Stereo/radio not working

page3 · December 8, 2016, 21:14

Hi All,

Following on from my introductory post, I have an issue with the stereo/radio in my Mk3. It doesn't work. I have the following symptoms:

- It is an original 2005 Toyota unit (big button "Fisher-Price" style head unit).
- No radio function at all - on/off button doesn't do anything.
- The CD player plays but there is no volume control, and only the eject button has any function.
- The aerial extends when a CD is put into the unit. The CD can be heard at a very low volume.
- The fuses in the left end of the dashboard (passenger side) are all intact. I have taken them out, cleaned them and checked for moisture. All fine. I checked the following three: no.18 ACC 25 A, no. 25 RADIO1 15 A, and no. 30 RADIO2 7.5 A (nos. refer to those listed on p264 and p265 of the MR2 Owner's Manual).
- The cigarette lighter doesn't appear to work, which I suspected might be associated with ACC 25 A fuse , listed as no. 18 in the Owner's Manual (page 264 and 265). But as above, fuse is fine.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions and advice. Next step, I will remove the head unit from the centre console using the advice I've found on the fourm, but I'd prefer to know what I'm looking for!

I have a spare thin (single DIN?) after-market Sony head unit I could try, but would prefer to get the original unit working.

Regards,
Nick

gazza1286 · December 8, 2016, 22:55

The power is getting through to the unit so likely to be an internal fault. It has to be simpler to get a replacement. If you're after an original there's one on ebay

Look at this on eBay m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112022714968 m

brettfield999 · December 9, 2016, 02:26

Also keep and eye on the freebies section if you have access. They're always being given away

normanh · December 24, 2016, 17:05

You can get a new double din from £90 upwards with ease why by 2nd hand, I bought a new Sony slightly more but was a straight fit once I got my brain around the connectors.

Norman

page3 · January 9, 2017, 14:54

Thanks all for your suggestions. I had a constructive/destructive afternoon yesterday taking the OEM headunit out of the car. I think I will eventually fit a new bluetooth HU but right now it's not a priority, so thought I'd focus on trying to resurrect the original stereo. I followed the advice of previous posts on the forum in taking apart the centre console, all fairly straightforward - thanks!

Before going much further, I unclipped the four separate white block connectors from the back of the HU, then reconnected them, turned on the ignition, and bingo, we had radio...for about 30 seconds! The aerial went up, the LCD display came on, and I could adjust the volume. Then the display went out, the radio continued, but then everything cut out, and the aerial dropped back down. Then intermittently the radio came back on, so I quickly shoved a CD in there to see if that made any difference, but the same thing happened. LCD and sound on, then no display, no volume, then nothing.

By a process of elimination, I pulled out all of the connectors to find which contains power, then turned on the ignition again to try the radio - it appears this is the connector, hopefully shown in the following link: m https://goo.gl/images/i8qIL3 m

However, this has still left me a bit confused - I don't know what to try next! As gazza1286 suggested, power is getting through, so I guess it could be a grounding/earthing issue? But my skills run out here - any suggestions of what to test, and how? It could be a loose connection within the connector too I suppose.

I do have an old Sony single-DIN stereo I was going to try, but of course none of the connectors match! I've had a look at several converter wires on eBay. They're cheap, so I don't mind losing a few quid if it doesn't work, but I've noticed that the ISO lead tends to only have two connectors - can anyone confirm if these are OK? (for example, m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-MR2-Ro ... 1334379323 m ). My investigation so far suggests that it doesn't if the original HU runs from only one connector!

Cheers,
Nick

beavisrules · January 9, 2017, 19:13

As far as I remember the MR2 system only needs the 1 connector for standard audio functions. (ie all the other leads in the car radio area are for nav/rear speakers/other things).

There was a recall about wiring to the radio getting chaffed somewhere.
Dry joint in radio more likely as the wiring in the car is pretty sturdy.

MR2 - ISO adaptor wont be mr2 specific , 2 connectors to 2 connectors -they'll send one that's just the same as in any Japanese Domestic Market car, it'll work.
That ebay one looks right to me.

paulj · January 9, 2017, 22:02

You can go on the Toyota website and check if your car was affected by the recall - https://www.toyota.co.uk/caring-for-your-toyota/owners/recall-checker.json

normanh · January 10, 2017, 20:58

The safety mod involves adding a strip of plastic over the edge of the radio mount to stop the side plate mount rubbing its that simple. You can find this when you take the radio out- its only on the passenger side and easily falls off. With the loom adaptor I can confirm only one plug is used but both will be connected the second does absolutely. The second appears to be for additional speakers etc but the connecting plug nothing in our cars is empty of this wiring. I dodnt think its going to be the safety mod in all honesty being lacking.

