matt1710

Hmm - I wonder if this is connected with my sporadic 'no sound' but otherwise fully operational stereo system? I've posted re that here : http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,13425.0.html Someone did suggest that it could well be a speaker shorting to ground - and as it often turns on (or off) when I hit a bump with the left front wheel, they suggested looking there first. I did so the other day - the two speakers in the left front door seemed fine - and the sounds certainly didn't start when I wiggled their connections, nor even when I disconnected the speakers.

I checked it while it was still hooked up to the other car, with both cars running - so probably not a good indication of where it was at. It was 14.4V from memory. Will check it again now - after a few minutes I disconnected the jumper leads but left the Subaru running for 30 mins or so - hopefully that was enough to recharge the battery. It started no problem after I turned it off after the 30 mins. Voltage of battery now (engine off) : 12.92V. The negative terminal is quite crappy looking, with white stuff all around it.

Was checking all the ICE connections into my McIntosh factory HU yesterday (and temporarily connected an identical McIntosh HU to try and isolate the error) and when I connected it all (HU, cig lighter, rear window defrost switch) up as I reassembled the dash the electrics started doing funny things - like dash lights coming on then fading away - or flashing - and warning lights coming on and not going away. As I sporadically turned the wipers on (inadvertently) they wiped very slowly - like the battery was low. The battery has been fine, is a good one and is reasonably new - maybe 2 years old. Anyway, when I got it all reassembled it wouldn't start - made a funny rapid whirring/clicking noise, but no fire. I hauled it all apart and double checked connections - all seemed ok - still the whirring/clicking. I disconnected the cig lighter/ defrost switch and HU - still the clicking. I figured I'd screwed something up, so left it overnight - battery still connected. This morning, I tried and it didn't do the clicking thing but turned over very slowly - not enough to fire. Hooked up the jumper leads and bingo - it started. Could I have drained the battery sufficiently over the 1 hour I was playing around with the HU?? Seems unlikely doesn't it. Haven't turned if off since jumping - so will be interesting to see if it restarts...

Thanks for that! I'm happy to spring for that cable - the p_bus cable was too pricey, especially considering I plan on upgrading the car soon.

Hey I've suffered for years when driving with the headlights on as the A/C controls dim automatically - making them unreadable unless it's night time. So when I stumbled across this tip (here in the forums) I thought it deserved some publicity: Once the headlights are turned on, hold down the 'OFF' button on the A/C temp dial for 3 seconds...it will beep and then the display will return to normal brightness. BINGO!!! ;D ;D This works in my 2000 GT-B E-Tune - hopefully for other models/vintages too.

Yeah, I figured that'd be where to start - mind you it's pretty much permanently off nowadays and the bumps turn it on - and then off again sometimes. I was just fearful that the short could be in a length of cable somewhere rather than at a connection - hence my question re testing with a multimeter. I guess it's more likely to be at a connection than in some random stretch of cable - unless there was a chaffing/jamming point.

Hmmm - how the hell to find it though!! I guess I'll start at the speaker in the front left door - then check the rear left door. I have a multimeter - can that help me in anyway? If I'm testing a section of wiring - I assume I'm looking for a break in circuit - so I can use the continuity tester feature??

Went in to Driving Sound today to buy a P-Bus iPod adapter (he said they're $200 - I figured it would just be a cable!) and mentioned the 'no sound' issue - that is sometimes fixed by hitting a bump with the left front wheel. He suggested that it might be the left front speaker shorting (or did he say "going to ground"??). Does that sound plausible? If so, seems that I'd better remove the door trim and check the speaker connections...

Ah, thanks for that. Will get a P-Bus iPod adapter then. That'll be one upgrade over the McIntosh - even though I lose the stacker. :-[ Am I correct in thinking that if I connect the two relevant "sub-woofer" wires coming from the factory amp, to the RCA inputs on the HU, the boot mounted factory "sub-woofer" will work?

