help with stereo please!!

[msingh]

Good evening to you all!!

I would be greatful if you could give me some help.

After many years of driving round with the standard tape radio in my s2 i decided to put a new cd radio in the car. I took the old one out and replaced it with a kenwood unit. I had to buy a radio aerial adaptor but the connector/plug from the back of the kenwood fitted staright onto the cars 2 plugs.
The stereo will not power up the plugs are all plugged in correctly and the stereo has been tested and is in good working order.

Plug with 4 pins in it(power lead i think) from the car wits fine onto the kenwoods plug but the kenwood plug has 5 pins is this something to do with it?

Any help is much appreciated.

[Jamo]

You have to join the ignition feed to the head unit to the 12v + live power wire.

If the head doesn't see 12V on the ignition wire and the 12v live it will not power on.

See here http://www.clarionworld.co.uk/stock/iso.asp

There maybe a join option on the ISO adapter else it sounds like you've got a naff adapter.

[Nj]

an autoleads PC2-18-4 should sort you out if you want the easy approach. as long as your kenwood wiring loom is ok and the car wiring is ok. double check with the place you buy it. you'll get one online for 11 ish quid. or about 15 quid in halfrauds.
Did your old cassette unit stay powered on when you turned off the ignition or turn off? If it turned on and off with the ignition it's probably just the location of the live and ignition wires on the kenwood loom don't match the pins on the audi connector. it's pretty normal.

[msingh]

Hi guys thanks for the help got it sorted.

[Donker]

You have to join the ignition feed to the head unit to the 12v + live power wire.

If the head doesn't see 12V on the ignition wire and the 12v live it will not power on.

See here http://www.clarionworld.co.uk/stock/iso.asp

There maybe a join option on the ISO adapter else it sounds like you've got a naff adapter.

I've been trying to get a stereo working in my S2 as well, but it won't power on, even though I found the 12V+ and one cable with 12V+ on ignition and connected them to the respective cables on the headunit. No power up. Is the due to the above? Exactly how do you mean you have to join the ingition feed to the live power wire?

Grateful for any help.

[philKS2]

I've just put a new stereo in my S2 this weekend... even tho the new connectors all fitted the old ones, it wd not power up at first. TO RESOLVE THIS....You simply have to look into the connector and make sure the pins line up...

ie: The incoming power pin went into the top right socket on the connector block, but the corresponding power cable to the stereo was attached to the bottom right socket on the radio connector... so when you plug them together....surprise...there'e NO POWER because they are not connecting. All you need to do is carefully using pliers, move the cable to the CORRECT placeon the connector block.

[Nj]

you can join the 2 cables together (the ignition live and permanent live) and join these to the permanent source of 12+ in your car. This should let you use the stereo whether the ignition is on or off (best to have the power turning off when you turn off the ignition). It's also a good way to test the stero. even if your speakers aren't connected the stero should power on if you have these 2 cables connected to a permanent 12+ and the earth cable properly connected.
If there's no life at this point i'd suggest you
- check the source of 12+ is definitely giving you 12 volts
- check the earth is definitely correctly earthed (if need be run a wire temporarily to a bare metal point or directly to the battery earth terminal)
- check the fuse in the back of the stereo
- check the fuse in the wiring loom if there is one

Other than that i'd suggest the wiring loom or stereo is faulty.
Do you know for sure that the stereo was working before you tried to install it?

[Donker]

Thanks, I understand a bit better now. The cables did not line up, so I did connect them directly instead.

The headunit is brand new so it should work. The previous owner of the car never got his stereo working in it either.

Will try your tips fourcircle, thanks a bunch!

[Nj]

good luck mate. I know my tips are a bit 'back to basics' but sometimes you find something this way - like a bad earth.
if you can get autoleads accessories over there the adapter cable PC2-18-4 will save you changing the pins on the ISO block, just in case you bend or snap one. i've done it before.

[Donker]

It's WORKING with the ignition joined to the battery 12V+! Thank you!

[Nj]

that's excellent news. well done