Car Stereos: Car Sterio & Dash Lights, pioneer cd player, blown fuse

Question
My boyfriend just installed a new Pioneer cd player in his '99 Camero & now his dash lights are not working. The Cd player harness did not have a orange wire for the dash lights... Would you know how to solve this problem?

Answer
Hi Rebecca,

The most likely source of the problem is a blown fuse in the vehicle's fuse box.  If there's nothing to connect to the orange wire in the adapter harness, you need to make sure that wire is taped off.  Otherwise it can touch a metal part in the dash, resulting in a short circuit and a blown fuse.

First, pull out the head unit and make sure all wires and connections are fully insulated, with no bare spots.  Check to see if a wire could have been pinched behind the head unit chassis when it was pushed into position.  Once you're sure all the wires are in good condition, check the fuses and replace the blown one.

Hope this helps!


Brian