OK I've decided to change out the head unit on my evo from the JVC one that was in it when i bought it to a Power Acoustik 4333nrb. So I pulled out the old one and then went about wiring in the new one. I have the infinity setup and the adapter for the round plug was already hooked up. So I plugged the RCA jacks from the adapter to the outputs on the head unit, easy peasy...

Where the issue comes in is when wiring up the power. I hooked the 12VDC constant and 12VDC switched wired from the car's harness to the ones from the head unit, as well as the amp remote turn on and illumination wires. Nothing... The only way I can get the radio to power on is if I connect the switched and constant wires to each other.

The weird side effect from all this is that when the key isn't in the acc position none of the interior lights will work. The key fob won't lock or unlock the doors, the dome light won't come on, the little ding ding sound when the keys are in the ignition and the door is open won't chime. Only when the key is in the acc or on position will any of these things work.

The radio won't keep any of it's settings when the key is turned off either. Its like the switched source is somehow cutting off things that require a constant 12 volt source somehow. The part that aggravates me the most is that this same exact issue has happened with two other radios that have been installed on friends vehicles (not Evos).

The other annoying aspect of this is that I've wired up $25k-$30k transmitters and receivers no problem, but a freaking car radio is getting the best of me, lol. I know its gotta be something small that I've just overlooked, but any advice would really help.

 

Have you checked the voltage on the factory harness to make sure constant and key power are in the right spot? If you unplug the radio harness from the car, do any of the items that don't work, work?

 

Disconnect the Illumination wire... see if that fixes your problem. IF not use a multimeter test your constant and ignition wires for power. See if there getting power when they should be.

 

The illumination wire works correctly for dimming the radio when the headlights are turned on. But the issue presented itself both before and after I wired that in.

Removing the radio completely doesn't help anything, I'm thinking that the interior electronics -dome light, door chime, etc.- have the same common as the radio and removing it is keeping the circuit from closing. I may be way off on that, but I haven't taken a look at the wiring schematics for the car...

Checking voltage on the pins is my next step... don't have my own meter, so I'm going to borrow one from work to make sure the wires are labled correctly.

 

Sounds like a blown fuse

 

Yea start at the source, your factory harness wires and check for voltage. Check your fuses etc. Process of elimination.

 

I know what's your problem. Start with disconnecting the battery. Then, the fuse box under the hood, there is a yellow casing that is housing two 10amp fuses. Those fuses control the dome lights, door locks (when car off), and radio. Replace those two fuses, reconnect your battery, and your done!

 

Also while changing those fuses, recheck your deck harness (battery still disconnected) and make sure nothing is loose and it is pushed all the way in the deck snug.