Bounder: Replacing Radio, weird electrical problem

[Muddypaws]

I removed the Visteon radio that came in our 34H today and replaced it with a JVC KW-XR810 CD receiver. I'm not totally inexperienced at installing aftermarket audio and I didn't expect to have any problems. Certainly not this weird problem!

The radio works perfectly when the key is on. With the key off if I press the 'Radio On' button the radio will come on but only for a few seconds. If I hold the button down it will work fine until I release the button. As soon as the button is released it shuts down.

Has anybody seen this before?

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muddypaws I removed the Visteon radio that came in our 34H today and replaced it with a JVC KW-XR810 CD receiver. I'm not totally inexperienced at installing aftermarket audio and I didn't expect to have any problems. Certainly not this weird problem! The radio works perfectly when the key is on. With the key off if I press the 'Radio On' button the radio will come on but only for a few seconds. If I hold the button down it will work fine until I release the button. As soon as the button is released it shuts down. Has anybody seen this before?

On my Bounder there is a rocker switch ( on of the 5 shown below )for the radio that is marked travel and park .

If I want to use the radio with the key off , the park side of this switch needs to be pressed .

[Muddypaws]

In our Bounder the switch is a spring loaded momentary contact rocker switch that toggles a relay on or off depending on it's state when you press it. There is another switch like it near the bed,

At the Fleetwood end of the radio connector it is exactly as if you turned the key on. Something is causing the relay to un-latch, but what? Too much current draw? Too little current? Bad relay? Bad mojo?

It worked fine with the Visteon (Ford) radio. I don't think the radio feeds back the latching voltage as it latches fine with the radio removed.

Things were so much simpler in the fifth wheel.

[Muddypaws]

The problem has been resolved. I got the relay to work properly by simply tapping it with my finger. I'll be replacing it soon I think but first I want to finish up the radio install.

Thanks,
Muddypaws

[Winnebeater]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muddypaws The problem has been resolved. I got the relay to work properly by simply tapping it with my finger. I'll be replacing it soon I think but first I want to finish up the radio install. Thanks, Muddypaws

If tapping the relay with your finger got it to work, you may want to remove the protective cover on the relay and inspect it. I had a similar issue with a relay that was used to turn on the Bose amplifier in one of my cars. After removing the cover on the relay it was obvious that one of the thin wires that supply power to the coil in the relay had a broken connection. When I flicked it, it would cause the wire to arc and re attach itself for a short period of time. It took me about five minutes to inspect it, re-solder it and re-install it. That was eight years ago. Two cents worth of solder saved me the $30 dollars that they wanted for the relay at the dealer.

[Muddypaws]

Thanks for the tip Winnebeater. I'll give that a try before I buy a new relay.

I got the new radio fully installed and operational. Hard to believe that I had to get in there with a dremel and grind away both wood and aluminum to get it to slide all the way in. It's about 1/2 taller than the Visteon and probably 1 1/2 inches deeper. Just enough bigger that it hit everything the old radio missed. Even after grinding on it for about an hour it's still a tight fit.

On to the next project: Installing the EvenBrake in the CRV.

Muddypaws

[mr300ce]

Yep, I was gonna say yours is a relay setup. Easy enough to replace with a regular rocker switch.

For Christmas I got myself a new receiver and a subwoofer. Easy easy install. Sounds GREAT !!! And I can run the Tv thru it too.

Walmart.com: Sony CDXGT56UIW Receiver with USB Input: Auto Electronics

Boss Bass1500 10 Inch Low Profile Amplified Subwoofer - Walmart.com