Car Stereos

ap1986

Hi,

I apologise if this is in the wrong place...

I recently bought a "new" car... To me it's new but it's a 1997 Proton Persona Compact GLSi. Anyway, when I bought it, it had no stereo. This didn't bother me, cost me less than an iPad so not having a stereo wasn't a big deal.

So... Last week, I bought one from Halfords. It's an ex-display Pioneer MVH-1400UB which, at £30, came with no box or instructions. I knew this when I bought it - this isn't the issue.

I then needed a 'harness' for the stereo as the leads in my car didn't fit, understandably, so ordered one which was delivered yesterday.

I plugged everything in and it works. The only problem is, every time I switch on the car, the stereo wants me to 'set-up' and also doesn't light up at all. I have downloaded and printed the manufacturers instructions off t'interweb and had a read through and everything seems fine. I'm not doing anything wrong according to the instructions yet the problem with the back light and the fact I need to set it up everytime I switch the car, is still there.

Luckily, I work next door to a mechanics and they've taken a little look at it and said that it's wired fine, everything should work fine and there shouldn't be a problem.

I have spoken to Halfords on the phone and they said that the problem isn't with the stereo, it's with the wiring. They said the stereo was working fine when I picked it up (I'd reserved online) although they didn't offer to show me it working, I just took their word for it. They've said that I can return it and get a replacement or refund which I'm more than happy with but I don't want the same problem with another more expensive stereo.

So... Anyway, getting to the point, can anyone offer any advice on what I should be looking for problem wise, with the wiring?

Like I say, I do work near a mechanics although being a tight a**e I'm not really happy to pay their hourly rate for them to sort it out and would rather do it myself if it's something simple enough.

Obviously, the display is knacked so I'll have to replace the stereo although, like I said, I don't want the same problem with setting up the stereo everytime I switch the car on.

Again, sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place and very sorry to whine on about it..

Thanks in advance for your advice!

ILW

Sounds like the permanent live feed is missing. If you can figure out which one it is on the input, just run a wire from the battery.

Inner_Zone

Are the red and yellow wires individually fused. Sometimes you need to reverse them at the fuse holders. Red ignition +, yellow backup +. But check the wiring first.

forgotmyname

You need 2 live feeds to work the stereo.

One is a perm live with the ignition off. This is to work the radio when the engine is off and retain the settings. Sometime the radio powers for 1 hour in this mode then shuts down to save the battery.
The 2nd powers the radio up when the ignition comes on for normal use.

Then you need a feed from the lighting circuit also to power the lights in the dark.

Have you done all these?

ap1986

Hmmm... Maybe I will be paying someone to do this for me after all - I will have a look over the weekend but to be honest it seems a bit complicated for me. I have very little knowledge on cars and am a little baffled by the wiring business.

Thanks you all very much for your help and advice though - I will certainly have a look at it myself and try to get it sorted with the advice you've given!

I shall let you know how I get on... If I don't blow myself up / electricute myself in the process :-/

Norman_Castle

The permanent live may use a different fuse in the cars fuse box. If you have a manual, check to see which fuses the radio uses and either check the fuse or check if other items on that fuse are working.

molerat

Check that the wiring harness that came with the radio has the red and yellow connected correctly, maybe swap them at the joins provided.
Have you connected the separate earth wire on the adaptor harness you purchased to an earth point on the car ? This can cause some weird problems if not connected.
There is no need for a connection to the cars lighting circuit as all lighting is internal to the player.

Lum

The radio losing it's memory every time is the classic problem of the red and yellow wires being swapped over. This is the default in so many cars it's silly. Many radios have removable plugs in the supplied lead to let you swap them over.

Do the lights come on when you start the car, and/or when you turn your sidelights on?

ap1986

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I popped into Halfords on my way home from work and explained the situation. The guy there was really helpful - said that the bulb in the front of the stereo had probably gone, as it was ex display they didn't have any to replace it with which is v rubbish but never mind. The red and yellow leads were in fact round the wrong way and he changed them for me there and then.

Got into the car and plugged it all back in (decided to try it without the lights for a little while to see how I get on) and, ta dah, it works fine. Had a little play around with the USB port to double check that worked and the radio lit up!!!

So, to conclude, the radio lights up when a device is connected even if another function is in use and it remembers that I've already set it up when I turn it off and on again! Now I know it lights up when charging my phone or iPod, I don't really mind its not constant!

So thank you again for your help everyone... Your advice was correct and I shall remember it in future!!
:beer:

Lum

Best thing to do is get the tiniest usb memory stick you can find, something like this, fill it full of music and leave it stuck in there. A larger stick may eventually get knocked while changing gear and break the USB port.

It'll be a little annoying having the music on a separate device to your iPod, at least until the one time you don't have your iPod with you.

Radios with USB support are awesome though, good choice

ap1986

Nice idea!! Thank you very much! I shall certainly give that a go!