Weird Problem with Aftermarket Stereo
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
Weird Problem with Aftermarket Stereo
Hi, I got a 1984 Corvette about 6 or 7 weeks ago and have been having a blast. It's in pretty darn good condition with 51,000 on the clock. It came with the Delco/Bose stereo, which is pretty cool, especially for 26 years ago. I decided to replace the stereo so I wasn't bound to tapes and the radio, especially since I don't have any tapes. Anyway, I bought a cool stereo and an equalizer, got it all wired up and decided to test it. It works fine for about 10 seconds, then it will turn off the antenna and make a loud, clicking noise, even when not connected to the speakers. I contacted Boss (the guys who made the stereo), and the tech guy wasn't a whole lot of help. The only advice he could offer was return it for a new one. All connections are soldered and covered with that heat-shrink insulation. Any help would be great, thanks!
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
Did your old Bose have the powered speakers and did you still use them?
You can't run the output of an aftermarket radio into the Bose because you will end up with an impedance mismatch and blow the outputs of the new radio.
You either have to replace the speakers, or use the 'line out' connectors, if your radio has them, to tie into the Bose powered speakers.
You can't run the output of an aftermarket radio into the Bose because you will end up with an impedance mismatch and blow the outputs of the new radio.
You either have to replace the speakers, or use the 'line out' connectors, if your radio has them, to tie into the Bose powered speakers.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
There is a way around that problem without wiring a switch.
Just us the 'powered' connection for the radio.
The antenna will go up every time you start the car and go off when you turn the car off.
And what's good about that is, it will also raise the antenna if you put your ignition switch on 'accessory' so you can listen to the radio without running the car..
I should mention though, you may need a bigger fuse for the added load.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
The car does have the powered speakers, but I have the RCA outputs from the stereo go to an equalizer, which sends a signal to the amplifiers. I did some snooping around in my car, and found 12.22 volts at the battery (it's been a couple days since I started it up), and 12.02 volts at the radio harness. I had the stereo out of the car, and jumped it straight to the battery. It didn't make that weird clicking noise after a few seconds, so I think it's not getting enough voltage when it's plugged in to the car's radio harness. I tried going after the G126 and (I think) G110 grounds, which are supposed to go to the radio. Anyone have any tips on getting to those?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
Just an update, I figured it out and got it working. It was the car's antenna relay that was making the clicking. Just as said, the radio was supplying enough power to activate the antenna, then didn't supply enough after a few seconds. I ended up hooking that lead from the radio to a relay, that would activate the relay for the power antenna. So now my car has 1 more relay, and a cool CD player with an equalizer. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
