If you have an aftermarket head unit, and your problem has existed ever since it was installed, then you're probably dealing with a wiring problem. Check if your radio is designed to stay on for a set amount of time. Some car radios are on a timer, so they are designed to not shut off immediately. No issues any where in the jeep. If you reach the end, and your car radio still won't turn off, you may need to seek professional assistance. The problem could also be in the mechanical ignition cylinder, which could be worn out or misaligned. All Rights Reserved. Car radios have two power lines - one that is switched with the ignition to turn it off with the car, and one that is constant to maintain radio settings. If you installed the head unit yourself, then you may want to check out the following head unit wiring resources: In broad strokes, you will want to check the power wires that are connected to the head unit and determine which one is switched. 3. In basic terms, when the ignition switch is in the off position, the ignition accessory wire should not have power. I have a 97 pontiac fire bird with an aftermarket head unit and subs and speakers. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. This is a related problem, but it has to do with the mechanical ignition cylinder instead of the electronic switch. 2. This feature typically shuts the radio off after about ten minutes or if a door is shut, although that isn’t a universal rule. Some car manufacturers, however, may design the car electronics in such a way that the head unit won’t turn off for about 10 minutes after you have turned the car off. I am moving it from OT to The Garage. radio cutting in and out JA: Is this an aftermarket stereo, or did it come with the car? The basics of car stereo wiring aren’t terribly complicated, but it is pretty easy to get it wrong if you’re missing some vital information or don’t take a methodical approach to the job. To turn Off forced camera mode, press and … The other, which actually provides power to run the head unit, is switched so that it’s only hot when the ignition is in the accessory or run position. Check your head unit wiring. Customer: oringal JA: What is the model/year of your Chevy? The problem - Answered by a verified VW Mechanic. The OnStar® active red LED will … If the resistor gets hot, then pull it out and fix the problem by disconnecting the k-line from the stereo's wiring harness. Jump ahead a week and I swap out the door speakers and now the radio will not shut off when I remove the FOB and open the door. To fix this problem, you'll need to make sure that the ignition switch is actually in the off position when you remove the key. Everything else seems to be working fine. If a head unit is wired wrong, so that the “always on” wire is connected where the switched wire should be connected, the radio won’t ever shut off. If you found that both of your power wires were hot in step one, but you couldn't find a power source that was only hot with the ignition switch in the accessory or run position, this might be your problem. The OEM radio ties into the CAN-BUS so I imagine that it is turned off via that system. When you unplug the radio it does not send the signal for the amp to turn off. I replaced the Radio with an aftermarket radio. If you must keep it running here, please support this endeavor and select a support plan - which starts at only $0.16 cents per day. Some cars come with a feature that allows the radio to stay on after the keys have been removed from the ignition. In some cases, a bad ignition switch or ignition switch cylinder may also prevent a radio from turning off. I have asked a ford mechanic what he might think it would be and he said it could be the radio, but I don’t think it is. And I am still having problems. I installed an aftermarket HU, amp and rear view camera. After numerous tries to get the radio to work I requested a return. This is an old thread with new responses. Somehow, the aftermarket unit is not talking to the Jeep in the special way it … Otherwise, this type of problem usually requires help from a professional. If power is available, then you will have to realign the cylinder or replace the ignition switch as needed. But in this case its the radio won;t shut off period with out manually turning it off and that is a problem. If you have an aftermarket head unit, and your problem has existed ever since it was installed, then you're probably dealing with a wiring problem. When your car radio won't turn off, you can end up dealing with some pretty annoying consequences. There are a few common problems that can result in a car radio not shutting down when you expect it to, and each one applies to a fairly specific situation. If it still hasn't turned off, check if the dome lights turn off when the doors are shut. aftermarket radio not turning on !! But to high amplified sound settings can make the radio to go off because to much power is taking out of the battery. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. Then, the next day it would start working again. I have checked the interior lights and the windows and they turn off, so I’m assuming that the relay isn’t the problem. Everything worked fine. Depending on the shape that the battery is in, this drain can absolutely result in a dead battery, a jump start, and possibly even a broken radio. Check your head unit wiring. Check your ignition cylinder and key. You should be able to narrow down, and even fix, the source of the problem by following these instructions. Help!! If your key or ignition cylinder are especially worn, you may be able to remove the key when the switch is still in the accessory or on position. If you're finding that accessories have power when they shouldn't, the problem could be in the ignition switch or the relay. Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. If you drive a car that was built in the last 10 or 15 years, you’re experiencing this problem, and you have an OEM head unit, you may want to start by checking your owner’s manual to see if your vehicle does have this feature. My car … There are two or three connections from the head unit to the positive end of the car battery. Feb 05 2019, 11:06pm. One power wire is hot all the time, and the other only has power when the engine is running, or when the ignition switch is in the accessory position. Only way to turn it off is eject it when i leave the car. If the main power wire for your head unit is connected to a power source that is always hot, the radio won't ever turn off. One of them is supposed to keep the memory alive every time you use it, and it is commonly referred to as “always on” function. The red ignition LED on the side of the interface will turn on and the +12v accessory wire will turn on. Which one? If you set all 5 channels 100 decibels and 110 dB and 10 for the speakers, radio settings can make the radio go off in till you disconnect the music source and set the settings correctly. Then make the following modification to the car's wiring harness: Make sure that the k-line is not connected to anything if you have an aftermarket radio! Plan B, you could run a new switched wire from a known source that does turn off - the power feed to the cigarette lighter for instance. Jump to Latest Follow ... ya it will turn on when i hit the switch but i can turn the radio off and it will just do the memory for the clock. Most of the time your car head unit won’t turn off due to faulty wiring, especially if you have installed an aftermarket radio. Car radios don't draw a whole lot of power, but it's enough to drain your battery dead overnight, or even over the span of a few hours if your battery is already on its last legs. Check your ignition switch. NOTE: Audio will not fade as the rear outputs of aftermarket radio can not be used. When you plug the factory radio in it provides the amp with the turn on signal it needs. I don’t see it published in the typical sales brochure specs very often if ever. Pressing the OnStar® button on the mirror will mute or turn off the radio and allow the audio to be heard from the speakers. The first is the radio wont turn on and off as I start and turn off the car. One connection is “always on,” and it’s used for the memory keep-alive function. My head unit randomly turns off when it wants to, when the head unit turns off the windows don't work either, and there is no sound or nothing. There are a few different reasons for a car radio to stop working after the battery has gone completely dead. The crux of the problem, as it relates to this issue, is that every car radio requires a ground and then two or three connections to battery positive. Turning the vehicle on and off didn't help. If the dome lights don't turn off, you might have a bad door switch. One wire should be hot all the time, and the other should only show 12 volts when the ignition switch is turned on. Little help needed here. Turn on the radio and check the balance. In the long term, replacing the worn out cylinder will fix the problem. Other than that, you could have a problem with your ignition switch, or some other related component, and there are also some cars that are designed to allow the radio to stay on for a given amount of time, usually about ten minutes, unless a door is opened first. Blown fuses. Lastly I've heard of circumstances where a large capacitor fed the stereo and amps after power was off. Red wire It is the ACC wire, it should be connected to a switched 12V live positive wire from the car. It's usually due to some type of electrical problem, so we'll walk you through the most common causes and how to fix them. If you notice that opening and closing your doors ​don’t activate your dome light, then you may be dealing with a faulty door switch, which is typically pretty easy to replace. Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day. In other cases, you may have a problem with a relay or other component. I have a 1996 Chevy blazer, with a Kenwood CD player. Why Your Car Won't Start Even Though the Lights Work, What to Do When the Gauges in Your Car Aren't Working, Identifying Aftermarket Car Stereo Wire Colors, How to Fix a Computer That Turns On and Then Off. then after a few second or minutes it usually turns back on, then off, then on, then most of the time it stays on for the rest of the ride. The main … The first, and by far most common, is that the radio has an anti-theft “feature” that kicks in whenever battery power is removed. So how do you fix a car radio that won't turn off? Aftermarket radio, simply being a dumb unit will stay powered on as long as ACCESSORY provides power. Your factory amplifier requires a digital turn on. For now I've wired the memory and the power together so that the stereo turns on. the 4-way joystick until the video shows on the aftermarket radio. As the weather has dropped I'm trying to avoid battery drain as it stays on standby even when turned off. He also ghostwrites articles for numerous major trade publications. Hi all I'm in the process of wanting a ignition on/off for my aftermarket Pioneer stereo in my 2007 Gti. admin allisolm I’m not for sure if this is because of the CD player itself, or the new speakers i … The most common cause of this problem is an improperly wired head unit, so if you have an aftermarket radio, that's the first place to look. Please help me out! It can take about 4 hours with the radio on to re-charge so short journeys simply leave it dead.Even cheap back-up batteries are £20 or more (+fitting) - a four hour trip to the coast is more fun, then turn off radio and if it comes back on on the same station do a complete re-tune and you should be fine - but phone Sony first to see if the audio unit does have a back-up battery which might be … 07-12-2012 12:11 PM #1 I know this question has been asked several times before but when i was reading the forums I … Dome lights do n't turn off, you might have a bad switch... 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