xm hook up

[bannock 10+ year member]

I got xm radio a few months ago but have finally gotten around to hooking it up in my car. I can hear the radio except its not charging, my cig lighter doesnt work. Checked the fuses and the connections and it still doesnt work. Is there any other way, besides buying additional add ons to make this work?

Click to read more...

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

more info is needed. vehicle year/make/model? factory/aftermarket radio? XM model number?

you cig lighter doesn't have voltage? if not, fix that first. it's hard wired to the vehicle and was either cut or it's fuse is blown.

 

[bannock 10+ year member]

vehicle is a 97 vw golf. i have a kenwood hu, about a year old, cant think of the model. The xm radio is the XM2go portable unit.

As for the cig lighter, it looks like all the wires are connected and the fuse is good. when i plug the lighter or anything into it, it doesnt work. not too sure about if it does or doesnt get voltage, i just know it doesnt work but looks like it should lol.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

if things don't work when plugged in, then the wires are not connected or the fuse is not good. simple as that. a lack of voltage is what causes things to not work. fuses are checked with a DMM by probing both sides of the fuse tabs - visual inspection alone is not sufficient. measuring voltage is the only way to troubleshoot.

you can connect the power and ground wires for the cig lighter to the head unit ignition wire and ground wire to bypass the factory wiring.

it's possible that the socket itself is bad, those can be purchased at an autoparts store.

also, the XM unit probably has a fuse inside the plug - check that as well (use the DMM to measure resistance on both ends of the fuse).