Car Stereos: Alpine Radio Deck, alpine radio, internal amplifier

Question
Hi Scott I recently bought a alpine deck from a friend of mine and installed it in my 1998 Buick century... My friend and I attached all the wires in the correct spots using online diagrams... The problem is the deck works when in accessory mode and everything works... But when i start the car the alpine deck turns on but doesn't make and sound... I don't even get static... The weird thing is that earlier today it worked when the car was in ignition but now it doesn't work. So just today I took the deck out to re-check the constant wire and re-attached the two wires to make sure they are connected right... So I started my car and it still doesn't work.. Any ideas on how I can fix the issue????

Thank you very much - Mark

Answer
Mark, There seem to be many people with similar problems lately.  It is weird.  How can the radio work in ACC and not in Run?  Using the existing wires available under the dash that were used to connect the factory radio, it has to work.  The only reason it does not work is the wiring is not connected properly.  Reconnect the factory radio and see if the radio works in all modes.  If it does still work properly, then the problem with the new radio must be the wiring.  I would suggest using a wire harness adapter, so you are not cutting factory wires, and they give clear instructions on which wires are used for which connection.  Also, it is important to insulate the blue and/or blue w/ white stripe wire, before attaching any power to the radio.  If either of those wires touch a ground source, it will blow the radios internal amplifier.  Hope this helps, Scott