wrong. The black block connectors are for power etc and the silver connector on the left is for the aerial. Engine starters, on the other hand, pull up to 300 amps all at once, which is too much power for a battery with a low charge. When I turned off the car, the stereo’s lights were still on. Batteries can sometimes run electronic devices on a low charge. We changed the radio It's a very easy fix. Today we answer a fairly common question about not getting any sound from a car stereo, even though it powers on. Sometimes you have to shake the battery cables and other times you need to put it in neutral and it will start. If you have a battery tester that can measure cranking amps, test your battery to see if it's weak. My car's stereo won't turn on? Thanks. 2002 nissan sentra stereo light won't turn off Im not familiar with the Sentra radio, but on two car radios that I have, there is a display button that switches between frequency and clock when the radio is on. If you turn the key in the ignition and hear a clicking sound, you may have a broken starter. Some devices have a 110 to 220 voltage switch where the default setting is 220V. Your radio may not be working because the protection mode has been turned on. However, in some cases, starters die a silent death. If the fuses are in good shape, the car's ignition switch is faulty. Check to make sure the fuse is not blown. If you don't have a battery tester, you can still see if the battery is good by jump-starting the car. Lastly check the Black wire for ground. how to i figure out how many amps  my generator is putting out? Here, one needs some car stereo tools, like a test light or a multimeter. i need a bit more info to help you. Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. All of a sudden my car won't start. If the tester shows a weak battery, you'll have to replace it. If your car won’t start but the lights and radio work fine, it could be one of several problems, possibly including a dead battery. It works in such a way that when there is a power interruption, the head unit by default goes off and is rendered useless. We put his factory radio in and it lights up but won't play music. My car radio won't turn on. Make sure that your device is set to the correct voltage for your area. Step by step: How to Fix a Car Stereo That Has Power But Won’t Turn On? How to Fix It When Your Car Heater Isn't Working. I got in my car and plugged in a small heater to defrost the windows. Since the car is bought second-hand, there may have been underlying problems that weren’t detected. In order to track down the reason that your car radio won't turn on, you'll want to tackle each of these potential issues … There are a lot of possible reasons why the car stereo won’t turn on. - I sold my friend a dual radio for $20 and it worked fine when it was in my truck. With no power running in the vehicle, inspect the fuse for a metal wire. One’s in luck if the car stereo doesn’t have too many complicated fuses to check. Some of the most common issues include a blown fuse, bad or damaged wiring, and anti-theft modes that are often triggered when the battery dies. It is just a black wire that traces on to your car chassis. So I cut the wire and tried grounding it to my car, when I touch the wire to metal, it buzzes like it's resetting, then still does nothing. 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