NorthwindHost

Ok, basically when I turn the lights on, my system just turns off.

Its an aftermarket kenwood that came with the car. Basically I was hoping the replace it but I need to figure out whats wrong with it first.

I turn the lights on - the radio goes off.
Lights off - the radio goes back on.

Kinda annoying when I try to enjoy a nice night drive.

Also when I do turn the radio on, the antenna seems like its stuck and makes this grinding noise. I don't know if I should replace the mast or the whole assembly.

Please advise as what I should do.

I tried pulling out the antenna but it seems like its stuck.
I thought maybe a little bit of WD-40 to loosen it abit and try make it so it actually extends.

NorthwindHost

No one knows the answer huh?

DCrosby

Sounds liek a faulty ground or something's wrong in your headlights... try turning everything else on AC/Fans on full, doem lights, stick a hair dryer in the cigarette lighter etc.. and see if you have the same problem, if not it's the Headlights Fault, since the radio needs a certain amount of amps / voltage and if the headlights are sucking that away then your radio shuts down...

I'd also take it to an altanator place and they can troubbleshoot your electrical system unless you know how to read a voltmeter... or want to learn....
Then Troubbleshoot the power (Black and White Wires) on the radio to see what the voltage amperage drop is across the wires when certain things ... Lights, Ac, fans, etc.. are turned on...

Hope this helps...

-DC

chairchild

HaHa! from what it sounds like, your head units power supply is the "illumination" power line. When you turn your lights on, they use all the power which your head unit needs! And try taking the aerial apart and giving the mechanics a quick squirt of WD40 - they sometimes get a bit cloggy.

Basically, use a seperate power line, and a can of WD40

NorthwindHost

well, the headunit came with the car but I was planning on changing it with a new panasonic.

I wan't to see how that works before anything.

NorthwindHost

Well, where would i get a seperate power line?

DCrosby

Do some exporing with a lightbulb or a multimeter in the fusebox under the Driver side dash...

chairchild

Seperate power lines are just a bit of extra wire coming from the battery which go straight to your head unit. But make sure you put in a fuse as close to the battery as possible though.

I couldn't be bothered to buy a reel of wire just for 2m of it! So I used a bit of mains flex and pulled one one of the wires out of it - it will hold up to 13A, so it's perfect!

NorthwindHost

so there is extra wire by the headunit?

I looked behind there and really couldn't find anything.

Also anyone know where I can find a driver side door speaker mount?

NorthwindHost

Argh this is getting really annoying.

I plan to have a amp installed pretty soon. Anyone know wheather that would help this issue or not?

NorthwindHost

Bump ^

InsaneGideon

Getting an amp may make things worse!

Try running the car with all accessories and lights on, highbeams even. Check your power voltage at the head unit itself and at the battery terminals. If they're both low, it's probably the power systems fault (battery, alternator, etc). If the radio's voltage is much lower than the battery, then should looking for a bad connection somewhere. That could be a bad ground, power mains, or some poor wire carrying too much current than what it was intended for.

Does opening or closing the headlights without turning them on cause these symptoms?

NorthwindHost

hehe, I forgot I had this still opened.

It was a bad connection for the ground. It was reading positive where it should pretty much be neutral. So I just grounded it directly into the car chassis.

InsaneGideon

Damn pesky grounds!

Glad to see things worked out.

NorthwindHost

Thanks. =)
I am glad as well.