Just installed aftermarket radio - No sound?
 

Hi all,

A while ago I posted about some issues I had with a battery drain issue. At the time, my ignition switch was giving me issues and my radio wasn't working properly.

I installed a new ignition switch (process: :barf:) and just today I removed my stock Becker to install a continental radio from Bergville FX.

I used this harness/adapter that they offer:

https://www.bergvillfx.com/index.php/products/car-audio/wiring-harnesses/iso-harness-porsche-996-boxster-bose.html

My car has the amplifier in the frunk, so I assumed this was the correct harness. My car has the "490" option code meaning 6 speakers. The connector fit right up, and the co-ax looking cable went into the new head unit. When I turned the ignition key to on, the radio turns on and all the functions appear to be working correctly, but there is no sound. I can hear the speakers doing something, but it doesn't sound like they are receiving any signal from the head unit. Any ideas?

Also, when I was having battery drain issues, I pulled the D8 fuse (from what I remember this has to do with the stereo). Now when I put the D8 fuse back in, the car will not start. What's happening?

Check to see if your amp is getting the switched signal power it needs to turn on. If you did not connect the switched power up correctly the amp will not turn on so no sound.

I'm not particularly well versed in electrical systems, but it seemed like everything was hooked up correctly. See pics below:

https://i.imgur.com/0Y1pe7z.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/YJ3dXVc.jpg


I don't even know what I could have done differently. It's the only way the connections go together. When I turn the radio on and off I can "hear" the speakers doing something. Maybe I should try the AUX input to see if that works.

I see power wires, but nothing plugged into the stereo's audio output socket.

I think I understand what happened. For posterity:

In picture #1, the yellow connector (OEM Porsche) is the line-out connector originally connecting the line-out of Becker head unit to the factory Bose amp. I, ignorantly, just plugged this into the shape that it fit on my adapter harness (I guess I should have noticed that 6 wires in and 1 wire out doesn't make sense :) ). But the adapter harness I have is for Bose amps that do not run on line level signals (I guess?). So as particlewave mentions, there is no audio signal being sent out by the head unit.

I tried to connect the yellow (line-out) connector to my new continental head unit, but still no joy. After reading the documentation from Bergville more carefully (here: http://www.bergvillfx.com/files/Continental_installationmanual.pdf) I have realized that the continental head unit does not provide line-level output.

Essentially, I bought the incorrect adapter harness. I should have bought THIS ONE, which has a LOC (Line Output Converter) for my particular setup. In my defense, Bergville's site isn't crystal clear on this, as they have two harnesses that allegedly work with the 490 option code audio system.

The picture certainly helped out, plus PW is the electrical genius here! Good catch.

I went through this. Whether you have the 490 option listed or not if you have the Bose system you need the 490 adapter harness. I complained to Bergeville stating that they needed to make this more clear but I think it fell on deaf ears.

"If I look at the current wiring and the Continental and Becker diagrams I see the problem:

My current wiring does not use the B block (apparently this is unused in HiFi option/Nokia cars)
My current wiring uses the C block pins to send the signals to the amp; the Continental diagram doesn't show that these are used for anything. It only mentions C4 and C6 for SWRC.
The only output to the amp on the Continental is the B block which explains why I have no sound because it is not being used
I therefore need a harness that goes from the Continental B block to the existing harness C1 block.

Reference https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/896189-installing-the-continental-tr7412ub-or-radio-6.html

If the above is correct then the other/M490 harness should work. It also means that not having option code M490 does not necessarily mean that the simple harness will work."

I tried this a few years back except I had a pro do it and it came down to my amp being the issue, so I was told.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ha, my thought process as I was figuring this out was exactly the same. :) As soon as I stopped simply putting square pegs in square holes and actually thought about it....

After getting the correct harness, I finally got the new radio installed. I'm very happy with how clean and OEM it looks.

https://i.imgur.com/FF3iBoR.jpg

I was surprised that the radio turned on instantly....without even having the key in the ignition. It's not supposed to do that, right? When I hold down the power button I can hear the amp turning off, but I'm surprised it will turn on without the key even in the ignition. I recently put a new ignition switch in, but I get the feeling I didn't tighten it enough because I have to "push" the key while turning to get the car to start.

That's not right. Either something with the ignition switch, or the constant and switched power wires aren't correct at the stereo.

I've also noticed that the interior door lights remain on when I'm driving the car. I feel like both are an ignition switch issue. The thought of getting back under there to fix it....ugh. I'd almost rather just sell the car.

This sounds correct...you if connected via stock harness, you should be able to turn on without key in ignition...radio will shut off after a period of time (aploligies, I don't know exactly how long).

I know this sound contradictory to our resident master electrical guru (particlewave), but I am only speaking from how my unit operates. As always, I look forward to being corrected. ;)

With doors closed, your door lights shouldn't stay on though....

You're talking about the "consumer switched off" circuit which supplies power to things like power seats and mirrors for a limited time after the key is removed. I have no idea if the stock stereo uses this. I'd have to look at the wiring diagram.

My aftermarket stereo uses an adapter to plug into the stock harness connector and it shuts off when the key is removed (switched power through fuse E1).
I'll check the diagram. ;)

I just looked over all 986 diagrams and there's no connection to "consumer switched off" for any of the stock stereos, so unless I'm missing something, they should shut off when the key is removed.

I'm didn't mean to open a can of worms (lol), I just meant that the radio can be turned on without key in ignition, and will shut off after a period of time. Also, I just checked, with key on and radio on, turning key off radio shuts of after apx 2 sec. With key either off or removed, radio can be turned back on and stays on for some amount of time.

FWIW, this is on my stock '01 with a CDR220.

Well I didn't change any wiring other than use the harness adapter from Bergville. The product listing mentions this, though:

"Swap of Terminal 86s and 30 pins (switched and permanent 12V)"

and the instruction manual says this:

"The Continental head units shall have permanent +12V on ISO pin A7, and
switched 12V on pin A4."

Maybe that's the change?

I’ve had 3 m96 cars and have had to replace 4 ignition switch back pieces. I did the first one. Never again. My indie charges an arm and a leg to do it. He’s about 6’6”. Worth every penny tho.


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Bump for posterity:

FINALLY had the chance to get in there and look to see what was wrong. Basically, I didn't re-tighten the set screws enough when I put the new switch in. I slightly changed my technique and used my left hand, which doesn't seem intuitive, but it was easier to reach the 'far-side' screw. It's still a pain in the ass, but I found using the head piece of a hex-insert screwdriver worked the best. One thing to note is that turning your phone sideways and placing it across the clutch & brake pedals provides a good mount for the built-in flashlight to illuminate the under-dash area.

Now everything is working as it should. Lights are turning off and the radio turns off when the key is turned off.