-Radio will not turn on (no sound, no lights)

Possible Cause: Yellow wire (12 volts constant ) is not connected or incorrect voltage Action: With a meter, check the connections on Yellow wire, it should be at least 12 volts Possible Cause: Red wire (12 volts ignition/accessory) not connected or incorrect voltage. Action: With a meter, check connections on Red wire for 12 volts while key is in the On or ACC position. Possible Cause: Black wire (ground) not connected Action: Be sure black wire is at a clean metal surface or a known ground Possible Cause: Fuse blown at radio or in vehicle Action: Check and replace fuses if blown

 

-Radio turns on but no sound

Possible Cause: Radio volume is down or radio is muted Action: Check volume control and mute function Possible Cause: Internal amp is in protect mode Action: Check speaker wiring for shorted or grounded wires Possible Cause: Radio is in wrong source mode (AUX, BT audio, etc.) Action: Toggle radio to correct source

 

-Radio Blows Fuses

Possible Cause: Possible short in wiring Action: Check wiring to be sure there are no shorts. Possible incorrect fuse (15 amp rating is needed for radio) Possible Cause: Vehicle is positive grounding or battery is in backwards Action: Check vehicle for correct negative grounding system or verify battery is installed correctly

 

-When using a USB drive: "USB ERR" or "READING", then switched back to radio

Possible Cause: Invalid media or device Action: Verify media is correct format (MP3 or WAV file, not MP4)

Possible Cause: RF interference from high performance ignition systems Action: Make sure main control box is isolated from firewall (use the rubber boots that came with the ignition module) Possible Cause: Advanced or improper ignition timing Action: Adjust the ignition timing back to factory specs, so that it does not fire prematurely. Check the distributor for cracks or a loose cap. check the rotor for burns of pits on the surface. Test the ignition coil for proper function.

 

Radio Cuts Out when the Vehicle is Running

There are five main issues that cause this problem:

1. Poor ground or shared ground with other electronics. Move the ground to a clean location or ground the radio directly to the negative battery terminal. Check the ground from engine to firewall. Install a ground strap from the engine to the vehicle chassis.
2. Ignition voltage is erratic. Test to make certain both power sources are good. Use a digital multi-meter, not a test light. Make sure both the RED ignition and the YELLOW constant do not have spikes or drops in voltage when the engine is running. The radio needs constant voltage of between 11 and 14.9 volts. 
3. USB cable routed near or over ignition or high current wiring. Make sure the USB cable(s) are not wrapped up with the ignition harness and are routed away from the vehicle’s ignition switch. Do not coil extra USB cabling.
4. Old vehicle wiring. Remember that, in most cases, we are dealing with vehicles that are over forty years old, with forty year-old electrical systems. Older ignitions -- such as Lucas wiring -- and many other older vehicles simply need to have updated plugs, wires and caps installed.  Solid core spark plug wires offer almost no resistance to RF interference; braided plug wires are best.
5. RF (radio frequency) interference caused by HEI or MSD after-market ignition systems.

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  • MSD: make sure main control box is isolated from the firewall (MSD ignitions come with rubber boots for the module. Make sure to use them!). Also make sure it is not sharing the same ground point as the radio. An MSD 8830 ignition coil filter is often effective at isolating the RF interference.
  • HEI: if your ignition is too advanced it will cause premature spark, creating RF interference.  Adjust the ignition so that it does not fire prematurely. Some vehicles with HEI ignition need RF shielding on the ignition part. Another alternative is to put shielding -- such as ferrite coils -- on the radio’s USB cables.
  • Inspect HEI: check for cracked or loose distributor cap. Check for carbon build up. Check rotor for burned black spot on wiper, or for pits in the surface. Test the coil to make sure it is functioning properly.

Because our radios feature an external USB cable on a three-foot umbilical, the USB cable itself can act as an antenna for RF interference. Some vehicles simply either have too much RF interference or other wiring issues to be able to use a unit with external USB inputs.

Additional Troubleshooting Information

RADIO WILL NOT TURN ON

These are the basic things the radio needs to work properly:

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  • Red and yellow wires must be connected for radio to work.
  • Red: 12 volt ignition turns on and off with the key.
  • Yellow: 12 volts constant at all times never loses voltage.
  • Black: Ground to a clean metal chassis point.
  • *Blue: Power Antenna output. Puts out 12 volts to control a power antenna relay.
    (if you have no power antenna, it should be capped off and not used)
  • *Blue/White: Amp turn-on lead. Is a low amperage 12 volt output. (If you are not using an external amplifier, it should be capped off and not used.)

*Note: Blue and Blue/White wires are low amperage and are designed to control internal relays within external amplifiers or power antennas. These outputs are not intended to power other devices. If turning on more than one amplifier or using these to power any other devises, please use the diagram below.

RADIO TURNS ON BUT THERE IS NO SOUND

Please Test the following:

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  • Most common problem: Speaker outputs are wired together to one speaker. 
    Each speaker needs its own positive and negative connection from the radio.
  • Shorted or grounded speaker wires or speaker terminals.

Any of these issues may cause the internal amplifier to shut down and will need to be reset after resolving the problem.

To reset: Remove main power plug from rear of radio for 1 minute then reconnect.

TROUBLESHOOTING ISSUES WITH SPEAKERS AND WIRING

Our Radios are high-powered and are designed to work with 4ohm speakers.

Be sure to check or replace your existing speakers if they are not 4ohm.

Speaker output wires CANNOT be wired to a common ground system.

What is Common grounding? 

Common grounding is when speakers in the vehicle use a chassis ground or a common grounding point for the negative side of the speakers. To use our radio you will need to either purchase an adapter or rewire your vehicle’s speakers.

Our radio’s speaker wires CANNOT be bridged.

What is Bridged?

Bridged is connecting two speaker wire outputs together in an effort to increase power. 
This will NOT work.

Any unused speaker wires MUST be capped off individually.

Unused speaker wires must not touch each other or “short out” by touching the vehicle’s chassis. 
This will cause the radio to not work.

No speaker wires or speaker connectors can be touching ground.

Be sure no speaker output wire is going to ground and no speaker terminal is grounded or shorted.

STANDARD DASH REPLACEMENT DUAL VOICE COIL (DVC) SPEAKER WIRING USING A SINGLE SPEAKER

USING THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SPEAKER OUTPUTS TO CONNECT EACH SIDE OF THE DUAL VOICE COIL DVC TO IT'S OWN SPEAKER OUTPUT

Be sure to “cap” off any unused speaker outputs separately to insure they do not touch each other or short to any part of the dash. Speaker output wires cannot be connected together.

See diagram below:

USING ONLY ONE SPEAKER OUTPUT FROM THE RADIO TO WIRE THE SPEAKER IN SERIES 

Connect one voice coil negative to the other voice coil positive. Then connect ONE speaker output to the remaining positive and negative.

See diagram below: