Audio Systems: cd player, laser diode, electronic circuits

Question
My cd player turns on then right off im sure i have it grounded right and the power cable is right too its not the fuse in the cd player or the car witch is a 1985 fire bird why would it come on and turn off? thank you for your held

Answer
There are a few possibilities.  By the way, is it the original unit that came with the car?  If so, what CD has been added. If a new head unit, can you give me the make and model?

If the voltage in the car drops too low and then the alternator kicks in and brings the voltage back up that could account for it.  This is usually a sign of an old battery that need replaced or rejuvinated or a weak alternator.

If it is just the sound that is cutting out it could be the cd player laser diode and pickup assembly is getting weak and can't do the error correction anymore which causes the player to mute out for a few seconds before it comes back in.

So, I need to know if the unit is really shutting off or if the sound is just muting out and coming back on later.

There are numerous failures inside the cd player electronic circuits that can cause such a thing, as well.

Hope this give you some ideas, but please come back with more details as outlined above. Thanks.

Cleggsan