Question
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Hi Mark,
Finally got round to checking the wires with meter. Everything seems fine, CD player even came on but when I touched the ignition key it went off again! I wiggled the key about and the display would flash on and off. Does this mean there is a problem at the ignition key end? If so do I have to open up the dashboard?
thaks for your help
Graeme
Followup To
Question -
Hi Mark
It doesn't rain but it pours!! so sorry to pester you I don't want to
be one of those annoying people who ask loads of irrelevent
questions! I was going to use the meter on Sunday as you
suggested but guess what? On the Saturday coming back from a
friends the stereo just cut out and wouldn't come back on. I
checked the fuse under the steering wheel and it had blown. I
replaced this but it still doesn't work. I also checked the little
fuse on the back of the cd unit and that was fine too, double
checked connections and they seemed fine. Is there another fuse
to check or could there be another problem? It was working ok
apart from the resetting thing so what could have happened?
Hope you can help Mark.
Graeme.
Answer -
there should only be the fuses you found. Use your meter and see if the power is making it to the unit. set it for DC volts and check between the netagive and both posatives one at a time wtih the key on. you should get about 13 volts or so.
If so maybe the unit was going bad and it finally went?
Answersounds like there may be a separate contact in the key for extra stuff like this. I really doubt that just the radio is on it's own contact so see if other things blink on and off when you wiggle the key. you should find something that goes out with the cd player. What I would do is make sure the cd player is working and check everything, dome lights, sun visor lights, (basically all internal lights) cig lighter, AC, Heat, Turn signals, backup lights etc. make sure it's all working while the radio is on. Then wiggle the key till the radio goes out and check all the things again. you may find that something else is going out as well.
there are usually a bunch of position in the key, all with separate contacts. If the radio is on its own you should just be able to use something called a Vampire tap to crimp around a working ignition key wire to tap it and send that to the radio, going around the failing contact.
actually see if your cig lighter only works when the key is in the "on" and "run" positions and if so you can tap that and send it to the radio.
Let me know how it goes!
by the way you're no bother at all! you should see some of the questions I get here!
