This sound normal?

[Mynameismcgyver 10+ year member]

I wired up my 2001 Maxima (bose was stock) with my Alpine HU last night. The headunit was NOT in the dash, only hanging out. But it wouldn't turn on with out the

Antenna plugged in. I did not ground it to the chassis, just used the existing "ground wire". Does this sound right or should I ground it to the chassis?

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[KaeZoo 10+ year member]

If it only turns on with the antenna, then it has a poor ground. Ground it to the chassis. Many Nissan radios don't even have a ground wire in the factory plug, even though it's present in aftermarket harnesses.

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

Word, ground to teh frame

 

[whitemax 10+ year member]

I grounded mine to the metal behind the dash.

 

[atoz350 10+ year member]

The factory radio works the same way. The radio won't work without the antenna plugged in. That's just the way Nissans are designed.

 

[KaeZoo 10+ year member]

The factory radio works the same way. The radio won't work without the antenna plugged in. That's just the way Nissans are designed.

Actually, it's designed to be grounded through the metal mounting brackets. A Nissan radio has to be mounted and screwed down to be grounded properly. If it isn't mounted, the antenna can work as a (poor) substitute ground, but if the radio is mounted it doesn't need the antenna plugged in to work.