# problems after installing new car stereo [resolved]



## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

*problems after installing new car stereo*

hi, i have a 96 mitsubishi galant exceed (auto). me and a few friends recently installed a new car stereo and sub woofers (with amp). after installing the sound system i have found a few problems with my car.

-the lights inside the car no longer work. ie the dash board light to light up the dash at night when you're driving, the inside light on the roof, and the light in the boot.
-the central locking opens when you use the key, but does not lock with key. the inside button for the central locking only works sometimes (rarely)
-whenever i turn the car on the clock is set/resets to 1:00 (no clock when the car is off). the numbers a very vague, and some times they disappear (or turn off, idont know)
-when i turn the car on the stereo is reset to standar settings. ie back to the first song, equalizer reset to 0, etc.
-the car idles one bar above the zero. feels like it wants to stall

dont know if these are related or not. now i dont know if all these happened during installation, but i have just noticed them after the install. they may have been there already. i have had a look at the fuse box and they all look fine (no broken fuses). dont know what else to do. i thought i would try and fix the problem or find a solution on the net before taking it in to the shop (save money). if u think you might have a solution to any of the problems, please post, or if you know where i may find the solution, please post. please help, thanx.

notes: the subs are connected through the rca. the amp is powered straight from the battery, through the steering column, might have bumped/moved something while attempting to connect to battery. jvc stereo. not sure of subs brand.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

disconnect the power to the wireless and the amp and see if everything returns to normal


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

wireless?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

showing my age
wireless,radio,stereo all the same depending on your age what comes out when you refer to them


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

will do that soon, have to leave shortly. just a few extra stuff:
the friend who helped me do it has successfuly installed over 20 sound systems (from home). he is not registered or anything but knows his way around a car. 
all the leads i used were from an installation/wiring kit. the are farely thick and are meant specifically for the job.
the headlights and indicators still work. i am not sure about reverse or brake lights. the only lights that work inside are the coloured lights on the dash. ie the lights when you turn the car to 'on', the light to show which gear you're in, etc.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i did my own took 8hrs i used one of the wiring kits and nothing worked had to cut the plug off the end and sort the wires out one by one and solder them together,my problem was caused by the original factory wiring did not match the specs


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

thats what my friend had to do to mine. cut the plug off and go through each wire and find the correct ones. also, the reverse and brake lights work. i will disconnect everything shortly


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## Drupy (Jul 20, 2002)

Man you must have had a field day cutting wires for all of that stuff to quit working.


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

thanks and sorry guys. i forgot to check the fuses under the hood (noob). since all the writing on the fuse boxes are in japanese, i had to go through all of them. two were blown. everything is going except for the dash light. not sure, but i might have blown the bulb or something. is it a wire or fuse? or is it the bulb? any suggestions? will i be able to fix it myself or will i need a pro?

also the idle is still playing-up. it did have a low idle before but since the installation it has got a lot worse. the car has stalled (auto) a couple of times this week. not good. any suggestions?

Once again, THANKS.


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## MD_Willington (Jan 11, 2005)

Just a FYI...

Anyone who would cut a factory wiring harness is a halfwit...

I've fix my fair share of the "Professional" stereo installs at a card dealership I worked at...

Sorry to pick on your buddy, but that's just poor worksmanship and it is a fire hazard that your insurance provider will not cover if your car burns up due to an electrical fire.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

the sony stereo i put in came with two adapters one had a plug on each end and if it did not match up the other had the plug for the stereo and just the bare wires on the other end and the only way to connect was to remove the plug from the loom.
when you are on a budget your options are limited prof. installs here comes close to the cost of the stereo


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

for some reason the fuse for the dash and rear lights always blows. its a 10 blade fuse. can anyone help? the light that lights up the dash at night and the lights at the back of the car so other drivers can see me dont work. im not sure if the fuse blows when i turn the lights on or when i turn the car on, but for some reason it always blows. i even put a 15 fuse in to see what would happen (not sure if that was a good move or not), and that blew straight away. please help.


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## JamesO (Mar 30, 2005)

My guess if you have the dash light wire for the original radio shorted somewhere??

Not sure if you used all the wires from the car harness, maybe you left one loose and it is shorted to ground? Maybe you pinched a wire installing a bracket in the dash? Maybe you connected something up wrong?

Unless you have a wiring diagram for the car, some auto parts store have them for review, you may need a box of fuses and pull the dash apart and start pulling wires from you factory wiring point one at a time until you can determine which wire is the problem child?? I assume you know what wires are for the speakers, these can probably be ruled out??

Keep in mind during major surgery, it is best to disconnect the battery before playing with wiring!

JamesO


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you use hevier fuses you are liabel to burn the wiring out and start a fire


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## Volt-Schwibe (Jan 12, 2003)

dai said:


> if you use hevier fuses you are liabel to burn the wiring out and start a fire


although this is true, any 10 amp circut in a car was originally wired for a 15 amp limit, because they always go one size larger for safety reasons.

however, don't ever go more than a single step up with a fuse, and only for testing purposes.


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

ok, i have found out that the fuse only/always blows when i turn the head-lights on. also, i didnt know, but the rear lights at the back of the car also dont work (stop and reverse still work though). i unhooked the amp (power lead) but fuse still blows. all the wires at the back of the stereo are all tidy (no loose wires to short out fuse). unhooked the the outside lights (boot & bonnet) of the car, fuse still blows. 
please help. Thanx


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## JamesO (Mar 30, 2005)

My *guess* if you have the *dash light wire* for the original radio shorted somewhere?? Or connected up to something while doing the dash work?? More than likely you will not need this wire as most aftermarket radios do not have a connection for the dimmable dash lighting.

The dash lights are probably somehow tied to the vehicle running lights??

A wiring diagram will probably go a long way to save you time.

This is the best I could find online, not for your vehicle but may be similiar??

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/1c/ca/3f/0900823d801cca3f.jsp

If your vehicle has a tail light relay, pull it out and see if the fuse still blows. Somehow I think your runninglights/tail lights and dash lights are probably tied together.

JamesO


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## jimd2p (May 22, 2005)

The illumination wire coming through on the factory harness generally shows ground. Then when you turn on the lights it goes to 12 volts. Chances are when he cut the wires and tested them, he found this one to be a ground and tied the stereo ground to it. Disconnect the stereo (or at least the ground wire), replace the fuse, and turn on the lights. Then see if the fuse blows. 

Another good site for this kind of thing is www.the12volt.com but be prepared for a little flaming.


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## maorifulla (Nov 26, 2004)

jimd2p said:


> The illumination wire coming through on the factory harness generally shows ground. Then when you turn on the lights it goes to 12 volts. Chances are when he cut the wires and tested them, he found this one to be a ground and tied the stereo ground to it.


thanks for the help. yep, he done exactly that. stereo all good now. thanks and sorry for late reply.


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