Another day, another issue, my Stilo is living up to the FIAT moto, Fix It Again Tomorrow! The latest issue is the stereo/ SatNac fitted to my Abarth, which has started playing up. It turns on with the car, the fiat logo comes up flickers on and off a few times and then goes blank and turns itself off. :bang:

If I keep trying to turn the stereo on it will eventually work but takes a good few attempts and seems completely random. I've taken the whole unit out and all the wires seem to be firmly connected at the back.

Anyone had a similar issue?

Thanks in advance.

Not an issue i've experienced personally although I've messed with a fair few connect navs in my time.

For their day they were pretty complex and clever bits of kit and a good satnav system. These days though they're rather outdated and clunky tech. The only real support for them is to send them back to the manufacturer in Italy and I dont know of anybody that's braved doing so to date.

I've got one in bits in front of me and all the connections within are fairly solid by design, so it's not like I can foresee how it's got a loose connection or anything.

The connections on the back of the unit are soldered directly to a printed circuit board (PCB). This PCB is then connected by ribbon cable (similar to the old computer IDE ribbons) to the motherboard.

I know the screen can be a weakness because the backlight can go in them but that doesn't seem symptomatic from what you describe.

Sadly, if it's playing you up; my advice would be to ditch it and get one of the modern android or similar double din units - that'll do satnav, phone and far more besides and be much more reliable than the old CN+.

Thanks Artermis, do you know if any of the double din stereos would be compatible with the Stilo settings? There's a lot of functionality through the stereo (fuel consumption screen, independent boot lock settings, etc etc) that I worry would be lost with a new stereo unit.

Paul106xsi said:

Thanks Artermis, do you know if any of the double din stereos would be compatible with the Stilo settings? There's a lot of functionality through the stereo (fuel consumption screen, independent boot lock settings, etc etc) that I worry would be lost with a new stereo unit.

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Hi Paul,

That's a bit beyond my field of knowledge to be honest. Davren is very knowledgeable on such matters, maybe he knows?

If you can figure out for certain why part is failing on your CN I dont mind ripping the part out of this one I have here for you to try. The screen died on this one, rest of it may well work fine - although being a CN I can't guarantee it.

Paul106xsi said:

Thanks Artermis, do you know if any of the double din stereos would be compatible with the Stilo settings? There's a lot of functionality through the stereo (fuel consumption screen, independent boot lock settings, etc etc) that I worry would be lost with a new stereo unit.

Click to expand...

After removing the CN+ you would have to carry out the Proxy Alignment procedure to tell the car's Body Computer that the CN+ was no longer present on the CAN (Control Area Network). You can do the PA procedure with Multiecuscan, available from http://www.multiecuscan.net

There's also a function within MES to enable the various settings to return to the MODE button, as they are on Stilos without the CN+
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Thanks for your replies. It was turning on after the fourth or fifth attempt but even that doesn't work now, so a replacement is on the cards. https://www.fiatforum.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

Possibly the on/off switch on the front panel PCB is not making good contact. It's the small square black switch with white button in the picture below.

If you can get it to switch on one more time, there's a hidden "Service" menu that tests various functions and reports any faulty modules.

Connect Nav+ "Service" Menu

There is an inbuilt menu in the Connect Nav+ unit that allows the user to ensure various modules are working, and that the speakers, antennas and GPS/GSM systems are functioning normally. To access this menu, do the following continuously and quickly:

1. Press "Setup".
2. Press "Connect" 4 times ("Connect" is button 10, 11 or 12 of the 12 buttons along the bottom of the screen).
3. Press "Enter".
4. Scroll down to the newly appeared button "Service", and press "Enter".
5. Scroll through the four or five (can't remember) pages of tests.
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if the on/off button is momentary action I wouldn't suspect it to cause the symptoms described.

Does it turn off at the same place in the startup procedure? i.e. the same number of seconds after pressing the on/off button? If so this suggests a safety cut-out kind of feature, which likely means a component failure, like the powerAmp IC shorting to ground, pulling too much current and this triggering a safety cut-out.

I have a double-din unit, not a brand name, and even though its advertised as a quad-core processor (1.6Ghz x4) it is achingly slow at doing most jobs compared to my Nexus 5 (also quad-core, officially 2.3Ghz but is old and doesn't like clocking much over 1.2Ghz). However, it gives me reverse camera and radio and TorqueLite etc.

I have a standard radio from a 1.6 2004 if it helps with your swap-testing etc, though maybe needs Davren to say if it has compatible parts etc.

