In-Dash Kit Help!

SilverCavy21 · 04-14-2009, 11:26 PM

I will be installing my new JVC cd/mp3 player tomorrow and I have some quick questions!

Will my indash kit snap in or will I have to bolt it or screw it in?
Will it be a hassle to take my dash off?
How long would you say this will take? I am pretty handy with my cars.

Thanks,
SilverCavy21
PS - You can e-mail me at jjmclaughlin21@yahoo.com

JStumpalump150 · 04-15-2009, 04:02 PM

no, it wont just snap in, you have to take off the whole top of the dash and then the black bezel that goes around the radio, HVAC and cluster. do a search for cavalier dash removal. its not real hard, just a PITA it should probably take 45 minutes depending on if you have the harness adapter and how fast you find all the bolts to unscrew.

SilverCavy21 · 04-15-2009, 05:14 PM

Yeah, I did do all of that but my cd player needs to be attached to my ignition switch and I cant get to that without breaking the plate around it

JStumpalump150 · 04-15-2009, 09:21 PM

yes, it needs to be connected to the ignition but that is located in the stock radio wire harness, not at the ignition

SilverCavy21 · 04-16-2009, 02:32 PM

well today i got my cd player installed. and sometimes when i drive it just cuts out randomly. does anyone know what might be the problem?

J-Ri · 04-16-2009, 06:49 PM

Yes. Remove the radio and remove the tape from where you twisted the wires together. Twist them tighter and then solder them together. I highly recommend heat shrink over the solder (cleaner, better, and more professional), but electrical tape works too. Below is the one I just removed from a car I sold. Notice that I put heat shrink over the "empty" wires too, just to prevent the possibility of metal somehow contacting the conductor. That's probably overkill, but hey, you're guaranteed no shorts to ground. That particular one I believe is a "power on" output, for a power antenna or amplifier or whatever. Don't want that going to ground!

Classicrocjunkie · 04-17-2009, 04:18 PM

I didn't do a write up for nothing... sheesh.

J-Ri · 04-17-2009, 04:59 PM

A writeup? What are those? It's so much quicker and easier to twist-n-tape! Someone did that (plus scotchlock connectors

) on a remote start system, car was towed in plus an hour diagnostic and an hour repair... $195 + parts DIY project

Maybe we need a sticky electrical how-to. I see this kind of stuff all the time, even an electrician who thought that solid wire and wire-nuts would be fine in a car... works fine in a building!

I'm about to go out for the night, but I may write one tomorrow if nobody beats me to it.

Although at this point, a bad unit is possible, until we know that my assumption was correct. Probably one of those things we'll never hear.

SilverCavy21 · 04-18-2009, 12:03 PM

I think there is something wrong with my car now not my unit. When I am driving down the road all my dash lights come on (check engine, break, theft system, etx) and then all my lines drop to 0, and my lights blink outside like crazy. This all happend before I got my CD player installed. What do you think the problem is with my car? There is something wrong with my electrical system. What do you guys think about this....

J-Ri · 04-18-2009, 04:05 PM

Did the radio cut out before? Did you solder the wires together or just twist them together and tape them up? You NEED to solder them if you didn't. I can guarantee you WILL have problems if you don't solder them, maybe not right away, but you will. I am about to start writing a how-to on this, I will post it in this forum when I'm done.

For the lights and gauges, clean both battery cable ends. Corrosion there will cause that problem. Remove the plasticy rubber from the ends and clean inside using baking soda and water until it stops foaming up. You can reinstall them if you want, but I leave them off on my vehicles, all they seem to do is keep moisture in there. Don't sit any wrenches on the edge of the battery and you won't need them

SilverCavy21 · 04-21-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Ri

Did the radio cut out before? Did you solder the wires together or just twist them together and tape them up? You NEED to solder them if you didn't. I can guarantee you WILL have problems if you don't solder them, maybe not right away, but you will. I am about to start writing a how-to on this, I will post it in this forum when I'm done.

For the lights and gauges, clean both battery cable ends. Corrosion there will cause that problem. Remove the plasticy rubber from the ends and clean inside using baking soda and water until it stops foaming up. You can reinstall them if you want, but I leave them off on my vehicles, all they seem to do is keep moisture in there. Don't sit any wrenches on the edge of the battery and you won't need them

So you're saying if I clean all my battery cable ends it might help the problem. Its weird when i test my battery it gives a little more the 12v because its new and when I test the wiring harness it is giving around 10v - 11v never 12v.

So somewhere in between there is a problem and I just dont know where to look! If anyone knows pleas help a bother out!

J-Ri · 04-21-2009, 06:45 PM

I'm saying the battery cables being loose or corroded can cause the dash light problem. That's one of the first things that needs to be checked any time there's an electrical concern. When you say "test the battery", you mean check the static voltage. To actually test the battery, you would apply a load and measure the volts @amperage (example 10.1V@350A). You should have the same voltage at the radio harness as at the battery. Now please answer, did you solder the wires in the radio harness? Read this http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=950229

SilverCavy21 · 04-21-2009, 10:29 PM

I did not install it best buy did and they butt connected it.

Classicrocjunkie · 04-23-2009, 08:41 PM

Best buy install people are morons.... nuff said.

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