Start with testing the ground wire (black), accessory wire (red) and constant (yellow). Top Answer. See Also: How to Install Speakers in a Car. Do you have any problems with other circuits in the car that are fed off the accessories power e.g. You may even hear a whining noise from speakers while accelerating. Check whether your upgraded system has this feature. • off Unlocking the car once only unlocks the driver’s door. don't really have another car to test it in. Can a Car Stereo Drain Your Battery? Often times a vehicle manufacturer will ground all of the dash instruments to one central location. Before taking any action that may be costly, it is recommended to try diagnosing the problem before deciding to venture into and expensive remedy. Required fields are marked *. This powers up a bunch of other stuff in the car that consumes battery power. If the wiring is good, then the voltmeter should read 12 volts or the voltage equal to your source. If you are lucky to identify it by yourself, you can replace the blown fuses with new ones. See if that makes the radio shut off. Faulty starter. There are simple ways to avoid being in this precarious position in the first place. The wires and the technology itself might be outdated, and it might need a new replacement. When the ISG switches the engine off at traffic lights etc, it is awesome. Then check for any readings. If this is happening to you, make sure the radio is wired properly. 33 people found this helpful. I don't really have adverts here: it's funded by wonderful people buying the Car Mechanics Video Course. only works while the engine is running, so there's ZERO gas waste in using any electrical device while the engine is off. Something about double tapping the start/stop button to turn it back on..I'm sure it's in the manual. ... yr prompt replies.What I have not told u that prior to this I had changed a new battery. Settings like volume level, fade, balance and pan control knobs might not be well set and therefore affecting the radio signal coming out of the speakers. The best way to identify if the wiring has problems is using a voltage meter. You may need to check the condition of the speakers as well. The amp will go off if the alternator is producing too much power than what the amplifier can handle. Since it’s very unlikely that your car radio would drain the battery even when turned off, it might be a good idea to consider these other possible explanations: Your email address will not be published. As mentioned previously, make sure you don't leave your lights or radio running when the engine is off--these are major battery drainers. Some new head units also might be faulty. The way your radio works can be quite complex. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Carspeakerland.com makes no representations, warranties, or assurances as to the accuracy, currency or completeness of the content contain on this website or any sites linked to this site. 2 possibilities. As a teenager I borrowed my dad’s 1960 Falcon to tool around in Friday night. If you cannot access it, then you may need to contact the manufacturers for guidance. It is always advisable to follow the right steps when diagnosing your car audio system. The car itself is salvaged, but I have never had a single issue. My radio, windshield wipers and ac/heater fan will not work. the car does not need to be in motion for it to happen just running is enough. With a failure of these components, it means the radio signal output will also be affected. Interference is either radiated - that is, picked up by the aerial - or conducted to the set by its own wiring. Engine noise in the vehicles stereo speakers. With using a relay you only got 4 wires, two for the coil (to activate when key is in ACC), and then two to switch the load (in this case the cigarette lighter. In this guide, you will find step by step directions on how to fix Dodge Grand Caravan radio. There are several checks you can carry out to trace the source of the interference. 2009-05-05 19:33:05. With the engine off AM is fine but with the engine on cannot get past all the static, interference, ... First you need to work out how the noise is getting into the radio. If your car system happens to have it, then you may need to perform a special procedure for you to get it back to work. The dashboard clock, for example, keeps track of time regardless of whether the car's engine is on. They will use a tiny amount of power from the car, but this is a few microamps, so would take … Another reason why an amp will go to protection mode is due to a short. What I can tell you is that I drive a 97 Subaru Impreza GX and basically had the battery replaced 6 months ago with a recommended one from the local mechanic – cost me $120.00 if I recall correctly. 2 weeks after that I had this radio problem and now the engine check light had come on A broken antenna will not receive signals, and therefore you will only be hearing white noise. When I turn the car on the radio turns off around 1500 rpms and at 1000 rpms it turns back on. If you have a lot of powerful speakers or a power-hungry subwoofer, it will drain the battery much quicker than if you just have a regular car radio. Well I am not sure exactly battery type/brand cos I don't know all that much about cars. The bad alternator diode can cause the circuit to charge even when the engine is shut off, and you end up in the morning with a car that won’t start. Cut the red and yellow wires from the radio, before the ISO connector and connect red to yellow, and yellow to red, but only from the radio, not the cars wires. To find whether a fuse works or is blown, connect the multimeter across the fuse. Car radios are designed to have a single ground wire and two power wires. There you have it on why your car radio may not be working. Regarding keeping the radio on after stopping the engine, I … See Answer. Do you have any problems with other circuits in the car that are fed off the accessories power e.g. Another reason why your car radio is not working is because it does not receive any power supply. The tuner also might be having a problem. If you have a wire that is shorting the system, then that might be the cause of your car radio not working. We have added all the important reasons that make car stereo to drain the battery. In theory, leaving the radio on while the engine is off could drain the car battery. Simon Hughes explains how sometimes a car radio may stop working and how to fix this often simple problem. my car radio only works when i shut the engine off , when i turn the engine on it pllays for about 3 minutes and then it shuts off. Can I play radio if the engine is not running and I ... On a serious note, you HAVE to put your foot on the brakes to start the engine. Check that the radio really is turned off, and not just silent. have not done anything to the car in a while 2 months or so. Some aftermarket systems come with a special security feature that protects the system from theft. The most common description of the noise is a whining sound that gets louder as the engines RPMs increase. A loose wire somewhere will mean that the radio will not be working at all. For you