QuestionI'm wiring an alpine CDE-9852 Stereo, 2 Pioneer 240watt 3 6x9s, a Jensen JXP340 2 Channel Amp, 2 6 inch 2 way door speakers (not yet purchased), and a Sub (haven't got it yet) in a 1969 VW Bug.
Here's my question: Have I blown my head unit's built in amp?
I've tested every electrical connection, they are all functioning properly. I've also tested every speaker connection for the four speakers I had wired in the car, and none of them work at all. I got the system working today after 2 days gutting my car and rerunning all the wires (previous owner was one of those "thrifty/handy" types.) and now have new wire for everything that is connected. Both power lines are on 14 ga wire running to 2 in-line fuses (1.5A 250V), which are powering it just fine now. I previously had it on smaller wire, but was getting some dimming. So earlier this evening I was wiring the speakers. When I was done I reconnected the negative battery termina, and turned the radio on to check if they were working. For the first 45 seconds I was really excited since it actually worked. I didn't touch one single knob, button, or hair on my head unit and suddenly the sound stopped. There was no audible pop, no spark, no smoke, and I didn't see any gremlins fleeing the scene. Needless to say I've been searching this forum and several others for the better part of the night looking for solutions, or similar issues to no avail. Do I need to take my deck in for repairs? Or maybe run everything off the aftermarket amp? or should I just strap a clock radio to my roof with some velcro?
I would prefer to run only the sub, and front speakers on an amp and just leave the 6x9s either on the deck itself, or on another 2 channel amp if need be. Needless to say this isn't a crazy system; it used to be wired to a 90s tape deck out of an isuzu pick-up, and that never blew out.
Theres no built in amp in the car, this car didn't even have a radio as it was a dealer option.
Heres a list of things I've checked so far:
Power is verified to be good all the way to the Head unit via a multimeter on DC scale.
I used a single speaker (2 inch) to test every speaker connection, and connected each speaker's wires individually(IE Left front only, then right front only etc.)between the harness and the speaker. So there was never any open ended speaker wires while the system was on that I'm aware of (and I know this speaker worked for sure).
The stereo was previously working in a different vehicle, but I don't want to have to test it out in another car if I don't have to. If you had been there when I went through the mounting part of the install you wouldn't want to take it out either.
AnswerHi Nick,
I'm thinking you just didn't notice when the gremlins ran off. They can be sneaky little buggers and have a strange ability to stay out of eyeshot.
On the back of the deck, near where the harness clips in, check to see if there are any fuses. Many aftermarket decks have tiny 3A (or so) fuses that fuse the speaker amp, and if it's popped, it could be the reason for your difficulty.
Also, try disconnecting the harness from the deck entirely, waiting a few minutes, and putting it back. There's a chance a speaker wire did touch something, and the deck has gone into 'protect' mode in which it turns off the factory amp and refuses to turn it back on because it detects a short in the circuitry.
If that fails, your best bet is probably just to get a new deck, since getting that one fixed will probably cost more than just replacing it. Either that, or just using only aftermarket amp(s).
Justin
