Radio Problem (from Stereo/ Alarm Demo Day)
 

My new car audio system is great, except the head unit loses the programmed stations every time the ignition is turned off. :( The radio plays just fine when the key is in the 'accessories' and 'on' positions...

When I spliced in the radio harness, I used all the existing wiring, and carefully followed Dave's instructions for matching certain wire colors. The memory in my old radio was fine. Does anyone have any ideas/ suggestions? Or, does anyone who was at the stereo/ alarm demo know if any wiring was changed near the fuse box? (other then the new cable for the amp, that is)

I didn't get to see much of what Vu did in the front boot, and he is on vacation for the next week or so, so I'm hoping someone else might have some good info.

TIA,

David,

Check the wiring instructions that came with the radio, there should be a wiring diagram. There is a 'memory' wire the gets connected to the battery (+) that's live all the time (not connected to the ignition on/off). If memory serves me correctly, it's either yellow or orange. This wire should tap into a positive constant source, directly to the battery or fusebox.

Charlie:

I did look at the wiring diagram, and there was not a wire simply labeled 'memory.' Also, I was very careful when I made the connections -- Dave (the shop owner) told me which wires out of the radio needed to be spliced to which of the existing wires; he double-checked everything before Vu slid the radio into place.

Since each and every new wire was spliced to an existing wire, either one connection failed (possibly when Vu was trying to get the radio locked into place -- there was a lot of resistance), or two wires are crossed. I doubt it's the latter, as everything else seems to function perfectly.

The easiest thing for me to do is to pull the radio and check all of the connections. The only problem is that I don't know how to pull the radio! (without causing damage, that is) But it is also possible that Vu added/ moved some of the wiring in the boot -- but I can't ask him because he is out of town. That's why I was wondering if any of the people who helped out may have seen what went on in the boot.

If anyone out there can help me pull the radio and check the connections this weekend, I would welcome your assistance.

Okay, the Alpine manual identifies two wires that go to the battery. The first is labeled 'battery', and is shown with an in-line fuse. The second is labeled 'ignition', and is shown going to the battery, but with a switch along the line. So I assume if the 'ignition' wiring was fine, and the 'battery' wiring was faulty, then the radio would work fine when the key is turned to the 'accessories' or 'on' positions, but the memory would fail?

I know new wiring and a fuse was installed for the amp, but I don't know if/ how the radio was reconnected to the battery. I guess the first thing I need to do is look around under the hood. Hopefully that is where the problem lies, rather then in the wiring harness splices under the dash.

David,

The 'battery' connection may also be routed to the AMP, as the AMP also needs a constant (+) feed. Hopefully the 'battery' wires' color is identified and then trace to see where its routed to. There also should be a nice hunky cable from the battery (+) to the amp. The 'battery' wire may either be routed to the battery, to the amp at the (+) connection or somewhere in between.

I'm back...
 

Just got back from Toronto. I have a feeling either one of the crimps came loose or disconnected when we locked the radio into the dash. The fix is simple, we'll need to pull the radio and simply test the voltage on the wires behind the radio to make sure the proper wires are getting 12 volts.

Give me a ring or pm me. I'll walk you through it or we can hook up.

:) Problem solved! (thanks to Vu, that is)

We connected the red to red, and yellow to green. Unfortunately, Porsche wired the red as always on, instead of switched. I cut the wire connectors, swapped the wires, and now everything works just as it is supposed to.