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97 Saturn Stereo gone kaput

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=23752
Printed Date: October 31, 2024 at 7:15 PM


Topic: 97 Saturn Stereo gone kaput

Posted By: Teflon
Subject: 97 Saturn Stereo gone kaput
Date Posted: January 01, 2004 at 11:55 PM

Well here is the current situation.
Stock Stereo will illuminate with key in acc or start
Stock Stereo will turn on and static is heard.
Stock Stereo buttons have no effect, seek, channel etc.
Aftermarket stereo, removable faceplate does not light up or function. A blue indicator behind the face plate will light up. The red dot that blinks when the face plate is off does not come on. No static is heard on this radio.

I am utterly baffled. Fuses all appear ok. No wires are missing or damaged, that I can see.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

--Teflon



Replies:

Posted By: Durwood
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 12:17 AM

Weird.  I'm assuming that you have no reason to think the aftermarket stereo is bad, so we'll concentrate on the car's wiring.  Get a multimeter, and make sure you're getting correct voltages at the constant power lead, switched power lead, and illumination lead.  Do a continuity check on the harness' ground wire to make sure it's really connected to ground.  If all those wires check out good, then you've got two bad head units.  Of the wires I listed, the two most important ones are the switched power lead and the ground lead.  When you check them, make sure wiggling or tugging on the wire doesn't change the readings.

Scott Gardner





Posted By: Teflon
Date Posted: January 03, 2004 at 12:54 PM
Ok. I have a multimeter, its not digital. I have no idea what im doing. I followed the destructions that came with it and it appears that the switched is receiving some power, and constant is not. illumation is n/a to aftermarket h/u. and appears to work with stock one. I dont know how to check the continuity. I do want to learn how to do all this and not just pay someone to fix it.




Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: January 03, 2004 at 5:11 PM
You have a blown fuse or a bad circuit.  If you have no power on the constant power line, that is your problem.  Check your owners manual and pull the fuse (or fuses) associated with the radio.  Test them with your multimeter on the "ohms" scale.  They should be less than one ohm.  If not, it is blown.  Replace any blown fuses and see what happens.  I don't know if Saturns have circuit breakers, but check for open circuits as well.




Posted By: Teflon
Date Posted: January 04, 2004 at 1:21 PM
Ok radio fuses are great <1 ohm, constant and switched are registering near 5 ohms. Im looking into circuits.




Posted By: Teflon
Date Posted: January 08, 2004 at 12:59 PM

update-  Well I pulled the ground at the battery and put it back.  Put stock stereo in. 

We have a time and light!  YAY!  occasionaly the time will blink about 5 times.  And it always starts at 1:00.

And some more trickery begins.  I turn the stereo on and the time dissapears.  I turn it off and it reappears at 1:00 even if it had been at a different time.  I am not getting any radio static as well.  The buttons still do not work.

So it appears to me that there is a problem in recieving a permenent power supply to the unit.  The issue is that I dont know how to go about fixing this and I want to learn :(





Posted By: Teflon
Date Posted: January 13, 2004 at 12:56 PM
bump




Posted By: geepherder
Date Posted: January 13, 2004 at 2:17 PM

Using your multimeter, test the ignition harness (fat bundle of wires that run up the steering column) in your vehicle for constant power to one of the wires (should be red).  Run a fused lead and use this as your constant to your radio.  Now test the wires for one that shows power only when in the accessory and run, but not in start (should be orange).  Run a fused lead and use this as your accessory to your radio.  Connect your ground wire to the car chassis.  Connect your speaker wires, plug in the antenna, and see what you get.





Posted By: danxav13
Date Posted: January 16, 2004 at 10:26 PM
Did you try under the hood? There should be a fuse for the constant power for the radio in the main fuse box next to the battery.





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