Chances are mate your unit is u/s its that simple.

Norman

page3 · January 27, 2017, 15:39

Thanks for your comments.

beavisrules - you were right, one connector from the standard loom went into the ISO cable. I bought the one from the link.

paulj - thanks, I checked the Toyota website for recalls and my car is clear.

normanh - thanks - yes there are two strips of flexible plastic on the OEM radio at both rear corners, almost like a faux-leather finish. Looks pretty original to me. I have removed the original OEM unit for "workbench testing", ie. when I can get round to it I'll power it up then forget about it...

In the meantime, full speed ahead with the single-DIN stereo. The unit itself powers up and is constant, so that's a win. The aerial also goes up and down to. However, I can't get any radio reception. The barrel connector from the Sony single-DIN unit does not seem to fit the aerial wire from the loom. I bought a PC5-27 adapter which appears to have the same width and that doesn't fit either. In the end, after sitting there wondering what to do next, I forced the barrel connector on to the aerial/antenna wire from the loom. Still no radio, and it wasn't exactly a perfect fit either.

I know the stereo works, I had it in a previous car. From what I can remember, that had a "cup" connection similar to a PC5-28 DIN to ISO connector straight from the loom (1991 Astra, my first car!). The stereo unit is a Sony CDX-M600R.

I've taken some pictures, hopefully below. Apologies for the terrible quality, it was on my phone, in the dark, under the car cover!

IMG_1283 by page-rage, on Flickr

Antennae/aerial from car's loom just visible at the top of the pic.

IMG_1285 by page-rage, on Flickr

Barrel connector from Sony stereo straight on.

IMG_1286 by page-rage, on Flickr

Back of the Sony stereo for clarity.

Anyone have any ideas about the connections? I'm sure someone else must have encountered this!

Cheers,
Nick

cabbydave · January 28, 2017, 12:05

The bit on the aerial cable is a adapter get some pliers and pull it out then chuck it away

page3 · January 31, 2017, 15:31

Quote from: "cabbydave"The bit on the aerial cable is a adapter get some pliers and pull it out then chuck it away

Thanks cabbydave. To save me destroying something, do you mean the aerial cable from the car or the back of the stereo? (The stereo I bought new so I know the barrel connector is original).

Cheers,
Nick

gazza1286 · January 31, 2017, 19:06

I think he means the adaptor in the black aerial fly-lead.

See:-

m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250413926808 m

page3 · February 10, 2017, 17:54

Thanks gazza1286.

So rather than rip cables apart (the one from the car's wiring loom must be original, therefore there must be an adapter available judging by all of the MR2 stereo installations!), I bought another cable after looking closely at the cable, and checking how the stereo was previously plumbed into the Astra.

PC5-28 cable by page-rage, on Flickr

Connections to original loom by page-rage, on Flickr

The cable I purchased is an Autoleads ISO radio adapter PC5-28. It fits perfectly! However, I still have no radio reception. Power and external aerial extends, CD plays fine. No radio reception at all! Now I'm wondering if it's something I haven't considered, as the OEM stereo had issues (see previous posts above).

No radio reception by page-rage, on Flickr

(Thought I might as well reveal the headunit!)

What am I missing? All of the stereo installations on this forum (and others, Spyderchat, MR2 Owners Club, etc) seem to gloss over this particular element of the install. One just has the comment "pull of the wires out!". It's a Japanese stereo in a Japanese car. Must be straightforward, right?!

Can anybody help before I start throwing things across the garage?!

gazza1286 · February 10, 2017, 18:27

Why not extract the metal adapter which was jammed in the fly lead on your head unit and put the oem aerial plug directly into the fly lead. That adaptor cable may be defective and disrupting the signal.

Also have you examined the cable coming out of the head unit - it could be dislodged and need resoldering etc.

paulj · February 13, 2017, 20:50

The adaptor in your post was DIN to ISO, which you would need for an Astra. The Toyota is DIN,DIN the plug with the central long pin. If everything else works but the radio are you sure you are getting a signal? Is there anything on AM bands? Can you trace the aerial lead from the back wing to the radio? You can see the lead coming in the drivers side under the rear box and it will then go via the dooor cill or the central console to the radio area in the front. With no signal getting through it is worth checking the basics again.