Hollo007

Hey All.. I am a new owner of a used Acura. Though, it’s starting to become a nightmare!
I am a novice when it comes to audio equipment. I am more of an engine and tranny guy.
Well, I recently found out, that the previous owner of the car removed the Bose amp and installed an aftermarket amp. The sound out of the speakers worked for a day until the next day no more. Well to find out the amp is now bad, and worst of it all, the antenna will no longer work! The "remote lead wire" that I refer to in this posting is the wire that gives power to the amp. When radio off, amp off. Radio on, as you guess, amp is on!

Well...
1.) I disconnected the remote lead wire leading from the radio head unit into the amp (while the car was in ignition position II), and the antenna was up when the radio was turned on.
2.) Turned radio off and antenna went back down.
3.) Turned the radio on, antenna went up.
(It did not matter if lead remote wire was in the amp or not. The antenna would stay up as long as head unit is on.)
4.) Then, I plugged the remote lead wire back into the amp, the antenna went down. (Radio still on)
Now the antenna will not go back up and there is no antenna motor sounds!!
5.) I have removed the wire from the amp, turned the radio on/off, antenna still down!
6.) I removed the negative cable from the battery and put it back on the negative side of the battery.
7.) Turned radio on/off, no motor sounds at all from the antenna, put my code in (thinking that it would fix it), and still nothing!

Is there a fuse somewhere I am missing or am I forced to buy a new head unit or motor antenna?

Head unit still works and shows radio reception.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated on this.

Also, any suggestions on a new amp to replace the old one? I am just a regular radio listener and have no need or want for woofers and a lot of power!

 

ChrisK

I can't be sure since you never mentioned it, but is this an aftermarket headunit or stock headunit? If it is an aftermarket headunit which I suspect, then the problem originally was that the the previsous installer used the antenna turn on wire from the headunit to power both the amp and antenna. Over time you probabaly just burned out the antenna turn on wire from the headunit because the aftermarket amp turn on input could have a larger current draw than the deck could provide for the amp and antenna at the same time. Generally the remote turn on in the amp is a low current, but some amps draw more current than others and you can load down the system. This would be the case if the previous owner simply tapped the remote turn on wire for the OEM BOSE amp and used that to for the aftermarket amp. In the OEM system, the antenna and amp turn on share the same wire. This is okay for the OEM system, but could be too much for an aftermarket amp.

Anway, the correct way to wire an aftermarket headunit was to use the antenna wire to power the antenna, but run a totally separete remote turn on wire from the decks dediocated amp turn on lead to the amp. Now, the amp will always stay on and when you are not listening to the radio the antenna will lower.

Either way, we need a bit more information on what headunit you are using, and how the remote turn on is wired to the system. Is it going though the stock radio harness?

Hollo007

My apologies.. the head unit is stock and the remote turn on is wired to the system through the stock radio harness.

From what I am presuming you said; is that the antenna motor is burnt out from the draw on the amp through the stock head unit and harness?!

Also when this happened, the antenna was up, then the antenna just retracted and nothin! Currently the antenna is down and for what ever reason I am hardly recieving radio channels. I know there is a window antenna in the rear window, though, it does not pick many stations up at all!!

Hollo007

Well, I just purchased a new amp and installed it. Now it does not turn on. What I can conclude, is that the other amp that was in the vehicle burnt the remote circuitry in the stock head unit. I am forced to go out an repacement stock head unit tomorrow. I'll see if that fixes the problem, and I'll let ya all know

ChrisK

Actually that was what I was trying to say. The aftermarket remote turn on current draw was probably a bit higher than the stock amp or other typical aftermarket amps and could have burnt out the remote turn on circuit in the head unit. When I said burnt out the antenna turn on wire I was assuming you had an aftermarket deck that typically has an antenna turn on wire and another remote turn on wire. I had thought the antenna turn on wire/circuit on the aftermarket headunit had burned out.

Hollo007

Thank you ChrisK for you input!!!!!!! This website and Acura Community, I am proud to be part of!! I look forward to all the new postings and support that we all draw upon as ACURA Owners!

Hollo007

Well, I just replaced the stock head unit with another stock head unit. And.. everything works again!
So.. a note to anyone that installs a custom audio system in a Acura.. NEVER run the amp only off the remote lead from head unit or you WILL fry your reciever head!!!

Also, If you are in Tennessee Nashville area, you need a radio code for your radio in your car, Gary Force Acura in Brentwood, REQUIRES you have your title or registration for YOUR Acura and reciept (if you replace your unit) from where you got the new unit! They will give it to you for free! No phone calls for this, you have to be there in person!