Car Stereos: JVC head unit only turning on for a few seconds., honda civic ex coupe, blown fuse

Question
Hey Brian, i have a 2001 Honda Civic EX Coupe. 2 nights ago i installed an amp in my car and i got it all hooked up worked and sounded good. But then the next morning i went out to the car and the head unit would not turn on, i would press the display button and it would turn on for a few seconds and same with the eject button. Also when i went out the morning i turned on the car and i had no heat. Why wont the stereo work??

Answer
Hi Butch,

From what you're describing, the CD player is getting power on the yellow constant power wire, but not on the red accessory power wire.  Basically, this means that it doesn't know when you've turned your key on.

Normally, I'd suspect a blown fuse in this case.  However, it's interesting that your heat isn't working either.  This makes me suspect that there may be a problem in the key switch itself; because the same output from the key switch provides power for both the radio accessory power and the heater circuit.

I'd probably start with checking all the fuses, including the passenger compartment fuse box and the fuse box under the hood.  However, it's possible that there's a bigger problem with the vehicle's electronics, and the dead radio is just a symptom.

Hope this helps!

Brian