old school alpine cd players inop

I have a ~10 year old Alpine Installation in my Typhoon. It consists of a 9851 head unit, on-board XM receiver with the old ALP-100 adapter,a kca-410 ai-net expander, and a 6-disc changer. Everything has always worked just fine. I haven't driven this car for about 18 months. Its just been sitting under its cover in my yard in So California mild weather. I checked things out the other evening, and the headunit CD loads a disc, and returns "ERROR". I tried several CD's, and checked the menu setting for audio or MP3. All I get is "ERROR". Today, when I first tried the Changer, it wouldn't play either, but it seems to be OK an hour later. I guess it "woke up" or something. Everything else associated with the ai-network functions correctly, so it was most likely the changer itself, and not a communication issue. This stuff died just from sitting, which I find odd. I like this old equipment. It's installed, it's paid for, and I understand the menu structure and operation, which is important to me.It is also period-correct for the Typhoon. I'd like to fix it, if feasible. Is there anything simple I can try? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

all i can say is try a cleaning disk in the head unit and see if that doesnt fix it. the equipment is 10 years old and has been sitting for a year and a half so things are probably pretty dusty in there especially if you smoke... if this doesnt fit the issue then i would think that maybe one of the cd drive motors could be jammed. when you have equipment that has dealt with heat and vibration for over 10 years, the lubrication will eventually wear thin, and a long period of just sitting there might be just what it takes to make something seize up inside. it only takes one little thing to go wrong and the whole mechanism wont function. the motors inside dont have much torque at all so it doesnt take much to lock them up.

The laser pickup has failed. Try turning the deck upside down and see if it will play that way. The lens of the pickup rides atop 2 tiny shock absorbers. Gravity pulling the lens down wears out the shock absorbers. With gravity pulling against them, it may focus and play. In the beginning of CD technology, Pioneer actually gave the above advice as a troubleshooting tool. I boubt that parts are still available for that unit. I will check.

EDIT: The following info is for the 9851 The parts are available. The pickup is only 18 dollars and change. I just doubt that you will be able to find somebody to change it. The CD mechanism is available at just under 80 dollars. The CD mechanism is pretty easy to change. Phone number to call and order is 1-800-421-5080 Part number for the pickup is 82058E27037B78      Part number for the CD mechanism is 820GS-72055C78     If you ever store a CD player for extended periods of time, set them on Edge. Is the Changer mounted Horizontal or Vertical? For extended life of the pickup, Mount it Vertical. If it is Horizontal, you will need to move the springs on each side when you mount it the other way.

EDIT: The following info is for the 9851 The parts are available. The pickup is only 18 dollars and change. I just doubt that you will be able to find somebody to change it. The CD mechanism is available at just under 80 dollars. I'm pretty good at detail stuff. Nothing scares me. I build my own engines instead of "taking them to the machine shop", I fix my alternators instead of taking them to vatozone and getting another one. Do you think I could change the pick up myself, or is it just too fussy a task for a novice to take on? As far as changing the mechanism, I'm not going to spend $80 on it. I sold a car last week. I put another high-use 9851 I had in that that had a 'noisy' output stage. I could have made one good unit out of two with problems. Oh well. The CD mechanism is pretty easy to change. Phone number to call and order is 1-800-421-5080 Part number for the pickup is 82058E27037B78      Part number for the CD mechanism is 820GS-72055C78 Thanks for that. That's PacParts. I was there today. They're 15 minutes from my house. Great resource. If you ever store a CD player for extended periods of time, set them on Edge. Ok. I'll push my cars over on their sides when I store them for prolonged periods. Seriously, for a more valuable unit, I'll remember this. I've never heard of it. When I take it apart (you know I'm going to try it, huh?) I'll study why this is helpful, althoughy you told me: "gravity" compresses the 'shock absorbers'. Thanks for the tip. Is the Changer mounted Horizontal or Vertical? For extended life of the pickup, Mount it Vertical. If it is Horizontal, you will need to move the springs on each side when you mount it the other way. This changer is at least 17 years old. It has been in the Typhoon since I bought the truck in 1997. It is mounted Vertical, and I did change the springs on the sides when I installed it. Perhaps this is why it still works at all; it is mounted vertical. The head unit has been changed several times over the years to the 9851 it has now. The changer seems OK now, but it wasn't when I first tried it this afternoon. We'll see. If the changer dies, no biggie. I'll get the use of my center compartment back when I take it out. Thanks for the reply. Very helpful. Thumbs-up.

