Radio Installation problems

[BattleofDisarm]

Hi, I recently swapped the stock cd player radio out of my 95 240sx SL for an aftermarket panasonic 801. Everything was fine until I drove at night and noticed that the dash lights, tail lights, and corner lights didn't work. I noted that the fuse was blown, so i switched it with another one and everything worked fine until the fuse blew again after a minute. I've installed radios before into my honda accord and astro van and never had any problems. I'm not sure if there's a tricky wire combo that i'm not doing right or something to get everything to work at once. I tested the wires and only one (a blue wire) has any power to it, I dont have a constant power for some reason. My ground wire is a purplish red wire witha blue stripe on it. What i'm wondering is if anyone else has had a problem installing a aftermarket radio and if anyone could possibly walk me through the installation or tell me what wires do what, any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot.

[Anand]

I didn't have that problem when I switched the stereo in my 95. Pull it out and see if you are pulling power from the right wire. if everything is correct and the problem presists... I would say put in a bigger fuse... not too big.. if it's a 15.. put in a 20...??? dunno... it COULD? work

[yellow_jacket]

Ya, put in bigger fuses. That way when your harness melts down I can buy the car from you for nothing. Did you check the radio fuse? I can't remember off hand if the radio runs off of the same fuse as the lights, but of course you could have the wire to the power antenna or amp grounding out. It is probably something very simple like that.

[91nis240]

audio is my one down subject, so i couldnt tell you whats wrong, but i do know that this is comon problem in 240's, two friends had the same thing happen w/ new head unit installs, blown fuse, tail light and dash lights out etc....

[mattlord42]

Hey-

I just had a similar problem:

http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....13698

That is the thread that I started. Haven't really come up with anything but i will post when I figure it out. By the way... my thread was about six below yours when I saw it... cough... Search cough...

Matt

[BattleofDisarm]

sorry i didn't see your thread mattlord. guess i should've looked. anyways i don't think putting in a higher amperage fuse would help. i 've checked all my fuses over and over and some will blow, like the electron batt fuse blew out so i changed it and it's cool then some other fuse will blow but as of now all my fuses are good. i dont' really understand the whole wiring concept of a nissan. the black wire isn't even ground, what is up with that? sometimes my dome light will work and then in an instant it won't. also when i'm driving sometimes my dash lights will flash a really bright light like someone took a flash photo of me. oh well, if anyone else comes across anything or if i find out something i'll let you know. My friend is buying a 240sx at the end of the week that has a aftermarket radio in it so i'm going to check his whole thing out. thanks.

:ylsuper

[mattlord42]

I'm a moron.

[singlecamhonduhkilla]

MY BEST ADVISE IS MAKE SURE NONE OF THE LOOSE WIRES ARE TOUCHING METAL.. ANYTHING FROM A RADIO IS PULLING CURRENT.. AND IF IT TOUCHES METAL ITLL POP THOSE FUSE QUICKLY.. I HONESTLY THINK ITS THAT.. MINE DID THAT ONE TIME WIT THE ANTTENA CONNECTOR.. IT TOUCHED METAL AND SHUT MY RADIO OFF.. AND MY FUSES.. WRAP EVERYTHING WIT ELECTRICAL TAPE .. ALL WIRES..JOE

[creophus]

I agree with singlecamhonduhkilla,

Most likely you're shorting a wire somewhere. Do you blow the fuse in accordance with volume or simply a duration of time? Also, does it blow the fuse if your car isn't moving? Try replacing the fuse and simply turning on the radio at the lowest volume. See if it blows, then increase the volume, see if it blows, then drive the car and see if it blows...depending on when it blows, it will determine where the problem is.

I have installed many car stereos and the only time I've blown fuses is when wires touched. I've never installed in a 240 before, but I think it's very strange that there is something with a wiring harness connection needing to be grounded.

And whatever you do...DONT GET A BIGGER FUSE! Remember the fuse is blowing to PROTECT your radio.

[BattleofDisarm]

i know all about wires touching and then blowing fuses, i made sure that wouldn't ever happen they're all taped up well. 240s are a lot different than hondas and most everything else and harder to figure out the wiring. anyways matt i know what wire you're talking about and i'll check it out, thanks a lot for the advice i hope it helps me.

[mattlord42]

Hey-

So due to certain problems (my battery blowing up) I didn't test my last "fix" for more than 15 minutes. When driving it for longer the fuse blew again. So it was back in the shop for me last night. Here is the real problem. Even though that red rie with a blue strip tests as a ground when using a voltmeter, it should not be used as a ground for your deck. Just run your deck ground to a bolt somewhere outside the harness- I used a shifter bolt. This time it really did stop blowing fuses. Make sure to cap off that red wire with the blue strip so that it doesn't touch anything. Oh yeah and completely disregard that last post that I made.

Matt

[BattleofDisarm]

can i ask what you used for accessory power and main power? i was using a blue wire for power but i can't find another power wire, i thought an orange witha green stripe was another power but it doesn't seem to work anymore. thanks a lot for the help.