I am having a problem with my car stereo! help!?

[Subject]
I am having a problem with my car stereo! help!?
[Question]
Okay, i just got a Sony Xplod CDX-GT430IP and it keeps advertising on the display what all it does and it won't stop! for instance, ipod,WMA, HD ready and so on... i usually just press a button and it stops but this time it won't stop! :[



it won't let me see anything on the screen besides what all it does.

Any help?
THANK YOU ALL I GOT IT TO WORK! ALL OF YOU GET BEST ANSWER IF IT WERE POSSIBLE.



i just tired everything you guys told me... Thanks.

M.O.B @ 2009-02-23 21:23:37

[All Answers]
Look through your deck options for something like a "demo mode" or at least thats what its called on mine, im sure youll have an option to turn it off.

Patrick @ 2009-02-23 21:29:15

quite annoying, check the manual most decks have a specific button to set the display, if it keeps resetting make sure the constant power wire is not being shut down for some reason.

if that does not work hit the pin reset button of the face of the unit then go back in to the display menu and try again.

kreekatt @ 2009-02-23 21:32:19

Hold down the main button and go into the options to turn demo mode off.

Lem™ @ 2009-02-23 21:32:47

try unplugging an ipod and plugging it back in or taking a cd out and putting it in again. Or you could try disconnecting your battery that should reset the stereo but you will have to put the settings you had on it back in.

Mitchell F @ 2009-02-23 21:33:00

[Subject]
Did I fry my car stereo amp?
[Question]
Ok heres the scenerio. A buddy of mine wanted to see if an amp he was gonna buy from another guy worked so I offered to let him hook it up to my system to test it. So I unhooked my amp and hooked his up.... after all that I started hooking my amp back up and my dumb ass forgot to unhook the cable from the battery when I was putting in the possitive and accedentily touched the negative with the possitive. It sparked so I stopped immediatly. I checked the fuse between the amp and the battery and it had blown so I thought good it protected my amp. I replaced the fuse a couple days later and hooked it all back up and now tha amp won't even power on. I tested the remote, it's hot, the battery cable is hot, the ground is good. Did I fry the amp?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Cameron
Yeah I checked the fuses on the side by just pullin em and lookin at em but maybe Ill hook em up to an ohm meter. I pulled off the bottom, which just reveals the circuit board, and looks fine...

Here's my amp

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-QV1bNqWmicn/p_113KAC9103/Kenwood-KAC-9103D.html

Cameron S @ 2009-02-23 21:57:19

[All Answers]
there might be an internal fuse but i fried a kenwood powered eq in the early days and it fried a trace, i was lazy and hit the outside with the power lead and got a thump then nothing, trust me that has never happened again.

last resort is to open it up and see if you can see an obvious failure if it is out of warranty.

kreekatt @ 2009-02-23 22:08:39

usually amps have a couple fuses built in on the side..? i have popped a few of those and sometimes can be a bitch to remove.



here is a photo of what i am talking about....



http://www.soundbuggy.com/Eric/Car%20Audio/zapco/z100c2-sl/fuse1.JPG



dont totally give up. maybe try connecting your amp to your friends system and see if it turns on...



always recheck everything. . . your ground, your terminal connections, your fuse again etc

moosehed @ 2009-02-23 22:37:07

Amps usually have a fuse. Did you check that? If so and it is good, then yes you have blown your amp!

bushnana @ 2009-02-23 22:46:38

the fuse on the exterior of the amp will blow, and not let the power wire get hot.



when the wire begins to heat up, it is short circuiting inside the amplifier, and not working properly.



Your amplifier is blown, that sucks.

C J @ 2009-02-23 22:50:42

[Subject]
How much will it cost to get a CD stereo system installed in my car?
[Question]
i have 1996 land rover discovery

Moosie @ 2009-02-23 21:22:27

[All Answers]
well prob about 200 they will install it for free usually depends on where you buy the stereo.

Beth L @ 2009-02-23 21:31:07

if you have the Deck then it will cost about $50 installation...for radio Deck alone..



