Gotta VENT!

Modified and aftermarket systems, lights, wiring, etc.

Moderator: F9K9

User avatar
Pauleo
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Gotta VENT!

Post by Pauleo »

ME + CAR AUDIO = :x :x :x :x :x :x :x

Well, I was TRYING to hook up new door speakers. I was only on my first one. Driver side front door. I had it hooked up with the balance & fade to that speaker. (Aftermarket Pioneer radio BTW) It sounded good and I was just about ready to put the speaker back into the blue bracket when the radio cut off!!!!!! I hadn't even moved anything! The speaker was in my hand! So I couldn't have crossed any wires or anything! :twisted:

The only thing I can come up with is I had the + & - mixed up and it blew something. I unhooked the speaker & made sure the bare wires were separated & turned the head unit back on. Same thing. It fires up & plays for a second or two then shuts down!

The other thing that could have happened was that I pulled on the speakers wires a bit after the old one was excavated & before the new one was in. Seeing if I could get a little extra slack. Maybe in doing that, I pulled the power wire loose from the back of the radio just enough to get it to cut in & out. I don't know. What I DO know is that my wife is gonna kick my @$$!!!!!! She didn't want me to buy the new speakers in the first place! Said I'm trying to relive my childhood or something.

Anyway, I SUCK!!! Why oh why does this sort of thing always happen to me???????? :lol: I guess I'm not the Mr. Fix It that I thought I was!!!


:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
[size=75]"As I said before, I never repeat myself!"[/size]
User avatar
AZS10Crew
Crew K Elite
Crew K Elite
Posts: 1288
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 9:38 am
Location: Plymouth, IN
Contact:

Post by AZS10Crew »

Does it still shut off when you reattach the stock speaker? If not...then it's a speaker issue. If it does shut off when you reattach the stock speaker, then it's a wiring or head unit issue.

Not sure what would cause that though. Check your harness on the back of the head unit for loose ones is my best suggestion.
[size=75]Mark
[b][i][color=red]2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab[/color][/i][/b]
[b][color=blue]"There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."[/color][/b][/size]
User avatar
Pauleo
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Post by Pauleo »

I didn't hook the factory speaker back up. But I did disconnect the new one & just left the wires bare, not touching. Then turned the unit back on. It comes on without sound & shuts down after about 15 seconds. Or it will run fun but shut down after about 15 seconds. I keep turning it back on & it keeps shutting back down. I'm pretty sure it's the head unit. My question is this: Can I actually blow the radio just by having the polarity of a speaker backwards????? When we were kids, we used to do this sort of stuff all the time. If we were unsure of which wire was postive & which wire was negative on a speaker, we wold just try it one way & then the other. What ever way sounded best, that's what we went with. I never had this happen to me before.

So could I have blown the head unit???????
[size=75]"As I said before, I never repeat myself!"[/size]
User avatar
adrenalnjunky
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 895
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2003 11:32 am
Location: West Monroe, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by adrenalnjunky »

no -- your speaker is nothing but a coil - a fancy electromagnet that moves because of the signals that the headunit sends out - this isn't like hooking a battery up to the powersupply backwards. Hooking the speaker up backwards means that the speaker will play backwards, but it will still provie the correct impedance(ohm load) across the circuit, and the radio should not shut down.

You have something wrong in the headunit, or in the headunit wiring.

either that or your battery was dumping on you and you havent cranked the truck to realize it maybe?
[size=75]Thanks, CHRIS
2000 S10 Blazer 4x4 4Dr. -- 2" PA BodyLift, Daystar Shackles, TB Crank, 1.75" Rear wheel spacers, Yakima roofrack, 30" BFG AT's.
1969 VW Bug -- airbagged and in pieces.
1962 VW Karmann ghia -- rusting over in the corner. "That's not a tool--that's a damn brick!"[/size]
User avatar
Pauleo
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Post by Pauleo »

OK. So that's pretty good news. At least I know that I didn't screw it up! Whew! Now I have to figure out what the problem is exactly. Maybe when I tugged the speaker wires in the door to get a little slack, I pulled something loose.

I bought the radio from Best Buy & had them install it. That was about 6 months ago. So maybe I'll hook up all the speakers, put everything back together, & just give it to them to fix. It should be under warranty.

I am just so glad that it wasn't my stupidity with having the speakers hooked up wrong! Now my wife can get off my back!!!!!!! :!:
[size=75]"As I said before, I never repeat myself!"[/size]
coreylubahn

Post by coreylubahn »

adrenalnjunky wrote:either that or your battery was dumping on you and you havent cranked the truck to realize it maybe?
I fell victim to this about a week ago when installing my wive's new deck, sirius and speakers. I got everything wired up and I also wired her radar detector into the switched power so it would come on with the Blazer ad then go off again. I couldn't figure out why it worked the first couple of times before I put the dash all back together but not after it was all put back together. I even checked the voltage for correct polarity..everything was fine. Finally I thought it must be the fuse and I would get to that latter. So I'm checking the deck out and I wanted to check the dimming with the headlights on...I turn the headlights on...the deck goes off...not dims...off. What the *$(@? Turn the lights off...deck back on...lights on...deck off. I was getting really pissed at this point. So I tear the whole dash back apart and check out all my wiring and everything is fine. Put it all back together...still happening. So I think maybe the truck needs to be started for everything to work...turn the key and the starter just spins. I felt like such a dum bass. Charged it up and everything was happy again. I've installed a ton of systems and had never had this happen to me and I certainly wasn't ready for it....something to think about for everyone doing car mods. Good tip Chris....I hadn't thought about it for this problem either...but it could be. Check it out Pauleo.
User avatar
Pauleo
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Post by Pauleo »

Man! Now I can't wait to get home to check all of this out! (I'm at work now.) I did stop at Best Buy on my lunch & they told me that the install was guaranteed for life. That's good news! I'll put my new speakers in, and start 'er up. If it's still screwing up on me, I'll take it back to Best Buy & let them figure it out!

I hope to get it all done tonight. I'll keep the board posted.

Thanks all!
[size=75]"As I said before, I never repeat myself!"[/size]
User avatar
Pauleo
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 473
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Post by Pauleo »

All I have to say is WOOO-HOOOO!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Hey Corey! Guess what? It was only the battery after all!!! When I got home, I tried to start it. I got just the starter ticking. Put in on the charger for a bit and BANG! She fired up and so did the radio!!!!!! Amazing! If you would not have posted on this, I would have probaby blamed myself for draining the battery too! Then ripped the whole thing apart trying to figure THAT mess out!

Man! I keep saying it over & over. But if it wasn't for finding this board and all the great people on here, I don't know what I'd do.

So to everyone.....

THANKS!!! :thumb:
[size=75]"As I said before, I never repeat myself!"[/size]
User avatar
adrenalnjunky
Crew Elite
Crew Elite
Posts: 895
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2003 11:32 am
Location: West Monroe, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by adrenalnjunky »

When you've had as may batteries go bad as I have over the years, you kinda start recognizing the signs.

Glad we could help.
[size=75]Thanks, CHRIS
2000 S10 Blazer 4x4 4Dr. -- 2" PA BodyLift, Daystar Shackles, TB Crank, 1.75" Rear wheel spacers, Yakima roofrack, 30" BFG AT's.
1969 VW Bug -- airbagged and in pieces.
1962 VW Karmann ghia -- rusting over in the corner. "That's not a tool--that's a damn brick!"[/size]