Stereo doesn't work while Engine is running

[adam.oj]

So bought a double din (Panasonic Strada) to replace my single din on my '94 Lexus GS300, spliced into the old harness and connected them color to color but for some reason it does not want to work while the engine is running, it sometimes works in ACC and the audio is fine, othertimes I get an error message saying weak connection (picture below) it senses a weak connection and just mutes itself. I've had numerous electronically inclined friends look over the connections to see if the solder points are solid and they approved so I am lost on what is happening. When i start the car and the headunit there is a little noise that comes from all the speakers but I know they are connected, then when it fully boots up there is a somewhat loud pop (headunit muting itself/disconnecting from the speakers) and the error message pops up. Any help would be appreciated before I end up letting some hack at Futureshop try to fix it

Some pics of the wiring and model#



Not sure what these brown wires are for but they are connected to ground, previous guy who wired in the single din wired it like this and it seemed to work so I left it as is

[underscore]

What colour wires are on the opposite side of the plug from where those brown wires were cut off? To clarify I'm asking what the colours are on the patch harness side.

[nabs]

Originally Posted by adam.oj

spliced into the old harness

Could be your issue right there, should have got wiring harness instead of splicing into the old one. are you sure you made the right connections? Check the ground against the ground on your car with a multimeter, while the car is off and on, you shouldn't be getting any voltage. I'm thinking one of the lines are crossed.

[adam.oj]

Originally Posted by underscore

What colour wires are on the opposite side of the plug from where those brown wires were cut off? To clarify I'm asking what the colours are on the patch harness side.

No idea, when I took the single din out those wires were connected to some black wire then connected to ground.

Originally Posted by nabs

Could be your issue right there, should have got wiring harness instead of splicing into the old one. are you sure you made the right connections? Check the ground against the ground on your car with a multimeter, while the car is off and on, you shouldn't be getting any voltage. I'm thinking one of the lines are crossed.

I should have worded it differently, I cut the harness to the singledin in half then matched the wire colors from the doubledin to the other half thats connected to the car. I hope that clears up the confusion

[320icar]

So... You just assume the manufacturer of the car and the head unit or whatever other wiring is in there use the same colours and patters for the same signals?

Get a wiring diagram of your car, and get a diagram of your head unit and match up the wires to where the signal goes and what the wire does, not just the colours of each wire...

[installerz]

Please take your car to a reputable shop to wire this properly. A 1994 Lexus is not a simple car. That's why there are professionals to ensure your car doesn't burn to the ground.
Is that crazy? Maybe. Have i seen it before? Yes. Will it happen to you? probably not, but why take that risk? Call someone that has insurance to fix your car.
Sorry for the fear mongering, but after seeing so many things, I need to voice my beliefs.

[snails]

hmmm, lets assume its not your wiring for now

iffffff its not your wiring your alternator could be dying and the headunit isnt getting enough power while supplying spark and all those other exciting things

or, the other way around. the resistor to keep your alternator putting out a consistant amount of power could have failed.. sending to much power out.. in which case some electronics just shut off.. others just pop..

i have had both of these things happen.

sounds like you need to check your setup to a diagram. my example is just an opinion if it wasnt the wiring

[underscore]

First off sort out where those brown wires originally went, also it looks like those cars had a few different configurations for the factory radio, depending on whether it had the optional CD changer or factory amp. So you'll need to figure that out to know which wiring diagram to be looking at.

Originally Posted by 320icar

So... You just assume the manufacturer of the car and the head unit or whatever other wiring is in there use the same colours and patters for the same signals?

Get a wiring diagram of your car, and get a diagram of your head unit and match up the wires to where the signal goes and what the wire does, not just the colours of each wire...

Patch harnesses that go between the deck and the factory wiring have their own colour standard.

[adam.oj]

Originally Posted by installerz

Please take your car to a reputable shop to wire this properly. A 1994 Lexus is not a simple car. That's why there are professionals to ensure your car doesn't burn to the ground.
Is that crazy? Maybe. Have i seen it before? Yes. Will it happen to you? probably not, but why take that risk? Call someone that has insurance to fix your car.
Sorry for the fear mongering, but after seeing so many things, I need to voice my beliefs.

I might just do that, I'm really tired of listening to music in the car thru headphones

Originally Posted by snails

hmmm, lets assume its not your wiring for now

iffffff its not your wiring your alternator could be dying and the headunit isnt getting enough power while supplying spark and all those other exciting things

That would make a lot of sense. I'll see if I can get it tested next week

[Jas29]

If it was me I would take the car to Installerz and get it fixed properly

[adam.oj]

Originally Posted by Jas29

If it was me I would take the car to Installerz and get it fixed properly

I will highly consider doing that once I test my alternator, I don't wanna pay for someone to install it then to find out that I have to buy a new alternator. Sucks cause I wanna saveup for prom too

[underscore]

Have you tried reading the manual to see what it says about that error message? I googled the model but it looks like that deck was never sold here so I can't find an english manual.

[installerz]

Originally Posted by adam.oj

I will highly consider doing that once I test my alternator, I don't wanna pay for someone to install it then to find out that I have to buy a new alternator. Sucks cause I wanna saveup for prom too

Thank you for confidence in SoundsGood. My thought was get to the bottom of your issue and then install it properly if required. My priority was to find the issue, which will NOT be your alternator.

[adam.oj]

Originally Posted by underscore

Have you tried reading the manual to see what it says about that error message? I googled the model but it looks like that deck was never sold here so I can't find an english manual.

Did not come with a manual lol But I had my Japanese friend translate it and he said "your line is misconnecting, or mahine has some problems
please refer to the store's service counter". I highly suspect something is loose with the wiring because it does work sometimes.

Originally Posted by installerz

Thank you for confidence in SoundsGood. My thought was get to the bottom of your issue and then install it properly if required. My priority was to find the issue, which will NOT be your alternator.

i understand but i dont think it would hurt to check, and if my alternator is on its way I would rather have that fixed before doing anything else since its my daily. If everything is all good I will probably end up going to SoundsGood in Burnaby.

[BoostedBB6]

Electrical taped connections, in a high heat high vibration vehicle......take it to a shop. No one on the internet can diag your electrical issue from a keyboard. You wired it wrong, take to to a shop that can do it right.

[catalin]

I find it amusing how you agree with someone mentioning that it 'could' be the alternator but a professional tells you its not.

The car most likely has a factory amplified system.. previous had a system 'creatively' installed in there. Go see a professional and get it done right. It will save you time and frustration and probably some cash as well.

[adam.oj]

Originally Posted by BoostedBB6

Electrical taped connections, in a high heat high vibration vehicle......take it to a shop. No one on the internet can diag your electrical issue from a keyboard. You wired it wrong, take to to a shop that can do it right.

Electrical tape to cover the solder. And yes Im going to go to a shop, just thought it would be good experience to try.

Originally Posted by catalin

I find it amusing how you agree with someone mentioning that it 'could' be the alternator but a professional tells you its not.

The car most likely has a factory amplified system.. previous had a system 'creatively' installed in there. Go see a professional and get it done right. It will save you time and frustration and probably some cash as well.

Like BoostedBB6 said, noone can diagnose my electrical issue from a keyboard

[MG1]

Direct wire everything and take it from there?

[Jmac]

In the future, heatshrink over soldered connections.

Electrical tape (especially the cheap stuff) isn't particularly reliable. The adhesive often melts over time, causing it to become slippery rather than sticky.

Crimped connections are also a good option.