hi,
im really hoping someone can help me, i have a 1999 ford fiesta and the stereo in it has died on me...
i got a flat battery a few weeks back and asked a friend to come out n jump start me...i assumed he knew what he was doing but got suspicious when spark and smoke started coming off my engine...i think he'd either let the leads touch or wired them up wrong...anyway after a small panic we finally got my car going and everything is fine except that my radio just does not work now
it doesnt even switch on to allow me to put the code in or anything...i changed the fuse in the box to the bottom right of the steering wheel...i went to halford who got radio out for me (it was factory fitted) and recommended getting a new radio from a scrap yard...
i ordered one from e-bay, plugged it in and even this new one doesnt work!! the seller has a full money back guarentee if the equipment doesnt work so im pretty sure that tghe radio itself is fine...
im running out of ideas as to what it could be! as you can probably tell im not a car expert and i hate having to ever take it to garages cos im sure they just completely make up whats wrong with my car and pluck a price out the air to charge me so if anyone can give me some advice i would be forever grateful!!
jo
Edited by Webmaster on 29/03/2008 at 12:55
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In doing diagnostic work, rule 1, check things one at a time. You appear to have two radios neither of which you know for sure work and then you fit one in the car at which point, when it does not work, you do not know if it is the radio or the wiring! Marks very low out of ten.
Why not run each radio from a car battery. To play safe you could make up a pair of leads to connect it with that have a 5 amp (or so) fuse in the live lead, (almost always the positive one these days) just in case you short them which would cause them to glow red and melt!
You will, at least, see whether the light on either of them works and you could go on to push in some sort of aerial lead but then you need a speaker connected to hear the sound.
If a good radio does not work in the car, you then need a test meter to check if there are volts on the radio lead in the car at the point of connection. If not you will have to trace it back to find the break or tape it up for safety and run a fresh lead back to the battery VIA A FUSE. The fuse should be sited at the battery end of the lead.
If you are not capable of doing this you will have to number yourself amongst the not-technically-educated and get help.
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thanks buzbee,
im 99% sure that the radio i ordered from e-bay is fine and i now suspect that my old one may even be working and this is all a wireing problem...
im definately a diy 'have a go yourself first' kind of person but that all that testing stuff sounds really complicated....and add in the fact there is an electrical current passing through the cables and its all starting to sound like i really should leave it to the professionals!
who would i take it to....garage, dealership, electirican?? and have you got any idea how much something like this is going to cost?
thanks,
jo :)
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Hi Jo
You can take your car and both radios to a car stereo shop, where they can test them for you, Im not sure about rates, but usually they are not expensive, also they can test your car´s wiring to see if there is something damaged and fix it for you, and reinstall the radio or the new one in the car.
Usually this places have some fee for testing and installing sound equipment, but ASK THEM BEFORE they start working how much this will cost, to see if its convenient for you, because sometimes they are not clear and charge a lot of $$$. Maybe someone here can also suggest some place near your location to assist you.
Hope this helps
Javier
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