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| Fix broken car radio |
An car stereo is the brain of an car audio system, if your car radio is not powering on then you will get no sound out of your car speakers. Inside a car headunit, there is an DSP an chip that process sound from your audio files either on a CD or via Bluetooth and the internal car amplifier or external amp delivers the sound to your car speakers. If your car stereo is not powering on, don't panic it can be something as simple as checking the fuse. If you're thinking about buying a new car, its always recommended that you check out car reviews beforehand. This will then allow you to make the perfect decision to help you choose your car stereo system.
Usually, there are two fuses. One fuse that is located within the cars fuse box system often labelled as 'Radio' or 'CD player'. Please refer online to find the fuse box location for your vehicle, or even better if you have the original user handbook for your car. An car radio fuse is usually red 10 amps of blue 15 amps. To remove the fuse from the fuse holder you need to be careful you don't break the fragile metal contacts inside. Use an flat head screwdriver to gently pry it out of the fuse location. Usually, the correct radio fuse will be labelled with an number on the fuse diagram to help you locate it.
To inspect the fuse, it is fairly straight forward. Remove the fuse and place it under direct light, look closely at the small thin metal wire in the middle. Is the fuse wire snapped? Does it look burned? If so, the fuse is clearly the cause to your car radio not working. Once the fuse is blown, the 12 volt circuit going to the car radio is broken, hence why your car radio is not getting power. Always ensure that the correct amp rating is taken into consideration when replacing the blown radio fuse with a brand new one. Sometimes, incorrect amp fuse in the radio fuse slot may have been entered by an previous owner as they didn't have the correct fuse at the time to replace it. This works, but as soon as you turn the volume up on your car stereo, the headunit will draw the most power it can and the insufficient fuse will simply blow.
If the fuse in the car's fuse box for the radio looks fine, then you will need to remove the radio from the cars din slot. There are many video on youtube that you will find useful of removing an car stereo from your vehicle. Just do an quick search. Once you have removed the radio from your car, hopefully without breaking anything, there will be a fuse directly attached into the back of it. Sometimes, you will need to unplug the wiring harness that goes directly into the back of the radio, as the fuse is often hidden behind there which alot of people don't know about.
If you have checked box fuses and your car stereo is still not powering on, then get an multimeter and check if the 12 volt wire is getting power to the radio when the keys ignition is on. I can't say which wire this may be as every car is different, not all cars use red wires for power. The ground on most cars is either an brown or black wire. If there is no power going upon testing, then the circuit to power the radio is not working. I suggest you run an new wire to an new ignition source and find an new grounding source and run the wires through under the glovebox into the din slot. If there is power upon testing, then your car radio is faulty and will need replacing. You can sometimes find people online that repair car radios, but its often cheap to buy an replacement radio from ebay.
I hope this article has helped you get your car stereo working again, if you have also got time check out my recommended car blog out. No power car stereo problems can be annoying, but its best to do as much troubleshooting independently on your own before taking it to an car audio shop for further inspection.
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