Faulty car radio

unreggd

I drive a 96 Opel Astra

[please keep reading!]

have it about 2 years, and since day one, the radio had been faulty, and the car itself constantly cuts out and jumps

My Dad always put this down to my apparent inability to drive (even when the ignition wouldnt start!)


The radio constantly turns itself off, esp when I got over any tiny bump in the road, or just blatantly at random when the car isnt movin. Also a few times it has come on by itself when the car was parked

I tried a diff radio and had similar problems, so Im assuming faulty wiring is the blame

Could that be related to the car cutting out so much, as the radio is connected to the battery [and apparently some connected to the ignition?]

So, I wish to replace the wiring

Is doin it myself a big no-no?

I tried one auto-electrician, but he was chargin more than the new radio will cost to install it

Also, if anyone can recommend reasonably priced radio specialists it would be appreciated! Cheers!

Mods: Feel free to move to a more suitable forum if need be

corktina

faulty wiring is the no1 cause of car fires...get it checked out is my advice.

a_v525

In fairness 90s car electronics are a piece of pi$$, you'd sort it out yourself. If it turns on/off randomly then its either a problem with your ignition power wire (red in colour on standard ISO cables), constant power lean (yellow on ISO) or else your earth (ground) wire (usually black on ISO cables, can be brown on German cars).

Ive installed a few car alarms & done radio rewiring before, it really is simple, all you need is a wiring diagram & a bit of cop on. A multimeter, crimping tools & a heckload of insulation tape would also help.

If your car has an aftermarket radio, chances are some idiot has done a bodgejob & cut/spliced the original loom & wired in an ISO loom, as opposed to spending an extra few quid & just getting a simple plug-on adapter. Chances are he didnt do a proper job a power/ground wire is loose.

Auto electricians charge a heckload in labour & theyll probably be laughing at you after you leave as itll probably be such a simple 2min fix for them, but if you really arent confident of tryin to sort it yourself then you should probably get one of them to take a look, but youll be payin handsomely for the priviledge

analfabets

unreggd wrote: »

I drive a 96 Opel Astra

[please keep reading!]

have it about 2 years, and since day one, the radio had been faulty, and the car itself constantly cuts out and jumps

My Dad always put this down to my apparent inability to drive (even when the ignition wouldnt start!)


The radio constantly turns itself off, esp when I got over any tiny bump in the road, or just blatantly at random when the car isnt movin. Also a few times it has come on by itself when the car was parked

I tried a diff radio and had similar problems, so Im assuming faulty wiring is the blame

Could that be related to the car cutting out so much, as the radio is connected to the battery [and apparently some connected to the ignition?]

So, I wish to replace the wiring

Is doin it myself a big no-no?

I tried one auto-electrician, but he was chargin more than the new radio will cost to install it

Also, if anyone can recommend reasonably priced radio specialists it would be appreciated! Cheers!

Mods: Feel free to move to a more suitable forum if need be

It sounds a lot like bad connection to the battery.
Check if the battery connectors aren't loose. They might need some cleaning.

colm_mcm

I love how the big problem is the radio turning off and not the fact the car isn't driving properly

unreggd

colm_mcm wrote: »

I love how the big problem is the radio turning off and not the fact the car isn't driving properly

It's not

I was askin if the faulty radio could be the cause of the car cuttin out

a_v525 wrote: »

chances are some idiot has done a bodgejob & cut/spliced the original loom & wired in an ISO loom, as opposed to spending an extra few quid & just getting a simple plug-on adapter.

That's exactly what I've been sayin since I got the car

But my Da only brings it to his mate who's a "mechanic"

The wires are in bits, and defo look poorly spliced together


DIY: Would I need a diagram specific to my car? If so, where could I get it?
I'm a bit of a handyman, just no knowledge of cars!

colm_mcm

do you ever have problems like the headlights flickering or the clock going back to 12.00/1.00?

a_v525

Ditto what Colm_mcm said, chances are its not just the radio that has been messed with.

Same happened on my '24, pulled out the JVC & my heart literally dropped when I saw all the spliced wires, but I just spent half an hour cleanin up & re-soldering the connections to make sure I wouldnt have a prob in future.