For the Amp>Subs>Speakers>Equalizer>etc...it will cost about $150-$200 if you have all of these..



If you dont have any of these gadgets, then the price alone will be it,.. installation usually is either free or way low if you buy it from the installers...



but if you dont want to pay for installation but have all the gadgets, drive to my house, i can hook it up for free...well maybe not for free, but a simple lunch will suffice...

TonePro @ 2009-02-23 21:32:51

How much you willing to pay. If you want a ok system is about 300

Samboy @ 2009-02-23 21:35:14

If you have to buy the stereo, I would say right arounf $250-$350 installed. Depends on what you get though.



Your looking at $40 for the install and another $30 for the wiring harness.

bushnana @ 2009-02-23 22:50:58

[Subject]
Grounding My Amp Wire Help.?
[Question]
I know the basic setup, my question is can i use any fat wire? or can it be any? I have a (red plastic) thick monster power wire. but the standard (silver plastic wire) i don't have. i was wondering if i can substitute it. I really don't know if its the same type of wiring, I know I may be confused but I will mark it with a marker. I just need to know if its alright to ground my amp with the monster cable, instead of the silver plastic wiring. im running 2 12" pioneers with a 1000 watt sony amp. thanks in advance.

ant p @ 2009-02-23 22:33:04

[All Answers]
no not any wire. use a thick gage wire. a grade or two below your power wire is sufficient. if youre running a 12 gage to the amp 16 is good for your ground. and make sure you sand down the paint where ever you ground the wire, thats an important step in making a solid ground.

moosehed @ 2009-02-23 22:39:55

Yes it is fine to do that. Just don't use wire for a house or anything like that.

bushnana @ 2009-02-23 22:41:28

the plastic insulation color means nothing it is the gauge of wiring, by this chart you should use 4 gauge and 8 gauge at the least, look at the wire it should say 4agu, if copper or silver means nothing the rating is what counts, if you have to wait until a store opens to buy a few feet then wait.



http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

kreekatt @ 2009-02-23 22:48:40

the general rule is to use the same gauge wire that you supply the power with.



if the monster is the same size as the power wire you currently run, you are fine.

C J @ 2009-02-23 22:56:57

[Subject]
When wireing head unit for car..do you..?
[Question]
Do you combine the red wire(ignition) with the yellow wire(constant)



because thats the only way i found to make it work......

Omero A @ 2009-02-23 21:11:12

[All Answers]
one wire is constant 12v. that retains all of your settings like clock, radio station pre sets, and bass treble and so on, the other is 12v. switched, the switch is the ignition either when the car is running or in the acc position.

You do not want to use both wires constant, it may energise the back light of the display and keep the internal amp on so the unit will overheat at some point damaging solder traces the disc damper or other components.



you need a multimeter or test light and probe the wires you think might be the switched lead, test with ignition off then when you turn on the ignition it will go from 0 to 12v.

Older vws. had no switched wire so i would use a rocker switch fused from the battery or tapped from an open spot on the fuse block, other wise you can find another wire that is only on when the car is running but do not leave it this way.

kreekatt @ 2009-02-23 21:25:37

Thats a pretty old car if it didn't have a connector in the first place. Red is power, black is ground, yellow is constant or blue, just depends on the maker of the unit. But all you should of done was ran a seperate wire from your unit to the battery. You should never mess with the ignition wire.



If it still has the connector that came with it "stock" buy a converter kit that will allow you to connect to it. I know that not all makes of vehicles and stock radios are supported. But AutoZone, and other simular places sell the kits.

Wild Turkey @ 2009-02-23 21:26:13

if you connect them both, then it is gonna stay on and waste the battery. i also had this problem. i have an '06 G6 and the harness didnt have the ignition wire. i got some wire and connected it to the yellow wire (same as to the battery) and put a switch on it. then ran it to the ignition wire on the stereo. and it works.

Ghost @ 2009-02-23 22:26:18

If you did that then our stereo will always be on and will drain your battery. The red wire has to only turn on when the ignition does.

bushnana @ 2009-02-23 22:52:28