Thanks. Doesn't say on HU if the RCAs are inputs or outputs - will sort that with a test, or via a Google search. The fact that all the instruments dim when the headlights are switched on actually pisses me off, and sometimes leads me to drive with no headlights in conditions where the headlights really should be on. Not at night of course, but in heavy rain or dim conditions. I hate not being able to see the radio/air-con etc settings - which is the case if the headlights are on and it's not night time. Any idea how to prevent the instruments dimming with headlights on? Just found this post : http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,8082.0.html which suggests I might be able to circumvent the dim display by holding the aircon's 'OFF' button for 3 seconds while the headlights are on. Will give that a crack.

Great - have removed the SLA thing and all of a sudden it's looking much less like a telephone exchange. ;D Here's what I'm left with: 1. Front ® 2. Front (l) 3. Rear ® 4. Rear (l) 5. A yellow cable with 2 black boxes in line (one a 10A fuse) - not sure re the other one 6. A black cable with a 'C' spade connector on the end. 7. A black/yellow cable labelled 'MUTE' 8. A blue cable labelled 'AUTO ANTENNA' 9. A blue/white cable labelled 'SYSTEM REMOTE CONTROL' 10. A red cable labelled 'ACC' (I can read basic Japanese so can see it also says 'accessory') 11. A red/white cable labelled 'ILL' (again, the Japanese says 'ilumi' which I assume means illumination? I assume I just connect the cables 1-6 to the relevant places and all should work..... A few questions: a. Do I need cable #11 to make the display work? b. I assume I don't need any of the other cables (ie 7-10)? c. Will my bass speaker (factory boot mounted unit) work if I just connect cables 1-6? d. Is there anyway to get my McIntosh stacker to work with this setup? The blue connector on the rear of the HU perhaps?? (It can't be seen on the photo, but there are 10 'skinny' male pins in addition to the one 'thick' male pin visible in the picture) e. I assume I can connect an iPod to the RCAs on the rear of the HU? Thanks again...almost there. Matt.

Thanks. Here goes:

Yes, I have seen that thread and fully intend to rely heavily on it when I' feel brave enough to have a crack - which should be soon given that I have no sounds 95% of the time. Re the Subaru loom adapter from Repco - I assume I need a loom with a Subaru DIN on one end, and the appropriate Pioneer plug (for the HU) on the other? Or will I just have to get a loom with a Subaru DIN on one end, and then a whole bunch of male 'push in' connectors to plug into the female connectors that will be on the end of the HU cable? I have some pics but am not sure how to upload them. I tried with the 'insert image' button and it just put in some tags - I tried dragging the images onto the post, but they didn't upload. Had a look at the help sections - seems to suggest that you can only link to images already uploaded to another site - is this right? Thanks for your help so far! Pioneer HU : FH-P007MD Not sure on McIntosh HU, amp and stacker - all in the car so probably can't get at the serials easily. The HU is the MD/CD one. It's all factory stuff in a 2000 GT-B E-Tune.

Thanks - will have another search - I couldn't seem to find anything relevant when I first tried. The SLA thing is connected, along with the 18 pin plug, using the transparent connectors.

Have just been offered a Pioneer FH-P007MD headunit to replace my ailing McIntosh HU - even though I'm not sure that the HU is the guilty party in the situation - see my post entitled 'McIntosh system : sporadic operation' for more details. Anyway, the Pioneer HU has something called a 'Beat-Sonic SLA-90' attached to it - some kind of wiring loom adapter, I assume? I checked the Beat Sonic website - seems to be designed for a 2001 Lexus IS-300 - which my Legacy isn't. Anyone know anything about such a device? Anyway, in order to get this HU into the Legacy, I'm going to have to make some connections. The cables coming out of the HU are all labelled (front left, front r etc) and terminate at an 18 pin male plug. There are push together transparent connections between the 18 pin plug and the rear of the HU. Should I just disconnect all those transparent connectors, and connect the appropriate cables from the factory amp to them?? Or should I remove the plug from the rear of the HU and try and find a loom that will connect the HU to the plug on the end of the loom running from the McIntosh amp?? Something tells me that will be impossible... Also, there are two RCA inputs on the rear of the HU (R, L) - I assume I can plug an iPod cable into this and use my iPod as an input? There's also a strange blue/violet male plug on the rear of the HU - 10 skinny pins and 1 thick central one. What's that for? Thanks in advance.... Matt the ICE chump.

