QuestionIf the Fuse Line Power Cable is Blown what do I do?
If the is a short to ground how do I find it?
Thank you for your time
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Followup To
Question -
I have a 1996 Nissan Altima and the CD Player had some issues so I tried to put in the one from my dad's 2005 Frontier. Everything hooks up right but it will not power on. I cannot figure it out.
Answer -
Hello,
I'm really sorry to hear about your frustration. There could be any number of things going on here and you haven't left me much information to work with, but I'll try and lay out a few possibilities for you to eliminate:
1) The in-line fuse on the power cable (usually yellow) has blown. This could be due to physical reasons (i.e. it got crushed) instead of something electrical.
2) There is a short to ground upstream of the unit (check your lighter and ashtray/dome lights) or some wires got pinched or abraded bare while you were sliding the units in or out.
3) The Frontier had a premium unit that required a security code any time it was disconnected from permanent power -and/or- the Frontier had a premium unit that connected or otherwise interfaced with the system's electronics (the car computer) that your vintage of Nissan lacks.
4) You did not disconnect the car battery when connecting the harness and in some way damaged the electricals (either by discharging built up capacitence, shorting to ground something that shouldn't have, or unwittingly "sparking" across a junction that isn't "debounced" as you were trying to wiggle the two wiring harnesses together). Don't worry, this isn't common.
5) In the nearly 10-years difference in vintage between the pin-outs in your dash and the pin-outs on the back of the head-unit, enough has changed that the two are no longer compatible.
Unfortunately, I am more of a scientist and expert in acoustics and electrical systems in general than I am in Nissans between 1996 and 2005.
In the time it would take me to ask you the right questions, find the right resource materials, and get the right answers back to you you could either do that work yourself or ask another expert here whose expertise better matches your particular situation...
I can highly recommend Kelly Spongberg or Mark Lampi to you, as I know for a fact that both of them know Nissans extremely well.
When you ask them, make sure you describe your wiring work and whether or not you terminated new harnesses or whether you used the stock ones.
I really would like to help, and I am certainly willing to continue to investigate. If you would like me to continue, you'll need to post a follow-up to me detailing the installation process, especially the wiring harness details as mentioned above.
I wish you luck!
AnswerIf the fuse is blown but the cable and plastic casing is intact you can simply replace it:
-pull the unit out
-find the power cable (usually yellow)
-follow it from the back of the head-unit. Usually within 16" you'll find a plastic bulge that looks like a coffin or cocoon. Snap it open and there's your glass-tube fuse.
-take that to a car-parts or car stereo shop and get a replacement. Snap it in and re-install the unit.
If the power cable is damaged you may have tocut it out and wire in a replacement (with fuse housing) as well, but otherwise it's the same operation.
Finding a short ot ground is a little trickier. If you're installing car stereos you should definately have a multi-meter/volt-meter. If not, go buy yourself one from Radio Shack or Wal-mart - you can spend less than $20.
Then, look through the manual or go on-line to find the pin-outs on the car side of the stereo wiring harness, then put your leads from the power pins to the groung pins and verify the voltage. If something doesn't seem right then it isn't.
If all goes well there then plug the stereo in, leave it out of the dash, and put the red lead on something metal on the stereo (preferably the back-plane) and the black one on something metal inside the dash. You should read 0. If not, let me know.
