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92 civic, stereo coming on briefly

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=96848
Printed Date: April 28, 2024 at 2:35 AM


Topic: 92 civic, stereo coming on briefly

Posted By: devante
Subject: 92 civic, stereo coming on briefly
Date Posted: September 02, 2007 at 8:29 PM

I have a 1992 Honda Civic DX.

I just bought a JVC KDG420 stereo.

I've hooked it up and it doesn't work properly.

In the stereo instructions, it says one cable is for "A live terminal in the fuse block connecting to the car battery (constant 12v)" and one cable is "to an accessory terminal in the fuse block". My car manual says one wire is to "ACC (main stereo power supply) and one wire is "Constant power (tuning memory)". So I assume the "Constant power" goes to the "Constant 12v" and the "ACC" goes to the "terminal in the fuse block".

When I connect them that way, the stereo doesn't do anything.
But if I reverse the connection, it'll light up for a second and the inside makes a noise like it's trying to read a CD. Then it'll stop and the lights go off. If I press display, the stereo lights up and shows the clock. Inserting/ejecting a CD works.
But none of the functions work (like source, playing, etc). Remember, this is with the wires reversed of the diagrams.

I've tried replacing the fuse in the fuse box, still does the same thing.

The last thing I did was try this stereo in another vehicle and it worked, so it's not the stereo.

Any ideas on what the problem could be or how I might be able to troubleshoot it better?

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.x[ Devante ]x.



Replies:

Posted By: dpaton
Date Posted: September 03, 2007 at 10:19 AM
According to the manual I found online, Yellow goes to the battery, and red goes to switched accessory (ignition ACC) line. Are you using an adapter harness to connect to the car's original connector?

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Posted By: devante
Date Posted: September 03, 2007 at 4:13 PM

I'm not using an adapter.

I'm twisting the wires together and covering them with plastic heads.

Someone mentioned it could be that the radio isn't getting enough power.

I used a multimeter (wasn't sure if I was using it correctly) and got 12v from the ACC line (while the car was on) and something like 1v out of the battery line. But isn't 12v supposed to come from each line?



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.x[ Devante ]x.




Posted By: dpaton
Date Posted: September 03, 2007 at 6:49 PM
If you only got 1V out of the battery line, that's your problem.

The ACC line is only there to act as a trigger for the radio, like the blue (power turn on) does for amps and external processors. The real power needs to come from the battery line.

If your battery line really is bad under the dash (it probably is from your description) you'll need to run a wire straight from the battery to power your radio. There's a firewall gromet under the battery tray you can fish a small wire through (10AWG or so for just the head unit should be plenty). Run it behind the glovebox and into the back of the radio bracket. Ground to the bolt at the bottom of the center console bracket, it takes a 10mm socket. If you need any pictures, I can post them for you.

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This is not a sig. This is a duck. Quack.




Posted By: devante
Date Posted: September 03, 2007 at 8:37 PM
I did a test.
I connected the BATT and the ACC wires on the stereo side to the ACC side of the car and turned the car on.

The stereo worked!

I like your advice and would love some pictures please!

I also want to try to fix it the right way because there are a couple of electrical problems that sound like this is the reason they are happening. For instance, the clock built into the car resets everytime the car turns off.


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.x[ Devante ]x.




Posted By: devante
Date Posted: September 03, 2007 at 9:31 PM
One thing I forgot to add was that the clock built-into the car actually turns off whenever I turn the parking lights/headlights.

Could this be related and/or help narrow it down?


P.S. Sorry for double post.



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.x[ Devante ]x.




Posted By: devante
Date Posted: September 04, 2007 at 1:07 AM
You guys aren't gonna believe this...

So I was reading through the car manual following the circuit diagrams and figured out that the constant line actually DOES have a fuse, but it's in the fusebox under the hood.

So I took out that fuse and it's broken.

All this time. ha.
I even took the dash off in an effort to find the short!

So now my only question is if it's OK to use a fuse of higher grade than is needed.
Can I use a 30A fuse for something that only requires 7.5A?


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.x[ Devante ]x.




Posted By: dpaton
Date Posted: September 04, 2007 at 10:28 AM
devante wrote:


Can I use a 30A fuse for something that only requires 7.5A?



Sure, but you run the risk of melting the wire before the fuse blows. I don't have my ETM with me at work, but if you can give me until tomorrow, I can tell you exactly what else is on that fuse and whether or not to downgrade it. Right now my gut says go with an equal sized replacement fuse.

As for the mistake, it happens to the best of us. A few months ago I soldered a pair of 192 pin connectors onto the ends of some cables without putting the back shell on the wire first. Redoing all 384 connections reinforced the humility that all technical types should have...everyone f's up once and a while.

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Posted By: sarcomax
Date Posted: September 04, 2007 at 11:05 AM
30 is way too much. I thought on that car the radio, dome light and clock are on the same fuse. I have put a 10 in place of the 7.5 on occassion. As far as the clock going off when you turn the lights on, if you shut the lights off after a few minutes is the clock still keeping time? It sounds like you have a dimmer wire connected someplace wrong. I am more of a visual guy, sorry I can't help more.




Posted By: devante
Date Posted: September 05, 2007 at 9:00 PM
Thanks. I just used an equal fuse and the stereo works fine now!

The clock will keep time as long as the car is on and the lights aren't on. As soon as the car goes off or the lights go on, the clock turns completely off and is reset.



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.x[ Devante ]x.




Posted By: dpaton
Date Posted: September 05, 2007 at 10:04 PM
It sounds like someone hacked up the harness something fierce. The clock only connects to a few things:

Ground (at the left kick panel) - black
Always hot (from fusebox, shared with the stereo) WHITE/ blue
Hot in on/start (from fusebox, shared with gauge cluster) yellow
Dimmer input (from dash harness) RED / black

If any of those aren't right, start tracing, and figure out what's messed up. It's got to be one of those four.



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This is not a sig. This is a duck. Quack.





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