Weird Coincidence?

[afspeedy]

So last night I installed a new audio system in my tC and something really weird went wrong lol. Anyway the system and everything audio-wise works just fine but now for some reason i have to unlock the doors for the audio to play???? Radio and everything turns on just like it is supposed to there just isn't any sound until I hit the unlock button, and now my driver-side window control light is blinking and have lost the auto window feature. Window still rolls down but I have to hold the button rather than giving it a quick push. While I was installing the system the closest I got to the power window/lock controls was running the wires under the door sills. At first I thought it was a coincidence but then why would i have to push the unlock to get sound?

[afspeedy]

Hey again just giving an update. My auto window feature has been restored and light has stopped blinking. I rearranged a couple of things and it solved that part of the problem. I think the cause may have been excessive power drain maybe? None the less the door lock problem still exists. I can find no possible reason that I would have to unlock the doors to get sound lol.

[navylife59]

If you disconnected the battery, then you have to re-initialize certain things like the windows jam protection. Please follow these tips for restoring your car back to normal operation. http://www.club-tc.com/forums/tc-kno...onnection.html

As far as having to unlock doors to hear audio, what components did you add/replace? Do you have the OEM sub?

[afspeedy]

First off I didn't realize the car had to be normalized so thank you for that. As for the components, it is a dual 500 watt amp powering a pioneer 400 watt subs. They are both a few years old. I had taken them out of my previous car. I'm still going through the OEM head unit and the wiring kit I got brand new.

[navylife59]

Are you using line converters for line-level outputs or does your amps accept high-level (speaker) inputs? Are you using an aftermarket radio wiring harness to make a jumper harness? If not, you may have spliced into the incorrect lead for your remote turn on for the amps. I am assuming that there is no sound out of any speakers whatsoever and that all you did was add a subwoofer and amp, correct? Where are you getting your power +12VDC turn on lead from? What about your main power and ground?

[afspeedy]

the amp accepts both, however I am using the high level inputs. You are correct, I just added the amp and sub at this point and there is no sound from any of the speakers or subs until the unlock button is pushed. My remote turn on is wired into a switch rather than into the radio harness (which is also OEM) because it was easier to turn off the amp and subs when I didn't want to use them (late at night, long trips ect.). As for the power and ground cables, the power runs from the battery, behind the fender, into the drivers compartment, under the door sill, under the rear seats, and into the trunk where the amp is located. The ground runs down and is bolted to the trunk latch.

[navylife59]

Hmm, this seems to be perplexing. Does it matter whether the amps are turned on or off? Does it change whether the the radio is on when the key is turned on or with the radio off with the key turned on? It is possible for the amp to be overloading the radio's speaker level outputs when the amp is off and the radio on. The amplifier section of the radio goes into an overload protection (or burns out) equating to no sound or diminished output. I have seen this before with inexpensive amps back in the day. Have you tried disconnecting the speaker leads into the amp and retest? Have you been the only owner of the car? Do you have an aftermarket alarm?

[afspeedy]

Good news, unplugged the speaker leads into the amp and everything works like normal. Looks like its time for a new amp lol. Its going to have to wait until november though. 7 months without my tC, I'm gonna go nuts lol. Anyway thanks for the help man. Still wondering though why would unlocking the door seem to take it out of overload protection, Any idea?

[navylife59]

Well, a Dual is what it is. I will let you decide which adjectives to use. By the powers invested in me under Chapter 9 subsection C page 12 paragraph 3 revision 3.0456 of the Audiophile Society of America, by direction do hereby grant under authority of said Code, all rights and privileges to purchase a sub-woofer amplifier of supreme quality to the effect of turning the grantee's brains to mush. CadenceScion, the Forum Moderator, is a whiz at all of this audio stuff. I am sure that he would be glad to give you some helpful suggestions on a setup.


As for the mystery, I believe that the unlock operation triggering the interior illumination via the Integration Relay is causing a feedback ground loop. This, in basic terms, is shunting the load on the head unit's amplifier possibly caused by a short in the speaker level inputs of the amplifier. This is only a hypothesis at this point. Suggest that you utilize a PAC line-level factory interface to match your OEM headunit to the line-level inputs of a quality amplifier.

The interior light is controlled by the Integration Relay. This system has following features.

Illuminated Entry System
∗ When a door is unlocked through a key operation or transmitter operation, or if a door is opened or closed, the illuminated entry system turns ON the room lamp (Center), map lamp and the ignition key cylinder lamp.
∗ If the ignition switch is turned to the ACC or ON position or if all doors are locked during the 15 seconds in which these lights are ON, they will immediately turn OFF.

[afspeedy]

I do hereby swear that my brains will be mushed as soon as the opportunity arises. Lol

[navylife59]

If you had bought the car used and it had an aftermarket alarm in it, I would think that the previous owner was trying to find a crafty way to discourage theft of the OEM radio.

Tell ye what good fer ya. If'n ye be of that age to take drink, have eh pint o' Guinness on me. Dat el be goud fer what ails ye.