Colin - STAPUFT Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 Yeah.... I thought I was going crazy until I tested my little theory and double checked online. Seems like lots of Nissans ground through the Antenna cable or mounting to the OEM HU chassis. This was news to me, so I thought I would put this out there for anyone else as *inexperienced* in such matters. I'm putting in a Kenwood KDC-X993 in the half million mile work mule (a Nissan Frontier). I got it crazy cheap & when it came in I realized why (USB wire cut and Antenna Cable cut flush with the unit - I had to get happy with a screwdriver and soldering iron, at least it all worked afterward). Well, when testing it all was going great until BOOM, "protect" comes up on the screen (after cranking it a bit I confess). So I let it cool off (it wasn't even that hot) and tried hooking it back up again- but no luck. It wouldn't even come on. I checked everything- connections, wires, fuses, etc... So, I tried the factory HU again and then it wouldn't come back on. That's when I took out the Multimeter and checked wires. Then I got to realizing that the HU adapter harness had a pin where there wasn't a wire on the factory harness. THE GROUND WIRE. Wut. Since I was just "testing", I hadn't hooked up the Antenna cable. Soon as the antenna cable gets hooked up, on comes the unit. Ah ha. I SUSPECT that is why the Kenwood went into protect. It was being grounded through a DINK Antenna cable. So, first light tomorrow I will run some *more* grounds to the harness and to proper ground. 12 - 12"s in the STAY PUFT 1989 Chevy Astro Build & Comment Log Un-Interrupted Build LogYouTube Channel Chevy Trailblazer 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS Install You have a beard of a mysterious sea captain. I would follow you to hell and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIDE SHOW Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin - STAPUFT Posted August 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I could do a video for that matter- I just don't see what good it does. Just know that Nissan is crazy for not putting a ground in their wiring harness. CRAZY I TELL YOU! 12 - 12"s in the STAY PUFT 1989 Chevy Astro Build & Comment Log Un-Interrupted Build LogYouTube Channel Chevy Trailblazer 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS Install You have a beard of a mysterious sea captain. I would follow you to hell and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqall12001 Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 Nissans Ground through the factory radio brackets to the chassis. If you're using a plastic dash kit, every nissan has a metal dash support bar that runs directly behind the radio. Self tap through a ring terminal with the ground wire. -Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin - STAPUFT Posted August 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 Nissans Ground through the factory radio brackets to the chassis. If you're using a plastic dash kit, every nissan has a metal dash support bar that runs directly behind the radio. Self tap through a ring terminal with the ground wire. -Nick Yep. -said that in the second line of the OP, but put it in the Thread Title b/c that is what happens if you don't ground it otherwise. I got the HU in this morning and it mounted in the factory location (metal brackets attached to the black plastic interior bit) straight to metal- so very true, it grounds directly to the HU chassis. Just to double down on the ground, I spliced a ground in to the HU harness ground, then grounded that to the mounting ground also. All is well in the stereo world of the work mule now. I've glassed up two speaker pods for the left and right dash holding 2 3" Tang-Band mids (powered by the "front" of the HU amp) and am running some JL Audio 6.5"s in the doors that I snagged from the local Pull-A-Part for $10. (I stole those- they retail for $150). Now all that is left is to run the teeny tiny power wire to the battery and my 10" amplified Bazooka Tube will come to life. Added all up, I don't think I have more than $155 in the whole thing. And I've got Blue Tooth, USB, a bit of bass, and Time Alignment! It can be done on the cheap if you are enough of a tight wad. lolz 12 - 12"s in the STAY PUFT 1989 Chevy Astro Build & Comment Log Un-Interrupted Build LogYouTube Channel Chevy Trailblazer 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS Install You have a beard of a mysterious sea captain. I would follow you to hell and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pasta Prime Posted August 14, 2014 Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Car manufacture are not aftermarket friendly. I put a headunit in a 05 Sierra and without the special harness/module no chimes, delayed shut off, or acc. Why? Because they don't have a switched power at the headunit..... weird. New build coming........ YouTube:http://www.youtube.c...6?feature=guide Old Build Log: http://www.stevemead...d-on-the-cheap/ Old Screen name: Redrebel66 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealon14 Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 I have a Nissan versa. When i unplug my antenna at the back of the headunit it turns off. The head-unit does not turn back on until i plug it back in, so should i reground as well? The head unit works fine though (never went into protect), but i do get a slight whistling noise. I don't know if it is from the antenna ground or my left speaker wires running with my amp power wire. The weird part of all this is that i have the black wire coming off the wiring harness connected to the black wire of the head-unit so shouldn't the head-unit work without the antenna adapter plugged in? i haven't tried this in a long time, but i think none of my amps turn on as well without that antenna plugged in if i remember right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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