If I may add... one 'cause', and one caution/tip. It's mechanical. They can seize with non-use. (Lubricants & rubbers harden, surfaces corrode.) I was contemplating resurrecting my Alpine CDM-9821 after deciding its 2 replacement 'cheap' systems were crap. Instead I scored a new CDE-121 at half price ($95; RRP $199 tho usually obtainable for $179; AUD$). I had no regrets NOT using the old 9821. The newer 121 is much quicker starting and reads far more CDs etc (RWs etc and original CDs that would no longer be read by the 9821). Furthermore the 121 has USB & mp3 capability - not that I would openly admit to stooping to mp3, but let's just say that since fitting the 121 I have played very few CDs. In fact for my next HU (Alpine!) I might forget about CDs altogether - instead opting for an external CD player into the Aux input. Just be wary. IMO if repairs etc cost (say) half the price of a new equivalent, I'd get the new model.

I own 7 cars/trucks. 5 are currently tagged and insured. Spring of last year, after my 2nd $175 "cell phone" ticket in 6 months, I purchased a CDE135BT for the work truck I drive every day. A few months later, a CDE148HD BT for my Super Duty. I liked the additional features so much, I bought another 148 for the DD work truck, and put the 3 month old 135 on the shelf. So I'm familiar with 'current' BT, USB, HD radio, etc. The Typhoon is seldom driven. The purpose of this thread was to try to salvage all the AiNet equipment that is already installed in this car, and serves my needs when I do drive it. I don't like stuff that doesn't function, hence why I was interested in finding out "what had happened" and if I could fix the CD player 'easily'. The big difference between the current Alpine USB units and the older Alpine like the 9851, is that the new stuff doesn't support AiNet.Particularly the on board XM. Last night, I removed an even older 9827 from my current "#3" car, and installed the 135BT in it. So my 3 primary cars have hands-free and USB for the ipod. I installed the 9827 (which supports AiNet) in the "#4" Typhoon. All the AiNet stuff still functions, the 9827 is even older, and looks even more period correct in the Ty. Having purchased 3 new head units for 3 of 5 cars in 6 months, I doubt I'll ever 'need' the 9851 again. Everything is current. Someday I may investigate the 9851 CD player malfunction as an educational curiosity, but for now I'm satisfied with the systems in all 5 cars. I appreciate IAAI's tips and research on replacement parts. As usual, I learned something from ya'll on The 12Volt. Thanks.

Put the 9851 upside down on a shelf for a few months.  Then put it on it's side.

Did you set up the Time Correction on the 148s?  Do you use the 9 band parametric EQ?  What is amazing about the 147 and 148 is those 2 things.  If Alpine made a 9 band parametric in an outboard capacity 10 years ago, it would have sold for around a grand.  Same with a 6 channel time correction unit.  But you can buy the decks for 200 or 250. 

Put the 9851 upside down on a shelf for a few months.  Then put it on it's side. Ok. Done. I'll try it in a few months. Did you set up the Time Correction on the 148s?  I've read the description in the manual, and found it in the menu, but haven't really messed with the time correction thing yet. Do you use the 9 band parametric EQ?  What is amazing about the 147 and 148 is those 2 things.  I have played with the 9 band. I find the ability to store the equalizer settings in the presets neat. I did a couple of those. I haven't yet tried to find and download other people's settings into my units. If Alpine made a 9 band parametric in an outboard capacity 10 years ago, it would have sold for around a grand.  Same with a 6 channel time correction unit.  But you can buy the decks for 200 or 250.  I agree. The price keeps going down for more and more content and capability. I'm an old fart, I don't hear that well any longer. My trucks and cars are old and noisy, not a great environment for sophisticated set-ups. I don't "listen" to music in my cars while traveling, it's just "on" as background. So the 148's have capabilities I may never fully utilize. I certainly like the features I do use however. If the 148's give me the service the 9851's have, I could well end up dead and buried before I need to replace them with whatever is available next decade. Thanks for your interest and input.

i am an idiot wrote: Put the 9851 upside down on a shelf for a few months. Then put it on it's side.

davep. wrote: Ok. Done. I'll try it in a few months.

It's been 5 months. I was messing around today in the storeroom and saw the 9851 sitting on the shelf upside down, and thought about this thread. I took the unit to the bench, powered it up, inserted a CD, and it worked! I tried loading and unloading the CD about 6 times, it read it every time, so I called it "fixed", put it back in the box, and it is now stored on its side. Coolness. Thanks to IAAI so much for this tip. As a follow-up question, is storing the units rear panel down, face up, the same as "on their side" for long term storage without harming the CD transport? I have several units in their boxes that are stored face-plate up. I hope this is OK. I haven't tested them for years. Thanks again.