Radio turns on, speakers pop, and then turns off

[lloydster]

Hey guys,

I looked this problem up and didn't seem to find another thread with this specific issue.

Yesterday I bought a 2000 Limited with the factory radio in it. When I test drove it and drove it home the radio worked fine. I even went out last night after having the car sit for an hour or so and it worked. This morning when I turned my car on and put it in gear I heard a pop from my speakers. I looked down and my radio was off. I pressed the power button and it turned on for maybe half a second then I heard the pop again and it went off. Tried a few times and same result. Drove for a bit and tried again, nothing.

I didn't get a chance to check the fuses, and in all honesty I don't really know what I'm looking for. So I was hoping you guys would be able to point me in the right direction.

Thanks for your help.

 

[lloydster]

Bump with more info.

I've noticed that when I turn my car on and the stereo is off, the head unit will make a sound like it's trying to find a CD or tape. It will make this sound for like a half second, then stop, then keep doing it. If I try and turn it on when it's doing this 'wheezing' (what I call it), then the speakers will pop and the head unit will turn off. If I wait until it stops, usually about 10 minutes into my drive, and then turn the speaker on, it will work just fine. Any ideas?

 

[octanejunkie]

Does the antenna go up when turning the radio on?

The pop could be a short on the antenna trigger wire flashing back to the radio. It's strange that the fuse doesn't blow though.

Could also be a bad radio/preamp. Many folks swap the head unit out and pitch the pre-amp. You could try that if you have a spare stereo lying around and don't mind investing in a cheap harness.

 

[lloydster]

Does the antenna go up when turning the radio on?

The pop could be a short on the antenna trigger wire flashing back to the radio. It's strange that the fuse doesn't blow though.

Could also be a bad radio/preamp. Many folks swap the head unit out and pitch the pre-amp. You could try that if you have a spare stereo lying around and don't mind investing in a cheap harness.

I believe the antenna is after market because it's stationary, so I'm not sure if that issue still applies (I know very little about cars).

I want to get a new stereo eventually, just want to take care of some other things first. This issue might push me to getting one sooner rather than later. What do you mean by 'pitch the pre-amp'?

 

[octanejunkie]

I believe the antenna is after market because it's stationary, so I'm not sure if that issue still applies (I know very little about cars).

I want to get a new stereo eventually, just want to take care of some other things first. This issue might push me to getting one sooner rather than later. What do you mean by 'pitch the pre-amp'?

Now I suspect the antenna power short issue even more that you say it's a fixed antenna.

The factory radio has a separate, inline preamp. When using an aftermarket head unit you bypass the preamp, and usually remove it. It's located behind and below the factory radio, you'll see it when you pull the radio.

You can pull the radio and double check the connections, and make sure the antenna power cable is capped off and not shorting.

 

[lloydster]

Thanks for your help. I'll try and pull it tonight and check the connections and see how everything looks.

 

[octanejunkie]

Thanks for your help. I'll try and pull it tonight and check the connections and see how everything looks.

You're welcome, but to be clear, the antenna power wire will be in the harness, it probably won't be hanging loose right behind the radio, so you might spend some time tracing it towards the passenger side along the firewall or just cut it for the time being.

I had a harness so I didn't pay attention to what color the factory antenna trigger wire is. Hopefully someone can chime in with that.

 

[lloydster]

You're welcome, but to be clear, the antenna power wire will be in the harness, it probably won't be hanging loose right behind the radio, so you might spend some time tracing it towards the passenger side along the firewall or just cut it for the time being.

I had a harness so I didn't pay attention to what color the factory antenna trigger wire is. Hopefully someone can chime in with that.

So I pulled the head unit last night. I did find the antenna wire and whenever I pulled the plug and it touched any metal it would spark and make some crazy noise. It also made this weird non-stop wobble sound when I took it out. I plugged it all back in cause the wobble was pretty loud and I couldn't get it to stop any other way.

After all that the problem still persists. I'm pretty much at a loss and I'm thinking the only way to fix it is to get a new head unit.

 

[octanejunkie]

So I pulled the head unit last night. I did find the antenna wire and whenever I pulled the plug and it touched any metal it would spark and make some crazy noise. It also made this weird non-stop wobble sound when I took it out. I plugged it all back in cause the wobble was pretty loud and I couldn't get it to stop any other way.

After all that the problem still persists. I'm pretty much at a loss and I'm thinking the only way to fix it is to get a new head unit.

Sounds like a wiring issue with the aftermarket antenna. Is it a powered antenna or passive? Got pics?

 

[lloydster]

Sounds like a wiring issue with the aftermarket antenna. Is it a powered antenna or passive? Got pics?

Here’s a link to some pics. https://imgur.com/a/Kjsil

Not sure if it’s passive or powered. How would I tell?