WTF did I break?

[Blados 10+ year member]

Here's the story. I have a 2000 jetta. I installed a pioneer deh-5900IB with no problems. I went to install my amp. After everything was hooked up I turned the car back on and the head unit wasn't getting power, and neither was the amp. I realized I had a bad ground and tried again with no luck. Since the head unit it was bought at crutchfield I exchanged it. I got the new one today and can't get any power to it. I have no amp or anything else hooked up. I tested the factory radio and it still gets power. Anything obvious or not so obvious that I should check? (Already checked the fuses). Thanks for any help.

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[mrwigglezdj 10+ year member]

are you useing a factory clip deal so you arent cuting wires? if so double check the wires that youre useing the rite ones for power ect. might be a simple mistake in the wireing

 

[Blados 10+ year member]

I'm using a wiring harness and everything is wired correctly.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

call Crutchfield...they have good tech support and should be able to walk you through any problems //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[OmegaBunny 10+ year member]

Did you check the fuses? Also, you may want to try connecting the red power wire to a switched 12v power wire found in you car. In my Caliber I have to hook the switched power wire to a 12v line, like my cig lighter. This has something to do with the Can-Bus in my car. This is just a thought. If nothing else call Crutchfield.

 

[Racerx250 10+ year member]

hmm. Hook your switched 12v to the constant 12v and see it it turns on that way. If it does something could be wrong with the switch on mechanism. If that dosen't work get out a voltage meter and see if your getting power through the harness if not, find out which pin the 12v source is before the harness. Where the harness plugs into. It could be something loose in the harness. If that dosen't work call crutchfield. They had excellent customer service when I blew an l5 if got from em.

 

[W8 a minute 10+ year member]

My Passat does not have a switched 12v in the factory harness even though the Metra harness adapter tells you there is. I'm not sure if your VW is the same. As one poster mentioned it has to do with the Canbus.

But you said it worked before so I think you need to break out a DMM and start checking that way.

 

[OmegaBunny 10+ year member]

What might have happened, and I am not 100% sure if this can happen, is that the stereo worked despite the Can-Bus, but once the stereo was unhooked and hooked back up it sent a signal that the factory unit was not installed and therefore it quit working. I believe that some cars will allow an aftermarket unit to work until a diagnostic tool is used on them then the tool says there is no radio hooked up because the circuit is not complete and it quits sending power to the unit. This may have happened to your car, but I am a noob so don't rely on me.

 

[bass_lover1 10+ year member]

I don't think the Jetta was Can-Bus that early on in the MkIV line...should be still K-line, which is what Vdub used to communicate to the radio.

Be careful with metra harnesses, and Vdubs w/ dedicated K-lines for factory radios, they sometimes do weird things with the harness and put the K-line to something that it shouldn't be.