Car radio built-in fuse

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attilathegorilla

213 posts

Master Geek

Topic # 55416 3-Jan-2010 21:01

Hi guys,

I bought a new car radio for my parents, installed it but have one question:

This radio has a built-in fuse. The old one didn't, so there had been a
fuse installed in the power wire, which I have removed, to save some
space.

Have I made a mistake?

And another thing:

I connected the black (ground) wire of the radio to
the truck's ground wire (with the ISO connector), rather than the
chassis directly. It works fine. But there's also a so-called 'rear
ground terminal' on the back on the stereo. Should I attach a short
wire to this and connect it to the chassis? Would this 'double'
grounding make any sense?

Thanks for any replies.

If honest work and justice are not enough - we'll get a lawyer.

Jaxson

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Reply # 287100 5-Jan-2010 10:08

Is the radio working now?
You mentioned a truck, which could mean it's 24V in places....

Double grounding shouldn't be a problem. The rear ground attachement was common if the wiring loom ground wasn't sufficient and there were hum problems in the radio. I'd put it on and connect it to the chassis if possible.

Installing a second fuse is not a bad idea, but really if it's all going ok as you have it now then that's probably enough. The supply to the radio wiring loom will already have a fuse on it in the main internal fuse box so really you are already covered. Well done on the install.

vinnieg

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Reply # 287113 5-Jan-2010 10:36

Perfectly fine removing the inline fuse, as almost all new headunits have the fuse built onto the back of the headunit amp :)

For the black ground, put it to the chassis, any of the bolts that hold the stereo in will do. Otherwise you might've done what about 90% of first time installers do....they wire it to the headlight dimmer ground, causing it to fuse out and blow the lights :S

Nah don't double ground, single ground on chassis only, remove the factory ground :)

After that it should work fine,

I'm assuming by truck you mean SUV or Ute? 12v all the way :) truck as in: Mack or Kenworth 24v mostly

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

attilathegorilla

213 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 287115 5-Jan-2010 10:43

Thanks for your reply. Well it is working now, and it's great when the truck is still, but I do get those intermittent humming noises when moving, it's as if the radio reception is not strong enough. I'll test it when we travel again to see if the same noise appears with CD's too, cos if not, then it should just be an aerial issue I guess. It's one of those windscreen aerials with a power booster built in.

Yeah it's a 24V system, but there's a voltage converter in the radio compartment.

If honest work and justice are not enough - we'll get a lawyer.

attilathegorilla

213 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 287118 5-Jan-2010 10:56

vinnieg: Perfectly fine removing the inline fuse, as almost all new headunits have the fuse built onto the back of the headunit amp :)

For the black ground, put it to the chassis, any of the bolts that hold the stereo in will do. Otherwise you might've done what about 90% of first time installers do....they wire it to the headlight dimmer ground, causing it to fuse out and blow the lights :S

Nah don't double ground, single ground on chassis only, remove the factory ground :)

Well I pretty much just copied the way the old stereo had been connected, except removed one in-line fuse, as it's working fine, I don't think I messed up.

But the reason I can't single ground to chassis is that there's some sort of a filter built in in front of the unit, with the switched power and the ground wires going through it. Moreover, there's also a voltage converter involved, whose negative ground is connected to the wiring loom ground, and the radio ground. A bit confusing on paper I admit.

If honest work and justice are not enough - we'll get a lawyer.

Jaxson

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Reply # 287145 5-Jan-2010 12:10

Ok, in that case do not connect the ground to the chassis given there is a voltage converter in use.

Removal of the inline fuse is fine, you don't need it.