Car Stereos: New Deck Install, kenwood cd player, internal amplifier

Question
I installed a Kenwood cd player in my 2000 Dodge Durango. The only part of the instructions that I did not follow was to unhook the negative terminal from the battery. Everything on the player itself works except for the fact that I am not getting any sound at all. Would not disconnecting the terminal cause me to have this problem. I have two connectors that come from the Durango that I was not able to hook up because the harness didn't provide them.

Answer
Hi Mark,

I'm not really sure what to tell you.

If the deck is turning on, not having disconnected the negative battery terminal wasn't your issue.  That instruction is there to make sure you don't short out anything and fry a fuse.  But if the fuse were fried, then the deck wouldn't turn on at all.

To the best of my knowledge, the 2000 Durango didn't have any amplifier or anything, so you should be able to just hook up the speaker leads and have it work.

Check the Kenwood itself to see if it has its own internal fuse (they're usually behind the wire harness).  If that fuse fries, it could take the internal amplifier with it.

Also check inside the Kenwood's menus to make sure that if it has an 'internal amplifier' setting, you've got it set to 'on' or 'enabled'.

Other than that, all I can suggest is to check your wiring again.

Justin