Help me with a 2008 Dodge Ram stock HU question please!

[FSUNole17 10+ year member]

I just had to remove my factory radio for an install and re-install everything. Well, I didn't cut any wires from the stock harness or drop anything or do anything to cause it to break, but when I plugged everything back in, the CD player no longer works and after the ignition is off, the truck makes a short, weird noise that sounds like it comes from the engine bay that it didn't used to make, does anyone have any idea what this may be?

Also, the CD changer keeps trying to change CDs it sounds like for about 30 seconds after the ignition is turned off or anytime the interior lights are activated. It didn't do this before the removal, does anyone have any idea what this may be?

The most weird part of this is that I didn't cut anything, I just disconnected the harnesses and plugged them back in and then boom, doesn't work right.

Well I thought I had to remove the radio and tap into the speaker leads behind the radio to wire up my LOC to hook up the sub amp. BUT come to find out the hard way, you have to wire in the LOC AFTER the Infinity amp for it to pick up a signal. The ONLY changes to wires I made at the headunit/harness was i stripped some cover off the LR+ and - wire, but as stated ended up not even using the wires for the LOC. In addition, to get my remote turn on lead hooked up, I cut the cigarette lighter ignition wire completely and wired my turn on lead to it. This was because I don't smoke and it doesn't matter to me if the cigarette lighter works or not, could that have caused it?? All other wires at the bezel area were untouched.

For the life of me I can't figure this out, the CD changer keeps trying to change CDs when the lights turn on (door opens, unlock car, etc.) or even when I just shut the door and the car is locked. The CD changer operates on its own for about 20 seconds and then stops. But the weirdest thing is when I hit "Mode" to change from XM to CD mode, it won't even change from XM, so basically the CD player at the moment is not even an option for me to play. I wonder if my player is just fried, I sure hope not.....

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[Flex68 10+ year member]

Is your truck the Ram 1500 SLT with the factory Infinity system? Does it have the DD Nav system with CANBUS?

I recall reading on some of the mfg and model forums remarks about how the various system interconnects--- along with the security system--- caused issues for some after doing installs , i.e., alarm lights coming on, loss of other control features, etc.

Did you disconnect the battery Neg before you started? If so you shouldn't have blown a fuse or shorted anything out in your head unit.

Hope someone with more knowledge can help you out, here, but your symptoms don't seem like they should be originating from 'skinning' the speaker wires; sounds more like a loss of ground or a lost interconnect from the cut lighter wire.

(I am thinking that the 12V to the lighter wire may have been paralleled off the OBD-II plug on some of the Dodge trucks...)

I have an OBD pin-out and head unit wiring info for the last gen Rams that I can send, if that is of any help.

 

[FSUNole17 10+ year member]

So you think hooking the lighter ignition wire back up will maybe hae an affect? Never thought about that. Also, I still had the negative lead hooked to the battery, I didn't disconnect it but obviously the power was disconnected.

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Either hook it back up as original, or parallel a 'replacement' wire from wherever you hooked it up back to the lighter....quick way to check/verify whether or not this is at issue.