Google your make/model & year and you should find a wiring diagram for it. Alternatively I always buy a haynes manuals for cars I own.

Heres a tip, go into halfords & find your haynes manual, at the back of the book there'll be a wiring diagram. Use your cameraphone or write down the colours of the wires & what theyre for, eg: green/white: speaker left +, black: ground etc...
If anyone from Halfords asks you "can I help you?" simply say "no"

EDIT:

This site should help ya:

http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?136038-Astra-Stereo-Wiring-Diagram

unreggd

No, no probs with the lights / clock

But March last year everything went: Radio, Alarm, clock

[I bought a Micra but sold it after 6 months when I went to Oz, boo urns :rolleyes:]

My Da always says its fine. He thinks he knows all about cars cos he's been drivin for years, but he doesnt

I dont have any clue about cars meself, and Ill gladly admit that, but I do have common sense/logic, which he doesnt


Ill give it a go myself if I find a good wiring diagram [may have one already]

Will I need to solder anything??

a_v525

Ah jayz, give your aul' lad some slack, lol

You dont need to solder, but soldering is the only way to guarantee a good connection. You could just crimp but crimps can come loose if not done correctly. I wouldn't recommend just twisting the wires around eachother as thats probably what is causing your problems in the first place.

Any chance you have a mate who is in electronics? I did a year of electronic engineering in College so I know what I'm doing, but tbh, you could do more harm than good if you cross wires.

BTW, it could be something as simple as a loose fuse in the fusebox? Happened to me b4 in my old VW with the ceramic fuses as opposed to the blade ones, the wiper relay fuse wasnt put in properly & I only spotted it after I bought a 2nd hand motor

KamiKazi

a_v525 wrote: »

Same happened on my '24, pulled out the JVC & my heart literally dropped when I saw all the spliced wires, but I just spent half an hour cleanin up & re-soldering the connections to make sure I wouldnt have a prob in future.

Well it didn't literally drop now did it?

unreggd

a_v525 wrote: »

Ah jayz, give your aul' lad some slack, lol

You dont need to solder, but soldering is the only way to guarantee a good connection. You could just crimp but crimps can come loose if not done correctly. I wouldn't recommend just twisting the wires around eachother as thats probably what is causing your problems in the first place.

Any chance you have a mate who is in electronics? I did a year of electronic engineering in College so I know what I'm doing, but tbh, you could do more harm than good if you cross wires.

BTW, it could be something as simple as a loose fuse in the fusebox? Happened to me b4 in my old VW with the ceramic fuses as opposed to the blade ones, the wiper relay fuse wasnt put in properly & I only spotted it after I bought a 2nd hand motor

Yeah my mate has a degree in electronic engineerin, but dno if hes worked on cars. ill have a chat with him!

I just assumed its something loose, as opposed to a blown fuse, as its movement of the car that triggers it

boo urns

KamiKazi

unreggd wrote: »

Yeah my mate has a degree in electronic engineerin, but dno if hes worked on cars. ill have a chat with him!

I just assumed its something loose, as opposed to a blown fuse, as its movement of the car that triggers it

boo urns

Get yourself a Haynes manual for that car. Best €20 you'll ever spend on a car IMO.

unreggd

How do I know the right one to get?

Do I just go by reg year?

They have em in the library, or cheap on eBay

cheers

KamiKazi

unreggd wrote: »

How do I know the right one to get?

Do I just go by reg year?

They have em in the library, or cheap on eBay

cheers

96 Opel Astra will be enough to find it.

unreggd

Sound, thanks

Would Halfords have replacement wiring?

a_v525

Waay cheaper for Haynes manuals on eBay mate, got mine for €17 delivered on eBay, whereas its €36 in Halfords.

Yeah Halfords have a whole wiring section with clips & connections aswell. a standard 5amp cable spool should do you. Chances are youll just need to tidy up connections so it should be easy enough for ya.

Good luck with it.

Tessan

KamiKazi wrote: »

96 Opel Astra will be enough to find it.

I have 06 opel astra..drives me nuts!
Bought it 2 years ago..horn works every now and then big problem!..Radio stopped working last week, guy in garage said fuse was blown, he put new one in..radio stopped working again a few days later! Also he couldn't find a problem with the horn,,was working on the day.