Electrical issue with Bose stereo

[Double02]

2001 Pathfinder with Bose Stereo System – Electrical Issue

Just before leaving for an extended vacation, I noticed that the rear Bose speakers were producing static or feedback—even when the car and stereo were turned off. (Note: everything worked fine when the stereo was on.) When I returned from my trip, the battery was completely dead. Obviously, there's a draw somewhere, so I pulled the stereo, amp, and rear speakers to check for any loose wires, but didn’t find anything obvious.

I’d like to keep the Bose system—any suggestions on what else I should check would be greatly appreciated. thx

[VStar650CL]

The Bose amps in that era all used an internal pullup resistor for the "amp on" line from the head unit. The resistor was located on a corner of the circuit board, and it seems like sometimes the Bose factory missed it with the conformal coating when finishing the boards. I've seen two which corroded over time, one on an R50 and another on an R51. The lack of bias causes the amp to stay on constantly when the resistor loses contact with the pads on the PCB. In both cases I was able to repair it by soldering a through-hole type resistor to other spots on the board, circumventing the damaged pads. Pop the cover on your Bose and see if you have green or white crud anyplace on the board.

[Double02]

Thanks I'll give that a look