Technical CD player/radio installation help !

[Mr_Uno]

I've installed my speakers (4 x 9's) in the dashboard and wired them up, the only problem now is i can't get the unit to power up...kind of a big problem. I've connected the HU to the ISO plug etc... but i get no power. I sent the unit back presuming it was faulty and was told it isn't (he powered it up no problem) and that there must an error with my wiring.

The guy said something about checking the pin positions on the ISO block and that i probably have 12v permanent but no ignition, i know i have the unit connected up correctly but no where on the ISO block does it say ignition. What's this all about ?

Any help would be much appreciated !

 

[Ucof]

ICE forum would be best place for this thread

 

[btmaldon]

Usually the red wire from your unit should connect to the switched live (live when ignition on if you havent got an auxiliary position on the key). The yellow wire from the unit should be connected to a permanent live, as this holds the memory.

Check the corresponding connections on the ISO plug match those from the unit.

Some Italian cars only have one live and that is a permanent one. You may have to connect both your red and yellow wires to the same permanent live feed. In this case you will have to manually switch your unit on and off as it will stay on when the ignition is switched off. This is a problem I had with an Alfa and had to rewire it.

 

[rawill]

Some Italian cars only have one live and that is a permanent one. You may have to connect both your red and yellow wires to the same permanent live feed. In this case you will have to manually switch your unit on and off as it will stay on when the ignition is switched off. This is a problem I had with an Alfa and had to rewire it.

This is definitely an issue with the Uno.

The only way (I have found) to have the radio on when the car ignition is off is to wire both the read and yellow wire into a permanently live wire.

 

[Chas Uno]

Some Italian cars only have one live and that is a permanent one. You may have to connect both your red and yellow wires to the same permanent live feed. In this case you will have to manually switch your unit on and off as it will stay on when the ignition is switched off. This is a problem I had with an Alfa and had to rewire it.

Never found this a problem with my Uno as it has a face off head unit. As I always remove the fascia whenever I leave the car the head unit is always switched off when I'm not in it.

I've never really had an issue with older radio cassettes either. Except the one time I forgot to turn it off and the tape was still running (it reached the end of the album on one side but there was still about 10 mins of blank tape remaining). I left the car to do some shopping only to come back 20 minutes later and found it blaring out side two at maximum volume. Damn auto reverse tape decks...

 

[alexGS]

To provide the ignition/ACC+ wire (red wire for most stereos), I use the supply to the heater fan switch, which is near the stereo housing. The heater fan has (if I remember correctly) blue and blue-black wires on the Mk1 - on the Mk2, the heater fan supply wire is grey-blue (I just looked that up ) This is shown as having a multi-pin connector at the heater unit itself.

Connect a wire to that grey-blue wire and run that to the ISO ACC+ terminal, and you should be right. The heater fan supply is already fused, has adequate current - the ACC+ wire usually carries only a small current.

Usually the permanent +12V supply provides most of the current, which is a yellow wire at the stereo, connected to the green-red wire for the Mk2 Uno or brown wire for the Mk1 Uno.

-Alex

 

[Mr_Uno]

Got it working !

All i had near the stereo enclosure was a brown wire and a black wire...none were live. So i took the strip of dash off where the rear de-mister button is and looked for a positive live. Found a very short one in a small flat block, so i took the wire down to the stereo enclosure (ahh good old chock block !), hooked it all up and it works fine ! Goes off when ignition is off and comes on when i turn the ignition on.

I have no idea who took the last radio out (or attempted to fit one) but there are LOADS of wires that are negative and seemingly there is no use for them. 3 big blocks of wire which are connected to nothing i can see.

Ahh well it's working now anyway !! Don't sound too bad actually with the 4 x 9 JBL's with the bass boost on the stereo.

 

[alexGS]

Good work - half the problem is usually that the wiring is no longer original, sounds like you had a maze of wiring to work through...

-Alex

 

[btmaldon]

Only thing is, does it keep the memory settings after switching off the ignition?

 

[Mr_Uno]

^^

My sound settings are saved; can't try with any radio presets as i need to buy a DIN to ISO adapter for the aerial.

AlexGS: There was a hell of a lot of wiring, though it was all neatly put into blocks so none were tangled beyond rescue.

 

[rawill]

Educate me, yes it goes on and off with the ignition.
But is it able to turned on when the ignition is off.

The memory will be fine if you have a permanent live lead to the appropriate lead on the radio.
post 3.

 

[btmaldon]

The yellow wire from the unit normally needs to be linked to a permanent live as this one holds the memory. If the red wire is connected to a switched live, you wont be able to turn the radio on without the ignition on.

 

[Mr_Uno]

I can use it just from the battery if that's what you mean, but the key has to be turned so the electrics are on.

So the radio should work with no key in the ingnition ? Or am i missing the point ?

 

[Chas Uno]

I can use it just from the battery if that's what you mean, but the key has to be turned so the electrics are on.

So the radio should work with no key in the ingnition ? Or am i missing the point ?

The standard stereo power cable in the Uno loom is a permanent live, therefore you will not be able to switch off the stereo with the ignition key. If you want this facility then you need to find a switchable live source as suggested in AlexGS's post. However, you can switch the stereo off manually when it is not needed, which is hardly a problem

 

[Mr_Uno]

The stereo goes off when I turn the igntion off and comes on when I turn the ignition on. I went over the wiring many times once i'd finished and i'm certain everything is fine.

Not sure what live source i've used (in that i have no idea what it was initially used for...if anything) but it's swicthable anyway. I was guessing it may have been for a cigarette lighter ?

 

[Chas Uno]

The stereo goes off when I turn the igntion off and comes on when I turn the ignition on. I went over the wiring many times once i'd finished and i'm certain everything is fine.

Not sure what live source i've used (in that i have no idea what it was initially used for...if anything) but it's swicthable anyway. I was guessing it may have been for a cigarette lighter ?

I don't think it's that one as the ciggy lighter should be a permanent live. It's probably from the fan switch as that is switchable with the ignition?

 

[rawill]

If it works the way you want it to great. That is all that matters. Mine used to work that way.

I changed it to having both wires permanent live so I could be sitting in the car with the ignition off. Parked up, and have the radio on. And that means having to turn the radio on and off. It is only a problem if you forget and leave the radio on, flat battery. Most cars have an accessory lead to wire the radio in to that does the trick and lets you park up and have the radio on with the ignition off.

 

[EssexUno]

Mines on a permanent live feed, i remember to turn it off because i can hear it? lol. it's not even any hassle turning it off as i take the fascia off when i lock the car up so it won't stay on anyway.

Dan

 

[Ucof]

it's not even any hassle turning it off as i take the fascia off when i lock the car up so it won't stay on anyway.

Dan

Yeah, this.

(except the 'Dan' bit)

 

[EssexUno]

What you talking about Ucof, the "Dan" bit completes the sentence, without that it's just a load of jibberish lol

Dan