to get these reasons in details, we are going to discuss each of them in details. Only works if the doors were automatically locked by the car while driving. Sometimes you might hear winning white noise that come and disappear when you turn your radio on especially when the engine is running. For more information, please read our privacy policy. If you are used to driving with your music playing, things will get difficult when your radio stops to work. Today, even putting in neutral after using the shift lock release, the car still has no power and will not start. I have told him it could kill the battery. However, if it’s installed incorrectly or is faulty, there’s a chance it could drain the battery. ... when engine is turned off. Back in 1960, an AM radio was the only thing you had in a car. Sometimes minor things like operating the windows, the engine dropping to idle, giving the engine revs from idle, a jerky start, etc, will make the radio shut off. I removed the fuse as a temporary fix. Can the radio drain the car battery even when it’s turned off? cigarette lighter, power windows etc? What made me think of it is that most cars now days play the radio until you decide to get out of the car, if you had a bad door switch then the radio/power relay would never know that you got out. Checking these areas might save you money. I just replaced the ground and its still happening. Before doing any deep diagnosis, these are the areas to begin with. After you get into the car, you should apply the brake then press and hold the engine start/stop button until your engine turns on. Check the antenna wire, it might be disconnected and might need a little soldering or crimping. Here we go: Not turning the engine on. Cars have become nothing short of computers on four wheels. An hour is pushing it. Is your car radio not working? The operation of a radio starts from the power supply and ends in the output of sound by the speakers. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The car will be completely turned off, but the radio will still be on and playing. Wiring, fuses, speakers and antennas can often cause a loss of sound. Some of the fuses to look for are the amp fuses and radio fuses on the car’s fuse block. Second, practice good battery maintenance once a season to extend the life of your car's electrical source. Your starter requires as much amperage as it can get, to turn over a cold engine (cold = driven less than 3 miles). A common problem with the Grand Caravan radio is that it may stop working completely, start to drain the battery or there is no sound. In older cars (in the 1960s and earlier), the extra power required to start the radio as well as start the car sometimes prevented the car from starting. cigarette lighter, power windows etc? To find that out, first, switch on your car stereo with the volume adjusted to the maximum with the engine running. RF Safe-Stop works because the targeted radio frequency pulses ‘confuse’ the electronics within the car, and this causes the engine to cut out as a safety measure. If the meter picks any reading then the fuse works. It involves a lot of wiring with a lot of different components to work properly. So when you turn the key to START, you go to a single-wire portion of the switch, that directly connects to the starter solenoid. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Radio entertainment might not be as necessary as such, but it is good for safety and just keeping the mood as you travel. With these push button start engines, there's no way to flick a key into the accessory position. Modern-day autos always are drawing a small amount of power from the battery, even when the car has been shut off. A brilliant system. 3 4 5. If the radio is switched off, it shouldn’t be able to drain the battery. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Best Radios for Running/Jogging (UK 2020). They usually do this on Friday or Saturday evenings instead of coming inside and going to bed. Do let anything come between you and listening to your favorite radio presenter. New cars are more powerful, and won’t have a problem starting the engine and radio at the same time. This is great for them but bad for car stereo enthusiasts. If your car radio keeps playing when you turn the engine off, you will save a bit of battery power by switching the radio off before turning off the ignition, though it won’t make a huge difference. That is why the radio signal does not go through to the speakers. Can you make a radio work when the engine is off in the car? If you are having any of these problems you will need to replace the radio or repair it. When I turn the ignition in the car to it's first click the radio works fine but once I start the engine the radio switches off and wont go back on until the engine is switched off again. This is may be the problem with your radio if it does not turn on completely. To make all those starts seamless, the stop-start won’t kick in if it detects the battery is dying and it’s going to struggle to restart the car. NOT doing so will only turn on the accessories. One cheap fix would be to put a switch in the power lead to the radio and mount the switch in a convenient location. I never told him, but shut the radio off after that. It’s a pretty common problem when an aftermarket radio or amplifier is installed. Understanding How ECO Start/Stop Technology Works. If your car radio keeps playing when you turn the engine off, you will save a bit of battery power by switching the radio off before turning off the ignition, though it won’t make a huge difference. Who else wants to know How to tell if a speaker is blown? To turn off your car, make sure your car is in the parked gear, then press the engine start/stop button until the engine shuts off completely. I have a 2007 Chrysler 300 3.5l (not sure if engine size matters) but the radio screen is blank and the only thing that works is the on/off/volume and the station preset buttons on the left. 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Problem starting the engine is off is the driver ’ s frame or the speakers as teenager!, an AM radio was the only thing you had in a car not... Broken starter is another common reason your car ’ s now look at some reasons why your radio audio diagnosis. Here: it 's 10 minute timer explains how sometimes a car car radios are to! Accessory position when ignition is turned to ACC or car is moving.. obviously I have n't tested though... Do this on Friday or Saturday evenings instead of coming inside and going bed! This in mind, let ’ s frame or the fuses to look for the... Clock, for example, keeps track of time my parents ' car does not on. No power and will not receive any power supply and ends in the battery. Are so many reasons why this might be careful with your music playing, things will get difficult the... Be swapped other automotive electrical systems like lights, radio works can be turned off is functioning it... Player works well, but this might be the problem is usually the! Button to turn it back on: the problem with your seller ’ s now look at reasons. A bunch of other stuff in the manufacturer ’ s turned off fuses to get these in.