Mytheroo said:

if the on/off button is momentary action I wouldn't suspect it to cause the symptoms described.

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It is a momentary action push-on/push-off switch. The only reason I mentioned it as a possibility is because I had the same problem with one of my CN+'s. Sometimes it would switch on, sometimes not. Traced it to a cracked metal diaphragm inside the switch. Only place I could find an exact match for a new switch was Digi-Key. They sent me a strip of 10 from America.

Mytheroo said:

I have a standard radio from a 1.6 2004 if it helps with your swap-testing etc, though maybe needs Davren to say if it has compatible parts etc.

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The internal parts of the Magneti Marelli CN+ are totally different to the standard Visteon radio. The Visteon casing is almost empty except for the CD mechanism, power supply and a couple of LSI chips.
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Davren said:

...Sometimes it would switch on, sometimes not...

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- yes, with these symptoms I'd suspect the switch, but the OP has it turning on but then off again without extra inputs.
As a test, can you hold in the switch, does this turn it on, and then after a few seconds turn it off again? If so, the switch becomes a possible culprit again.

Davren said:

The internal parts of the Magneti Marelli CN+ are totally different to the standard Visteon radio..

Click to expand...

- understood

Thanks guys. I've only tried turning it on (just a quick press) but will give it a go tomorrow with holding the button down.

Thanks for the set up info Davren, if it ever turns on again I'll try that out and see what's going on.

I was really asking about the behaviour on a working unit, but by all means try stuff as sometimes the results lead to light-bulb moments

Mytheroo said:

I was really asking about the behaviour on a working unit, but by all means try stuff as sometimes the results lead to light-bulb moments

Click to expand...

Ill second that... trial and error is sometimed the key to apithinaies! I can vouch for that myself

Mytheroo said:

I was really asking about the behaviour on a working unit, but by all means try stuff as sometimes the results lead to light-bulb moments

Click to expand...

Oh, I see what you mean. Tried holding it in anyway and still no joy. The times it did work (since its been playing up) it went to the main radio screen when the car was turned on. It now comes up with the Fiat logo, stays like that for 30 seconds before restarting, it does this about 3 times and then turns itself off. The on switch always turns the unit on, but it doesn't get passed the fiat logo. Also noticed the sos button will turn it on but again only as far as the fiat logo.

Paul106xsi said:

Oh, I see what you mean. Tried holding it in anyway and still no joy. The times it did work (since its been playing up) it went to the main radio screen when the car was turned on. It now comes up with the Fiat logo, stays like that for 30 seconds before restarting, it does this about 3 times and then turns itself off. The on switch always turns the unit on, but it doesn't get passed the fiat logo. Also noticed the sos button will turn it on but again only as far as the fiat logo.

Click to expand...

This sounds like it's not booting up correctly and after a few restarts it gives up.

Can you try reflashing the firmware or updating it somehow, im sure it can be done via USB stick or from a DVD (if it does not have USB functionality).

I'm sure #Davren can assist further with this one.

The firmware update procedure is below, but you would have to be able to switch the CN+ on and off several times to use it.
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Stilo Connect Nav+ (CN+) Firmware Update Procedure.

WARNING: It has been reported by some people, that carrying out the firmware update has permanently destroyed their CN+. This could possibly be because the procedure was not followed correctly, or because the car battery was partially discharged. Before proceeding, decide whether you really want the update, and that your battery is fully charged.

Here are links for the various Firmware Update versions. You will need to unzip one of them with WinRar (or similar) to produce an .ISO image file, and then burn a CD from that file. Use a good quality, blank CD-R at slow speed.

Firmware v9.9 https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/downloads....downloadid=419

Firmware v11.0 https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/downloads....downloadid=418


This is the Update procedure:

NOTE: Some information stored in memory will be erased once this update starts.

You must follow the instructions exactly as follows:
Remove the SIM card then switch the ignition on (DO NOT start the engine).
Once the CN+ has fully started, clear any error messages using the “ESCAPE” button.
Remove any map or music CD then turn the CN+ off using the “ON” button.
Once the CN+ has fully shut down, turn it back on using the “ON” button and clear any error messages using the “ESCAPE” button.
Insert the Update Disc and wait for the display to show “CD Error”. Clear this message using the “ESCAPE” button.
Turn the CN+ off by pressing the “ON” button.
Remove the ignition key and then wait about 30 seconds.
With the ignition key still removed, switch the CN+ on using the “ON” button.
The Update procedure should begin. DO NOT switch the CN+ off during the procedure. The update may stop for a few moments a few times, this is normal. When completed, the blue FIAT logo will appear on the screen and the CD will be ejected automatically.
Remove the CD then switch the CN+ off using the “ON” button.
If the update procedure has been successful, when you switch the CN+ back on, it should show your new firmware version number in the bottom right hand corner of the blue Fiat screen.

