HELP!! Any of you electronically inclined people

Green97TJ · #1 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 06:23 PM

Ok so heres the deal. Im trying to install my cd player in the jeep, but i got some crazy stuff going on. I got it all installed and thought everything was great, but then i got out of the jeep and noticed that the parking lights are very dimly lit. Get in, turn on parking lights, and they brighten up to how they're supposed to be, but i lose sound. The cd player is still on and shows that its playing, but no sound. Still dont have any sound when i turn off the parking lights, but if i turn off the lights, then turn off the key (its been on accessory) and turn the key back to acc. again, i have sound once more. Im stumped so if you have any ideas at all post them and ill be back on every little while to check! Please help!!!

Nathan

Tug-n-pull · #2 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 06:35 PM

Rewire to the battery and leave the factory wireing alone. It only takes one short to monkey up your factory wires. place a toggle switch in line for you switched line in and inline ahead of the switch for you full time hot. Then you will not have the stereo coming on every time you turn the key. Stereo on demand so to speak. That is my way of thinking any way. all add on electric is wired to the the battery with its own fuseable link and switching. tug

Green97TJ · #3 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 06:42 PM

Power to the unit isnt the problem though... the stereo works the entire time.... its just whether or not the speakers are gettin juice from the stereo. I want to say it has something to do with the dimming function that the factory stereo had and the new one does not.

XJNick · #4 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 07:24 PM

It sounds to me as though you did one of several things. Some good possibilities are that you:
- Crossed a Hot wire to Ground.
- Crossed a Hot wire to the dash illumination circuit.
- Crossed a Speaker hot or ground with the illumination circuit (very, very bad)

Stereos usually have the following wires (color codes for a 97 TJ wrangler):
> Constant Hot (fused, from battery) Pink/White
> Switched Hot (from Ign. switch ACC/RUN position) Pink
> Illumination active signal (from headlamp switch) Black/Yellow
> Ground (chassis) Black
> LF Speaker + Dark Green
> LF Speaker - Brown/Red
> RF Speaker + Violet
> RF Speaker - Dark Blue
> LR Speaker + Brown/Yellow
> LR Speaker - Brown/Light Blue
> RR Speaker + Dark Blue/White
> RR Speaker - Dark Blue/Pink

Some stereos will also have these wires in addition to the ones above:
> Illumination Dimming Control wire (from dash light dimmer) Dark Red
> Power antenna feed
> Radio accesories power on output (usually for an Amp.)

Be sure you have only the connections neccesary connected, and to the correct spots. It is absolutely neccesary that you refrain from crossing the Speaker outputs with either 12 volts hot or chassis ground, as doing so could fry your radio head unit.

[edit] ahh... you own a '97 TJ also. One moment, I'll go get my schematics and give you some wire color codes

[/edit]

-Nick

XJNick · #5 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 07:38 PM

Ok, I've included the factory wire colors above as listed in my 1997 TJ schematics. I'll assume they're accurate, if you have any questions ask me and I can double check

-Nick

Snitty · #6 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 07:54 PM

when you do not use plug-n-play harnesses, you often encounter problems... i've been called to hundreds of jobs with my circuit tester and a AA battery to see what wire does what... i ALWAYS suggest paying the $8 to be able to plug in the harness and match up colors

Green97TJ · #7 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 08:39 PM

I did buy the wiring harness you mentioned, and wired according to that, which doesnt seem to be right. Therefore, im going to rewire according to the factory colors that XJNick gave me. thats kinda what i was hoping someone could post. Ill post again soon as i try that!

Thanks a lot!! hopefully this will work!

Nathan

Green97TJ · #8 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 09:04 PM

No good.... i checked according to the factory wire colors that XJNick posted.... all are correct by that. The only thing i could think of was this. Someone has done this before, then put the factory stereo back in. Double checked to be sure his rewiring was correct and it is. Other then one thing. The ground is hooked to the grounding strap for the gauges. I wondered if that could be the problem, so i ran i tempory ground to the body, still did the same thing.

Im about out of ideas, i hope someone else has some....

Thanks again

Nathan

Green97TJ · #9 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 10:21 PM

well i (sorta) figured out the problem. Or at least found where it was. Somewhere in the wiring for the right rear speaker is my problem. So... I just taped off the wiring for the right rear (ive only got one speaker right now and its wired into the front left) and whenever i buy new speakers im just going to ditch the harness, wire the hot, acc, and ground, then run all new speaker wire all the way from the stereo to the speakers and say screw the factory wiring.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.

Nathan

XJNick · #10 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green97TJ

and whenever i buy new speakers im just going to ditch the harness, wire the hot, acc, and ground, then run all new speaker wire all the way from the stereo to the speakers and say screw the factory wiring.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.

Nathan

That's a pretty safe idea. It sounds to me like that wiring harness (which may have included a dome light wire?) was shorting to the chassis, probably due to rubbing against some sharp metal somewhere.

Glad to hear the factory colors helped ya out

-Nick

Green97TJ · #11 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 11:25 PM

Yea, the whole thing was an awful mess. Whoever had the jeep before me had put a different stereo in it. When they did the just cut off the factory harness and wired it straight in. When the decided to get rid of the jeep (im guessing thats when) they put the factory radio back in and to do this wired the factory harness back on. But that looked to have been done correctly. No matter, it works for now, and when i get the cash to put new speakers in its getting re-done anyway.

Nathan

Tug-n-pull · #12 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 12:02 AM

Wireing is so stinking crazy to start with on a Jeep! Do as I said above "do not monkey with it" if you can get out of it. Run a good heavy gauge wire hot and ground into the cab to a isolation block and then you have new power and ground supply for all the extras you will ever need. Better safe than sorry. tug

joejeepny · #13 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 08:37 AM

Some stereos cant run without the speakers connected. It overdrives the amps because they have no load and blows the final output transister. Unless the stereo is overload protected you could ruin your radio.

graewulf · #14 (**permalink**) 12-28-2003, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green97TJ

The ground is hooked to the grounding strap for the gauges. I wondered if that could be the problem, so i ran i tempory ground to the body, still did the same thing.
else has some....

Thanks again

Nathan

sounds like you hit it there.. run the ground to chasis geound... the "ground" that youi are using is not a true ground. yo are grounding through your lights. I did somethign similar and grounded through brake lights once...