Car Stereos: Hyundai aftermarket shut off, new one wont power up, aftermarket radio, fuse box

Question
Hello,

I had previously installed an aftermarket radio into my car as well as speakers a few years ago. Recently it had shut off when driving, I promptly checked all fused on the driver side and in the fuse box under the hood, then checked all wire connections and the fuses on the radio itself, everything checked out so I deduced the radio had blown. Bought a new one today, wired it into the car and it didnt power up. Not sure if there was a problem with the main power but my line tester says its working, in any case i tried rerouting power from accesory and from the battery with the same problem. The radio power button lights up a little but when press nothing happens. Suggestions?

Thanks.

Answer
Hi Jonathon,

The radio power button lighting up would suggest that your 12V constant is working, but your 12V accessory is not.  To test that, try connecting the 12V switched and 12V constant to the current 12V constant.  If the decks works like that, you can go from there.

First, try replacing the stereo fuses anyway.  They're cheap, and though they might look OK, it can happen.

Second, check the accessory wire's connection as far into the dash as you can -- you might have a fried wire.

In the end, you might find yourself having to tap into accessory power from elsewhere for your deck because finding/replacing the bad connection would be too time consuming.

Good candidates are the power to the cigarette lighter (if it's only on when the car is in accessory), and interior lighting.

The 12V accessory is mostly a switch for a relay, so you shouldn't have to worry about it drawing much electricity.

Good luck,
Justin