going crazy with this install

[moongrrl]

i didn't always have such a low opinion of myself. but apparently i am unable to pull off what should have been a simple install here.

Problem:

Got everything in (amp, new speakers, head unit) FINALLY and head unit worked for about 5 or 6 hours. arrrgggghhhhh

So I pull my dash apart for the 10th time, check the ground (which as it turns out I did not tighten well enough...doh), inspect wiring and connections and find no other issues. fuse is fine. still no power to my head unit.

did i blow it up? i just want music in my car!!! and i am going to be driving for about 2 hrs today to bid for a mural job in caddo mills, tx...thus i am going crazy.

any ideas before i give up and tear my hair out?

thanks in advance lovelies

melanie

[sean_fabanich]

so is the radio not powering up...or are you not getting sound? did you check the fuse on the radio and the car both? make sure you check both.

what on the ground connection needed tightening? did you use barrel connectors instead of splicing?

ive seen a few times where using connectors in an install present an issue when you actually put the radio in the dash. there isnt much room behind the radio so sometimes the pressure on the wires causes a short or poor connection. i always ended up splicing (and preferably soldering)the connections. so they didnt get stuck on all the random plastic (which i usually end up cutting out)

so if you didnt remove any of the pointless plastic trim inside the radio bay id bet its kinda hard getting the radio back in all the way. if so id make sure some wires didnt get pinched and shorted...which should have blown the fuse in the car...really the only way the fuse on the radio would blow is if something internally went bad with the radio. i doubt it would just die after 6 hours of use.

do you get any signs of power....? or nothing at all?


if i were looking at it...id first check the fuse in the car. if it is bad then something in your wiring is touching something in the car..or got pinched and u just dont realize it...which happens alot...obviously replace the fuse..but check the wires for any bare wires or pinches...

if thats ok id say that its probably something in your wiring...id probably just pull out the radio and redo all the connection....splicing them...and soldering if possible...and when taping the connections remember less is more...dont use to much tape. and when splicing make sure you splice them end to end...so when taped it looks like a normal wire. alot of people will just put the wires next to each other and then splice the ends.....basically when they taped it it looked like a kinked hose...thats not the best way to go for this car.

also once you have all the wires spliced...bundle the wires and about an inch or two from each side of the splices tape all the wires together in a bundle...dont go over the connections...just tape the wires together...this will alleviate stress on any one wire...preserving the connections.

also check the wires at the connectors...sometimes ive seen the wires acutallly pull slightly out of the harness connector...and when plugged in it still doesnt connect..

sorry...so many things to suggest.

good luck

[moongrrl]

no need for apology...thank you so much for your advice. a couple of things in there i hadn't thought of/checked. i am getting no power at all, what a drag. my ground wire was too short and i didn't have the bolt and nut that i stuck it to the chassis with tightened properly.

unfortunately i am going to have to re-wire the entire setup. luckily i have a friend whose husband is a mechanic, and he came over before i started this mess and gave me a crash in how to put the wires together, solder and heat shrink. he even let me borrow his soldering gun and heat gun (which i almost immediately added to my garage arsenal after i returned them...i just could not bear even the thought of the iron and lighter method and i'm so close to harbor freight there was really no excuse!!)

i have taken most of the un needed crap plastic out, it got in the way when i stuck the gauges there between the vents. i will be sure to check the wires down in the harness, may even just pull them all too and reseat them. it has been tugged a bit i'm afraid...

aaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh again!!

and thank you kindly!

[sean_fabanich]

if you have a freind who is a mechanic you should ask him to come over with a test light or volt meter.

test ur ground, 12v constant, and keyed 12v(acc). that would be the black, yellow and red wires...make sure he gets ground thru the ground...and 12 volts thru the yellow all the time...and 12 thru the red whenever the key is turned to acc or the on position. if you arent getting one of them then it points to a shorted wire further back in the bundle or harness.....when doing that test you dont need the radio plugged in...just test the wires in the car.

i know when i cut out the plastic peice at the rear of the compartment...the piece i mean is the one that had a small hole in it...where the factory radio rested by a bolt on the back of the radio...that really made things fit better for me...

good luck. let me know if you have any more ?s or when you figure it out...im curious.

[moongrrl]

roger...10-4...thanks again for your advice...moongrrl and bluebonnet over and out

[moongrrl]

allright. i had to eat the whole humble pie to do this. here was the prob...

i have a fuse panel that i put in to handle all the crap i'm putting in the car. for some crazy reason i put a fuse in the line from the panel to the battery with a 30 amp fuse in it which needless to say was blown to the moon. that was the problem. at least i cleaned up my wiring job in all the mess.

doh.

so, ya...hope that satisfied your curiosity...don't laugh at me too hard i just started with all this electrical and working on my car stuff...i'm a new bee!!

melanie

[JLasvegas]

Melanie, any pics of the set up?

[moongrrl]

not yet...i almost have a door panel ready to get painted and go back in then i will finish the box for the sub. once that is in i will take photos. so far the only pics i've taken are the one's of the metal oil dipstick tube i modified to replace the crappy plastic one. i will have more pics of the engine soon too though, i just got parts to do my cold air intake today that is going to be fun i'm sure...can't wait till the kids go to sleep and i get to go back to work!

my bug verse is all screwy right now, but i'm gonna have a show car by the end of it, so i'm trying to be patient! i'm an artist and work well in a state of controlled chaos...barely have control of it right now, lol!

but the system i'm putting in includes:

6 mid range speakers (4 in factory locations and 2 i dropped in the dash)
2 tweeters in factory location
1 12" sub in trunk
1 dual 600 watt amp in trunk (to run 4 front mid range)
1 dub 400 watt (i think) in trunk (to run 2 remaining mid range in series and sub...it's 2 channel)

the head unit is dual, removable face, bluetooth and usb for my ipod. i know everybody says dual is crappy but it's what i could afford now that had the features i was looking for (i'm sure i'll upgrade b4 too long) and everything i got has great customer reviews, so i'm taking my chances with it.

pics as soon as my sitch is one that anybody would want to see, lol!

melanie

oh ya, and i put these sweet black 18" rims on with color tabs that got painted blue of course...and let me tell you i get some looks when i'm out and about...they are so freakin awesome!!

[2004NBTURBOS]

You go on with your bad self. You might be a newbe but you dove right in the deep end. For that you are to be commended. We wanna see pics of both stereo and rims.

[moongrrl]

Originally Posted by 2004NBTURBOS

You go on with your bad self. You might be a newbe but you dove right in the deep end. For that you are to be commended. We wanna see pics of both stereo and rims.

aww shucks! thanks...and they will appear asap

melanie