OK, this is driving me nutz. I accidentally let the yellow lead on the head unit hit ground and I now have no power.

I checked the fuse under the dash (15A Audio) and it is fine. I don't know where else to look for a power fuse or relay.

Someone help!! PLEASE!!

 

boy you sure did it. You blew the main fuse in the battery compartment (yellow lead is 12V main, from the battery).
You need to remove the splash guard panel under the hood, covering the battery. Theres a fuse panel there behind the battery (you have to remove the splash guard to reach it).
Not sure what fuse size it is, but its a big one. Without it, your car is pretty much dead. Just get it replace and your good to go. You can find it at walmart or any auto store.

 

That's not true. The car still starts, lights work, blower and A/C work horn works. Just not power on the constant 12+ for the head unit....

I don't get it. This is the first time this has happend. Is there a relay for the head unit or just a fuse?

 

Thats not right. You didnt' blow any main fuses. I install stereo systems and it happens all the time. You did blow a fuse but you probably blew the interior light one. Anyways. You can find the blown fuse by doing continuity checks on all the fuses. Use a digital multi meter or a continuity tester and check them all. There are little openings on each side of the top of the fuse. Touch one end of the fuse with one prob and then touch the other end of the fuse with the other probe. If it beeps the fuse is good, otherwise you have a bad one. The other thing you can do is pull the fuses one by one and check them all. well good luck.

 

I did that already. I install alot of custom systems too. This is the first time I lost power on the wire and not have it affect anything else. It is very odd.

ALL fuses are good. I ran a continuity check on all of the fuses and did an operational test on every relay in the engine bay. Everything checks out

 

Did you check the fuse in the fusebox inside the battery box, in front of the battery? There's a 15 amp radio fuse in there.

 

Yeah, I suggest looking at those fuses. Pretty sure its one of those.
If you did, then Did you try a continuity test on the wire to the battery +
if it not a fuse the wire might have gotten fried.
How come you didn't disconnect the battery when you were installing?

 

Since I could not find the source of the problem and nothing else has failed, I decided to just run a fused main line to the battery. I'll post here if I find what the problem was.

Thanks for the input.

 

Newer cars ... like from 96 on, have fuses, AND fusible links. Essentially everything is double protected. The fusible links are main current draw lines, and are all protected by larger fuses.

Check these first, and they are probably closest to the battery. Once you have checked the fusible links, look at the fuse panel behind the left driver kick panel...the fuses are small, and hard to tell if they are blown, so you may need a meter or a 12v test light to verify the good ones. If you pull them, be careful, and be sure not to put them back in the wrong spot... I had a check engine light on, and failing heated O2 sensors until I put the fuse in the correct spot. LOL!

Once you verify that all fuses are good there, check the fuse panel behind the battery and below the splashguard that covers the engine compartment just below the wiper arms. You are bound to find something blown. This is for some sort of vehicle intelligence, and I don't think there's any radio related fuses in there, but I am not totally sure.

Now I know why people recommend harnesses and aftermarket adapters for stereo installs...I wouldn't want to go through this ordeal !

FYI:
According to the FSM (factory service manual), look for fuse position #37 (15A fuse), located towards the front of the car to the left of the battery, you should find your blown fuse there (bottom row, 2nd from the right)...

Good luck !

 

Guys, I'm having the same problem with my Z. I'm new to installing car audio equip. and I hooked up my alpine head unit without unplugging the battery.

Now the head unit does not get any power (neither does the factory unit) but EVERYTHING else in the car works and none of the fuses anywhere or the fuse relays below the battery are broken.

any ideas?

Thanks!
Alex

 

Again, check the fuse box by the battery and the one in the driver's side kick panel. There are TWO fuses for the stereo. The one by the battery is the constant power and the one in the kick panel is the ignition switched one.