wired fm modulator problems....

wheli · 04-09-2006, 04:22 PM

Ok....

I installed a wired fm modulator into my car today....
I ran the box directly into the back of my car's antenna and because the unit required a 12v power source and ground source, i decided to dismantle my un-used cigarette lighter adapter and use the ground and 12v power source attached to that for my FM modulator. (this ended up working out extremely well, because there was a cigarette lighter adapter sized on/off switch that came with the modulator that fixs perfectly)

(The only evidence of my install...i have to admit, it looks pretty good, haha) -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28787159@N00/125908717/

So anyway, i hooked everything up....tried it out...and it worked great!
I dismantled all the pieces and started reassembling them so that wires werent exposed at all. After all is said and done, the install looks great....so i go to try it out again....nothing....

Its the same exact setup as i had 5 mins previous, but it doesnt work....

I checked my cars "audio" fuse in the fuse box....it looks fine
I checked my fm modulators fuse and internal components...they look fine
I checked my car stereo's internal components...they all look fine
I even disambled the button and it looked fine.

My only thought left was that maybe I blew the fuse for the cigarette lighter....but...my other cigarette lighter adapter works fine. Unless they are on seperate ciruits, I dont know what the problem could be....

I'm looking for some suggestions of what to try next....

The only thing i can think of doing is going and buying a volt meter and testing the wires that are supposidely "powering" my fm modular...

Thanks guys.

RawsonDR · 04-09-2006, 04:59 PM

Yeah, I'd check for power on the wires you used. A volt meter would be best, but if you don't want to bother you can try connecting the wires to another device - something simple like a cell phone car charger.

wheli · 04-09-2006, 05:29 PM

How would i go about doing that? Do you know which parts of a CLA are the hot and the ground, as in where we i would connect the wires?

walky_talky20 · 04-10-2006, 12:19 PM

You could also test with an test-light. Or just an automotive light bulb. By using a light bulb you could connect it either way, not worrying about polarity for now. If the light bulb shines, you've got power. Measuring the voltage with a meter would be a better option though.

wheli · 04-10-2006, 06:34 PM

So...........good news and bad news....

The good news, i got a voltmeter!

The bad news, the wires that had previously been supplying my cigarette lighter adapter with power are outputing 0V and when i went to go test my other cigarette lighter adapter with my voltmeter it turns out that my other cigarette lighter adapter is also broken now!

Ya, so i'm lost.....i guess i have to find the inline fuse for both of these adapters because there's no fuse for them in the fuse box on my car.

shotgunefx · 04-10-2006, 06:40 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by wheli

So...........good news and bad news....

The good news, i got a voltmeter!

The bad news, the wires that had previously been supplying my cigarette lighter adapter with power are outputing 0V and when i went to go test my other cigarette lighter adapter with my voltmeter it turns out that my other cigarette lighter adapter is also broken now!

Ya, so i'm lost.....i guess i have to find the inline fuse for both of these adapters because there's no fuse for them in the fuse box on my car.

Sure you don't have two fuse blocks?

My car does. One under the hood, one inside the interior.

wheli · 04-11-2006, 08:49 AM

ya...i checked both...none for the cigarette lighter adapters....
I checked all that were even slightly related and they all looked fine....

I'm pretty sure its inline.....

-----actually, im starting to think that maybe wiring my modulator directly to my cigarette lighter wasnt the best idea....was i wrong in thinking that this would work?

Legarcondemerde · 04-11-2006, 11:11 AM

Check to see if yoour meter has a continuity tester that beeps when the probes touch each other. If it does, use that setting to test each one fo the fuses by touching the probes to the small metal tabs on the top of each fuse. If the fuse is good, your meter will beep. If it does not beep, then the fuse is blown.

wheli · 04-11-2006, 12:01 PM

it doesnt have one of those unfortunately.....

i think im just gonna buy a 10 pack of 10 amp fuses from radioshack or something and replace all of my 10 amp fuses for 5 bucks, haha.

maybe that will fix it....

pepsibobby · 04-11-2006, 01:31 PM

y dont you just check all 10 to see if they are working. wouldnt that just be easier.

wheli · 04-11-2006, 02:12 PM

i dont have a continuity tester....just a voltmeter, so attaching it to a fuse wont do anything....and they all look fine...and the blade fuses at radioshack come in multiple packs too...so i might as well try and swap them with the ten's that are already there and see if it changes anything.....

DCU1976 · 04-11-2006, 02:33 PM

this is just a shot in the dark... I know that cig. lighter ports are notorious for having weak ground connections, maybe hookup an extra additional ground and hopefully that will help solve your problems, good luck!

walky_talky20 · 04-11-2006, 09:57 PM

You can test your fuses with a voltmeter. Just hook one lead to a ground and touch the other lead to the metal parts of each fuse. There are two metal parts on the back of each fuse, on each side of the printed number. One side will always be hot whenever that circuit is on (the battery side), and the other side (the load side) SHOULD be too - if the fuse is good.

Now you can go along and check each fuses metal parts for voltage. If you get:
Both sides are hot: fuse is good
One side is hot: fuse is bad
Neither side is hot: that circuit is not on - you may need to turn the key on or turn on the headlights or something first in order to check this fuse.

Hope this helps.

wheli · 04-12-2006, 09:06 AM

Thank you guys so much......

I really appreciate everyone's help and input....I'm gonna check out those fuses by the end of the day, ill keep you posted

wheli · 04-12-2006, 06:40 PM

I got it working!

Thanks for the tip walky talky....

it turns out that two of my fuses were blown, they just didnt appear to be blown when looking at them, but when i tested them they were definately shot.

I'm so happy that theres not a short in my electrical system.

Thanks for all the help guys i really appreciate it.

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