Anyway to test my stock stereo? (95 240sx SE tape & cd)
It was working fine, then all of sudden the cd player just doesnt turn on. at first you could hear the tape player turn on, then it stopped. and everyonce in awhile it the tape player freaks out. but the cd/radio never turns on.
thanks for any help
test stock stereo?
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MECPInstaller
- Posts: 811
- Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:49 am
- Car: installing stereo systems and minor performance upgrades
hmm not familiar with the cd tape combo i have the stock cdplayer but only things you can really do check all the fuses and break out a test light or multimeter and check for power and see if your getting around 12 volts at the radio harness a blue wire should be your accessory 12 volts and a green/red should be constant 12v. also you can check your rear amps located under the rear deck read this for locating the right wiresBypassing the factory remote mounted amps when installing a stereo into a '95+ SE model. if you still can't figure it out most likely the problem is inside the deck and there's no need to pop it open and check it unless your a electronics repairmen
I recently purchased a ’95 SE with a malfunctioning OEM Clarion CD stereo (the front speaker amp was dead). No problem, I thought – bought a Kenwood stereo and a wiring adaptor for ’95 and up Nissans ($7 at Wal-mart), connected everything up, and…nothing.
Not good.
The first issue I ran into was that the SE model uses a diversity antenna setup (one in the rear glass as well as the usual power rear antenna) with a non-standard two prong plug. Additionally, the system is wired to use the antenna as the ground, so it has to be hooked up in order for the system to power up. Fortunately, an adapter exists that plugs into the standard antenna receptacle ($12 at a local stereo chain). So, I hooked up the adapter, and…nothing.
Aargh.
The ’95+ SE (as well as other Nissan/Infiniti models of the same era) uses a system with remote mounted amps – in this case, under the rear package shelf. If you want to avoid re-wiring all six OEM speakers, these have to be disconnected and bypassed. The problem is that they are connected to the rest of the system by two plugs containing a total of twenty wires.
Again, no problem, right? – just find a wiring diagram. Good luck. An extensive search of the Net did turn up a copy of the European S14 factory service manual…but the Euro version apparently didn’t offer the CD system – at least, it wasn’t documented in the manual. Bought the appropriate Chilton manual for the car, but the wiring diagrams it included were too high level to be of any use.
My research had allowed me to identify about half of the amp wires, but trial-and-error connecting had resulted only in blown fuses and the triggering of the “Check Engine” light ($90 to have the codes read, diagnosed, and cleared).
Taking the gun out of my mouth, I decided as a last resort to remove the OEM amps, take them apart, and see if I could figure out which wire went where. Salvation! Turns out that Clarion has thoughtfully marked the circuit board in each amp with the function of each wire (in English, no less!). So, to prevent other S14 SE model owners from going through this little “challenge”, I have shown below the layout of the connector wires, and a “map” to show what to splice to what
1 Blue left front speaker neg. input
2 Black right front speaker pos. input
3 Blue/yellow left front speaker neg. output
4 Brown/white right front speaker neg. output
5 Brown right front speaker pos. output
6 Pink left front speaker pos. input
7 White right front speaker neg. input
8 Blue/white left front speaker pos. output
9 Blue acc.
10 Green/red on/off
11 Purple left rear speaker neg. input
12 Pink right rear speaker neg. input
13 Green left rear speaker neg. output
14 Pink right rear speaker neg. output
15 Blue right rear speaker pos. output
16 Green left rear speaker pos. input
17 Blue right rear speaker pos. input
18 Red left rear speaker pos. output
19 Blue acc
20 Green/red on/off
Splices:
1 to 3
2 to 5
4 to 7
6 to 8
11 to 13
12 to 14
15 to 17
16 to 18
It will be noted that the above scheme leaves out four wires – the two “acc” and the two “on/off” wires. No combination of connections or grounding of these wires powered up the stereo, so I ran a new switched power wire from the fuse block to the stereo (red wire). Stereo works, antenna works, no popping fuses or flashing lights.
I recently purchased a ’95 SE with a malfunctioning OEM Clarion CD stereo (the front speaker amp was dead). No problem, I thought – bought a Kenwood stereo and a wiring adaptor for ’95 and up Nissans ($7 at Wal-mart), connected everything up, and…nothing.
Not good.
The first issue I ran into was that the SE model uses a diversity antenna setup (one in the rear glass as well as the usual power rear antenna) with a non-standard two prong plug. Additionally, the system is wired to use the antenna as the ground, so it has to be hooked up in order for the system to power up. Fortunately, an adapter exists that plugs into the standard antenna receptacle ($12 at a local stereo chain). So, I hooked up the adapter, and…nothing.
Aargh.
The ’95+ SE (as well as other Nissan/Infiniti models of the same era) uses a system with remote mounted amps – in this case, under the rear package shelf. If you want to avoid re-wiring all six OEM speakers, these have to be disconnected and bypassed. The problem is that they are connected to the rest of the system by two plugs containing a total of twenty wires.
Again, no problem, right? – just find a wiring diagram. Good luck. An extensive search of the Net did turn up a copy of the European S14 factory service manual…but the Euro version apparently didn’t offer the CD system – at least, it wasn’t documented in the manual. Bought the appropriate Chilton manual for the car, but the wiring diagrams it included were too high level to be of any use.
My research had allowed me to identify about half of the amp wires, but trial-and-error connecting had resulted only in blown fuses and the triggering of the “Check Engine” light ($90 to have the codes read, diagnosed, and cleared).
Taking the gun out of my mouth, I decided as a last resort to remove the OEM amps, take them apart, and see if I could figure out which wire went where. Salvation! Turns out that Clarion has thoughtfully marked the circuit board in each amp with the function of each wire (in English, no less!). So, to prevent other S14 SE model owners from going through this little “challenge”, I have shown below the layout of the connector wires, and a “map” to show what to splice to what
1 Blue left front speaker neg. input
2 Black right front speaker pos. input
3 Blue/yellow left front speaker neg. output
4 Brown/white right front speaker neg. output
5 Brown right front speaker pos. output
6 Pink left front speaker pos. input
7 White right front speaker neg. input
8 Blue/white left front speaker pos. output
9 Blue acc.
10 Green/red on/off
11 Purple left rear speaker neg. input
12 Pink right rear speaker neg. input
13 Green left rear speaker neg. output
14 Pink right rear speaker neg. output
15 Blue right rear speaker pos. output
16 Green left rear speaker pos. input
17 Blue right rear speaker pos. input
18 Red left rear speaker pos. output
19 Blue acc
20 Green/red on/off
Splices:
1 to 3
2 to 5
4 to 7
6 to 8
11 to 13
12 to 14
15 to 17
16 to 18
It will be noted that the above scheme leaves out four wires – the two “acc” and the two “on/off” wires. No combination of connections or grounding of these wires powered up the stereo, so I ran a new switched power wire from the fuse block to the stereo (red wire). Stereo works, antenna works, no popping fuses or flashing lights.