help diagnosing mach460

[zoma]

Been searching for an answer for this all week, if someone could help I would really appreciate it.

My deck seems to be dead. When I press Power, nothing happens. No CD, no radio, nothing on the display at all.

The buttons illuminate if I turn on my dash lights.

I have checked all the fuses and everything looks good from that end.

Anyone have any clues as to what's up? Is it just my head unit that's dead? Are there any troubleshooting steps I can take to diagnose this issue further?

Its the stock mach460 setup in a 95 GT convertible.

 

[revhead347]

It may not be getting power. The illumination is on a totally different circuit. The illumination is on the blue wire with the red stripe. I would pull the radio out and check both power circuits. There is a continuous power circuit, and another circuit for key on. Both circuits should have 12 volt power with the key in the on position. I don't remember the color of the wires specifically, but wiring diagrams are available on veryuseful.com. It helps to have the DIN removal tools to get the radio out. They used to sell those tools in the car stereo section at Walmart. Not sure if they still do.

Kurt

 

[zoma]

It may not be getting power. The illumination is on a totally different circuit. The illumination is on the blue wire with the red stripe. I would pull the radio out and check both power circuits. There is a continuous power circuit, and another circuit for key on. Both circuits should have 12 volt power with the key in the on position. I don't remember the color of the wires specifically, but wiring diagrams are available on veryuseful.com. It helps to have the DIN removal tools to get the radio out. They used to sell those tools in the car stereo section at Walmart. Not sure if they still do.

Kurt

Thanks for the response Kurt!

I was able to fabricate some DIN removal tools using a metal coat hanger. I found a diagram for the radio in the back of my Haynes manual.

Pulled the radio and started probing the electrical connections. My light green/yellow wire was hot at all times, and my yellow/black wire was hot when I had the key on. Looks like the radio is getting power. I think its safe to say my head unit is dead!

This leaves me with one question -- is it just the head unit or could my amps be dead as well? Is there any way I can test them using my test light, multimeter etc, even though my head unit is dead? That way I don't end up buying a new head unit and running into more problems later.

I appreciate any help/responses I can get!

 

[revhead347]

If the head unit doesn't light up or do anything then it's dead. No reason to assume other things are broken yet. An aftermarket head unit makes an amazing difference in how the stereo sounds. If you aren't attached to the factory appearance of it, the don't bother replacing it with another stock one.

Kurt