Power but no sound - Kenwood KDC-248U in 1998 BMW 3 Series

[TViers]

My son's Alpine was stolen this summer. They pulled it from the dash and cut the wires between the radio and the bmw adapter plug. So we got him a new Kenwood for Christmas. Wired it to the bmw adapter and used all wires on the radio except

1. Blue and White wire labled "P. Cont."

2. Solid Blue wire labled "Ant. Cont."

3 Light Brown wire labled "Mute"

On the adapter side we used all but 2:

1. Solid Blue wire

2. Solid Orange wire.

We are not using an external amp.

We are not using the red/white RCA outs

The antenna requires an adapter, so it is not hooked up yet. Is this a source of ground that could keep us from having sound?

We have battery power because you can insert and eject a CD without turning on the key.

We have ignition power because the unit lights and goes through all the menus with the key on.

It reads the iPhone and will play songs, but no sound. Volume shows it is going up by the number on the display, but no sound, not even static when we try FM.

TIA,

Tom

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[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

you need to hook up the factory amp

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

try connecting the blue wire with white stripe...from radio to the blue wire on the bmw harness

 

[TViers]

you need to hook up the factory amp

Any suggestions on how to do that given the wires I've listed above? Or should there be RCA's inside the dash somewhere?

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

make sure you tape off solid orange wire on bmw harness...if not when you turn on the lights it can touch the back of your radio shorting the dash and tail lights and maybe damage the radio by shorting electronic circuits inside of it

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

Is that the Blue Amp. Cont. from the radio to the Solid Blue on the adapter?

yes...it won;t hurt anything but a good chance make it work

 

[TViers]

try connecting the blue wire with white stripe...from radio to the blue wire on the bmw harness

That worked!! Thanks a bunch!! Merry Christmas!!!!

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

yw...you too

 

[ewp25801]

I am in the same boat, except I put the kenwood in a 1993 Honda Accord. Do you suppose this would work on it?

 

[Bassin Buick]

I am in the same boat, except I put the kenwood in a 1993 Honda Accord. Do you suppose this would work on it?

Prolly not. i dont think accords had a "premium" factory amp back then.

 

[Dj-torn 10+ year member]

I am in the same boat, except I put the kenwood in a 1993 Honda Accord. Do you suppose this would work on it?

Before you installed the new radio, did you have sound from the speakers before then?

 

[ewp25801]

Thanks for the replies, I tried the blue/white to the blue, and it worked....

Before you installed the new radio, did you have sound from the speakers before then?

I did, but it didn't sound well at all. (I know basically nothing about this so bare with me) There seemed to always be a little static or sound underlying everything, regardless of fm channel/cassette or cd(played through portable player hooked up to cassette adapter device). The bass in the right rear would vibrate/buzz in songs with heavier bass. Also, there looks to be an amp mounted to roof of trunk on the left side near speaker. Do amps go bad and could that be part of my problem? Should I try replacing one thing at a time to see what effect that has? Any advice is welcomed.