Radio keeps loosing stations.

deano77777

Hi,
Iv got a 97 Toyota Starlet, every time i turn the car of the radio looses all the stations. I know this due to the constant feed coming from the battery, but how do i fix it.

The cigerate lighter dosent work either, and the switch on the door that turns the interor light on and off ant working, I dont know if these are related or not.

Has anyone any ideas.

Buffman

Firstly I'd check all the fuses. I'm not familiar with the starlet but they could be all on the 1 fuse.

deano77777

the radio and the lighter are on the one fuse but its not gone.

I changed the sterio in the car when i got it thinking it was just the old sterio, but it wasnt. When i changed them around there was a lot of cut wires in the back, i think they where all for the speakers though.
I followed the constant feed from the sterio back into the head unit and couldnt find any brakes or cuts.

Tallon

Nothing to do with the fuse, your radio is wired to the ignition instead of the battery.

Is it the radio that came with the car, or did someone install it using masking tape and guesswork?

Slidey

There should be 2 live feeds coming to your radio.

A ignition feed that only comes live when the key is in the ACC or the ignition is on and a constant 'memory' feed.

Buffman

Ye, if it's not the fuse then you're missing the constant feed coming from the battery. Any loose wires behind the radio. Somebody may have done a bit of dodgey wiring if the lighter is also gone.

Does the radio/car have an ISO connector?

The Muppet

The yellow and red wire at the back of your radio should have separate feeds. The yellow goes to the ignition and should only be live when the ignition is on, the red should be live all the time,it enables the radio to remember the channels.


Are you sure the fuse is ok? the inner light the cigarette lighter and the radio are all on the same fuse AFAIK so it's a little suspicious that none of these are working.

deano77777

Yea like said, i know its something to do with the constant feed, I followed it back into the headunit as far as i could and there is no brakes of cuts.
The ignition feed is fine coz the radio works when the car is on, i just cannt figure out what the problem is with the constant feed.

The car had a different sterio fitted when i got it, and like i said there were are lot of cuts wires beinde the sterio. I took out the sterio that was in the car and put in my own, thinking it was the old sterio but it wasnt.
when i changed the sterio i looked at all the loos wires in the back and im pritty shure their all just cut back speaker wires.

I checked the fuse again and tested it and its fine. This is from the small fuse box under the steering wheel. So is there another fuse im missing or a rely somewhere that has blown.

Tallon

Again, you need to have the radio wired to the battery.

At the moment, when you turn off the car, there is no power going to the memory unit and thus, no stations being saved

deano77777

Tallon wrote: »

Again, you need to have the radio wired to the battery.

At the moment, when you turn off the car, there is no power going to the memory unit and thus, no stations being saved

Yes i know that, that is what the constant feed is, a connstant current comming from the battery to keep the saved stations and time.
This is the battery feed, it is connected to the sterio but is not working and i trying to find out why.
Its not the fuse
It is connicted
there is no apparent cuts
?

seamus

If you're sure everything's connected then there must be a break or a short in the circuit.

Easiest way to narrow it down is using a multimeter. First check the voltage coming in through the relevant slot in the fuse box. If there's no voltage there, you know the break is somewhere between the fusebox and the battery. If there's power there, then use the multimeter to test the terminal which attached to the back of the radio. No power there, then you know the break is between fuse box and radio.

If there is power coming all the way through, then it's a fault with the radio.

It wouldn't be unheard of in an older car for the outer sheath of a cable to wear off due to fricition, leaving a bare wire exposed and shorting against the body or something.

deano77777

seamus wrote: »

If you're sure everything's connected then there must be a break or a short in the circuit.

Easiest way to narrow it down is using a multimeter. First check the voltage coming in through the relevant slot in the fuse box. If there's no voltage there, you know the break is somewhere between the fusebox and the battery. If there's power there, then use the multimeter to test the terminal which attached to the back of the radio. No power there, then you know the break is between fuse box and radio.

If there is power coming all the way through, then it's a fault with the radio.

It wouldn't be unheard of in an older car for the outer sheath of a cable to wear off due to fricition, leaving a bare wire exposed and shorting against the body or something.

Thanks for that, ill test it and see where the fault is.
I hope its just the outer sheath has worn of somewhere.

The Muppet

deano77777 wrote: »

Thanks for that, ill test it and see where the fault is.
I hope its just the outer sheath has worn of somewhere.

There is another possibility. if the red an yellow are on the wrong way around you could also be getting the sympthoms you describe.

Most radio harnesses have little plastic connectors on the red an yellow to allow you swap them around. If you are sure there it not a fuse ot cut it has to be that really.

You can't do any damamge to you radio by swapping these two wires around as they are both +12 v, one is direct form the battery the other is switched through the ignition.

I'd be fairly certain that's the solution to your problem.

Tefral

I see that the whole time, just switch the red and yellow wires around at the back of the iso harness.

deano77777

I have the yelow going into the constant feed at the moment, and thats what the manual says it is to.
Ill give changing them a go, but how do you get the wires changed around in the iso connector, can i switch them or should i just cut them and use a seperate connector for each.

The Muppet

deano77777 wrote: »

I have the yelow going into the constant feed at the moment, and thats what the manual says it is to.
Ill give changing them a go, but how do you get the wires changed around in the iso connector, can i switch them or should i just cut them and use a seperate connector for each.

Theres your problem, The red should be constant feed the yellow goes to the ignition.

Most harnesses have little clear plastic plugs on the red and yellow wires. you should be able to pull them apart and reconnect properly.

PADRAIC.M

It's your dome fuse,check it, I think it's in the fuse box under bonnet, and red is ignition feed and yellow is constant/memory live, the dome fuse supplies your radio live and interior light in the starlet.

deano77777

The interor light is working when you turn it on, it just dosent work for the door being opened.

Buffman

deano77777 wrote: »

The interor light is working when you turn it on, it just dosent work for the door being opened.

Ah, well then thats probably the little switch down at the door then. It it working for any of the other doors?

deano77777

Thanks Muppet, your a mind saver.
I was losing my mind with that radio ever since i got the car.
It was the live and conntact feed wires were in the wrong way round.

I just connected the orange wire to the orange wire and the red wire to the red wire when i changed the sterios. And id say thats what the last guy did to.
I never would have thought to switch the two around.

deano77777

Buffman wrote: »

Ah, well then thats probably the little switch down at the door then. It it working for any of the other doors?

I dont know if it works for the other door, it only has the two.
I dont think it dose though, ill double check later.

The Muppet

deano77777 wrote: »

Thanks Muppet, your a mind saver.
I was losing my mind with that radio ever since i got the car.
It was the live and conntact feed wires were in the wrong way round.

I just connected the orange wire to the orange wire and the red wire to the red wire when i changed the sterios. And id say thats what the last guy did to.
I never would have thought to switch the two around.

Glad you got sorted.