New headunit - power but no sound?

[dave73chally]

Ok guys I installed a new pioneer headunit. Used a generic 80's Chrysler harness and reverse harness for quick removal of the headunit in the future. Stereo powers on and I hear a pop from the back speakers but no sound regardless of radio, cd or iPod. I checked all the wiring and it's all correct. Any ideas? Maybe the internal amp on the headunit is shot and I need to return it?

[Bullitt-]

only things that comes to mind is if you have a speaker wire crossed or if your only using two speaker if the fader is adjusted all the way in the wrong direction.
Access the fader & adjust otherwise disconnect speakers one at a time & see if you get anything.   

[ToxicWolf]

I had the same problem and it turned out to be a short.  That's what this sounds like.  Mine was a metal to metal short where the front speaker was touching the metal in the dash.

[dave73chally]

Ok I checked all wiring, everything is right. Fader is set up correctly. None of the speakers are grounding out to metal. I even took the front 2 out and placed them on the dash. Disconnected 1 speaker at a time and still no sound anywhere. Any ideas?

[ToxicWolf]

Ok I checked all wiring, everything is right. Fader is set up correctly. None of the speakers are grounding out to metal. I even took the front 2 out and placed them on the dash. Disconnected 1 speaker at a time and still no sound anywhere. Any ideas?

Hate to say this but I would pull the head out and see if it works in a bench setup outside of the car.  Make sure the head is working.   

[Bullitt-]

any chance it has a mute button?

[GreenFishie]

Hate to say this but I would pull the head out and see if it works in a bench setup outside of the car.  Make sure the head is working.   

This.

Before you convince yourself everything is wired correctly .... pull it out and wire it on a bench. Make sure it is grounded right, make sure the power line is fused and make sure an antenna is plugged in and grounded as well.

If you get sound then it is your wiring. Some decks use the antenna as a second ground and don't always disclose that ... so that could also be an issue.

If wiring up the deck on a bench is an issue ... take it to a shop and see if they can do it.

[dave73chally]

Thanks green fishie. The antenna is not hooked up, I need an extension to reach. I'll try that, never knew that acted as a second ground.

[GreenFishie]

Thanks green fishie. The antenna is not hooked up, I need an extension to reach. I'll try that, never knew that acted as a second ground.

Not always. Most manufacturers assume people will know this. It isn't universal within a brand across all models.

If it works ... well you've just discovered a Pioneer model that uses the antenna as a ground. If it doesn't ... go with Toxic's suggestion or take it to a shop and have them do it.

[ToxicWolf]

Not always. Most manufacturers assume people will know this. It isn't universal within a brand across all models.

If it works ... well you've just discovered a Pioneer model that uses the antenna as a ground. If it doesn't ... go with Toxic's suggestion or take it to a shop and have them do it.

Nice catch Fishie.  I forgot all about that one, even though we made sure the antenna was grounded during the install.

Dave, if you end up trying to bench test yourself, read what Fishie said about the fuse, etc.  Most audio stores will do the bench test for you.  It's very easy for them and helps build some goodwill for the store.   

[dave73chally]

Thanks guys. I'm going to test it out this weekend and hook up the antenna. If that doesn't solve the issue, I'll bench test the unit.

Thinking out loud, right now I have both a 10amp inline fuse on both the constant and accessory. Is this fuse too large and do I need an inline on both?

Also, I think my harness labeled the red as the constant but now that I'm thinking about it, isn't yellow usually constant? Would flipping the constant and accessory to the wrong slots on the fuse block cause the issue I'm having?

[GreenFishie]

The norm is that the constant is yellow, but you know ... some manufacturers tend to toss norms out the window for some unknown reason.

If you have them crossed, you'll be able to turn on the unit no matter the key position.

As for fuses, that depends on the max amp draw of the unit. If fully cranked the deck pulls 25 amps (not likely) you'll want a 25 amp in-line fuse. The constant only needs a small fuse. It isn't going to even pull a full amp ... it's just there to to save data while the unit isn't powered. I only fuse the constant as a precaution since a short or surge through the constant is going to fry the electronics.

[dave73chally]

Plugged in the antenna, that's not the issue. Wired the speakers to a small indoor amp and they all function properly. I'm going to splice into the harness before and after the connector to rule that out before I return the unit and/or have it bench tested.

[dave73chally]

Bench tested the amp, not the problem. Even went as far as returning the pioneer headunit and bought a nicer Alpine due to features. Same issue, power but no sound, speakers pop at initial power up. I cut out the aftermarket harness I wired in and wired it straight to the headunit harness, same symptoms. A small household amp hooked into the speakers works fine. I plugged in every speaker to the headunit individually to test for a speaker grounding out and nothing. Antenna  ground isn't the issue either. I'm officially stumped, 2 new headunits with the same issue. What else can I check/do other than going radio delete ha 

[Bullitt-]

Didn't realize you were running an amp in the car.
 So nothing from the speakers wired direct to the radio w/o the amp connected or any other speaker wires?