NOTE: If the update procedure stops at 50% for more than 10 minutes, or does not complete successfully for any reason, you will probably now have a corrupted flash and a completely dead CN+. It has been reported that pressing buttons 3 then 4 then 5 then 6 then “TEL” will flash all the front panel lights twice and may allow the update to resume. I have never needed to try this, so I don’t know if it works or not. Your only other option though, would be to send the unit to Magneti Marelli in Italy for repair, or to replace the CN+.

After you've updated the firmware, the language of the CN+ will have reverted to Italian. To change the language, you will need the Setup Disc.

Here's a link for the Setup Disc. You will need to unzip it with WinRar (or similar) to produce an .ISO image file, and then burn a CD from that file. Use a good quality, blank CD-R at slow speed.

Setup Disc https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/downloads....downloadid=417

This is the procedure to change the language:

Switch the ignition on.
As soon as the CN+ starts, insert the Setup Disc and allow the CN+ to boot up normally.
Read and clear any warning messages using the “ESCAPE” button.
Press "SETUP" then "LANGUAGE" then choose your language.
Highlight “OK” then press “ENTER” to accept the new language.
Read and follow the warning messages as appropriate. When complete, press “ESCAPE” to clear the final message.
Eject the Setup Disc.
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Back again! The stereo had a CD in it which it wouldn't eject so the firmware was a no go (although thanks to Davren for the details and links) so I gve up and just drove it around with no working stereo for a while. I've since bought a used Nav+ from eBay and fitted that. Although the seller gave me a radio code the car doesn't seem to like it!

Is there a trick to actually putting the code in? And is the master code the radio code? Tried searching the forum but nothing came up. I noticed if I just turn the stereo on it doesn't ask for a code until I turn the key. When I do, it asks for a master code which I input using the keys along the bottom (the screen has 1 to 9 (I think) above each button) and then hit enter. The screen then says 'wrong pin, try turning the unit on/off' or something to that effect. :bang: Not sure if it's the way I'm typing the code in or whether the seller has written it down wrong etc.

Any help would be really appreciated! I'm sooo close to having music in my car again!

CDs are so last century ;-)

Paul106xsi said:

Back again! The stereo had a CD in it which it wouldn't eject so the firmware was a no go

Click to expand...

To remove a stuck CD, you need to remove the top cover then remove the screw holding the eject motor. You'll need a T6 screwdriver for the screw.

Lift the motor up just enough so you can get a finger on the edge of the white plastic gear wheel (arrowed red) then turn the gear wheel clockwise until the CD comes out. The black clip in my picture below is just to hold the motor out of the way while turning the gear wheel. Be careful lifting the motor, the wires to it are very thin and easy to break.

As you turn the gear wheel, the metal tab (arrowed yellow) should move to the left and the CD should start to come out. You can only turn the gear wheel a small amount at a time, so each time you need to release it, hold the tab so it doesn't spring back then turn the gear wheel a bit more until the CD is out.

Paul106xsi said:

Is there a trick to actually putting the code in? And is the master code the radio code? I noticed if I just turn the stereo on it doesn't ask for a code until I turn the key. When I do, it asks for a master code which I input using the keys along the bottom (the screen has 1 to 9 (I think) above each button) and then hit enter. The screen then says 'wrong pin, try turning the unit on/off' or something to that effect. :bang: Not sure if it's the way I'm typing the code in or whether the seller has written it down wrong etc.

Click to expand...

The Master Code is stored in the Connect Nav and the Body Computer. The BC is only active when the ignition is switched on, so the CN will work without a code until then.

Yes... the 4 digit code is the Master Code. When the Master Code request box is showing, the buttons will be labelled 1 to 9 plus 0. Press the relevant buttons according to the code, then press "ENTER". If the code is rejected, it's likely you have the wrong code.
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Davren said:

Yes... the 4 digit code is the Master Code. When the Master Code request box is showing, the buttons will be labelled 1 to 9 plus 0. Press the relevant buttons according to the code, then press "ENTER". If the code is rejected, it's likely you have the wrong code.
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Click to expand...

Many thanks Davren, I'll get the code from the top of the stereo tomorrow night and post the details on your fiat radio code thread along with a donation.