Oh - I figured it wouldn't come into play unless using the stacker - not that I know much about auto electrics! Isn't it a CeNET cable - it's the one with the square plug. I guess if I unplug the HU-stacker cable (from the HU) and the problem disappears, I'll know for certain that it was the problem. From what I recall however, I had the 'no sound' problem with the old HU/amp combo - and at that time I didn't have the stacker, nor the soldered cable.

Hey SpotMe Thanks for the helpful post. Good idea re the RCA cable cutting - meaning only a 'wire-wire' solder instead of 'wire into RCA'. I'll check to see if the amp is warm while the HU is on but not producing sound. I've got a spare amp - maybe that can form part of the testing. One other thing - the cable linking the HU to the stacker actually has a soldered joint in it - could that be contributing? I get the 'no sound' thing regardless of which input I'm selecting - ie radio, CD, stacker.The cable was completely cut in half at one stage but the two ends were soldered together.

Am actually on to the second McIntosh HU and amp...still have the old gear - maybe I should try the old HU in it again. Problem is, I'm not sure where the issue is : inside the HU, in the cabling, in the amp.... If anyone has any bright ideas of how to identify/narrow down where the issue is, I'm all ears!!

Hmm - sounds like I'll have to investigate how tricky an RCA is to solder onto a bare wire. I reasonably proficient with a soldering iron - but maybe RCAs are particularly difficult. Is it possible to get a DIN loom with RCAs on the ends? That way I'd just have to determine the appropriate inputs on the new HU, for each RCA plug. Actually, I didn't even know that car stereos had RCA inputs. It's not so much that I believe the amp and stacker are great - it's just that I don't want to lose use of them if I can help it. If I was to install a new HU and use the existing amp-HU cable (equipped with RCAs), am I right in thinking that there's no chance of the new HU driving the stacker?

Thanks for that - have had a read through the post and will certainly follow that if I can't sort the problem. Would seem a shame to essentially trash the amp and stacker though. I note that someone in your post just cut the connector off the HU end of the cable that ran from the amp, and attached RCAs - which plugged into the new HU. Excuse my ignorance, but doesn't this mean that the new HU would be driving the speakers through the amp?

I have a 2000 Legacy GT-B E-Tune with McIntosh : HU, under-seat amp and 6 disc changer in the boot. The problem is this : the sound system only sporadically produces sound. It has done this on and off for months, however it was generally more 'on' than it was 'off' so I lived with it. However now it's the reverse and it's hacking me off. The HU lights up fine, and controls the stacker, switches stations etc - but no sound is produced. There is almost never sound when I start from cold, and sometimes, after driving around, the sound will just come on - it seems to "fade in" over a few seconds rather than just instantaneously achieving the set volume. Sometimes it switches off again after a few seconds - other times it stays on for the rest of the trip. The strangest thing is that until a few weeks ago, I discovered that hitting a bump (even a lane marker bump on the m.way) with the left front wheel would generally produce sound from the ICE. Now that trick rarely works. :-\ I assume there is an issue with the ICE wiring somewhere, or perhaps even inside either the HU or the amp itself. Could it be a faulty/loose component in the HU or amp - or does it sound more like a loose wiring connection? Not really sure where to start - and who to ask for assistance. Does it sound like a "needle in the haystack" type problem? Any recommendations as to who to contact? ??? I'm reluctant to replace the HU as I understand that will make the stacker and amp worthless, AND I'll have to get the entire thing re-wired to by-pass the amp. Matt

It will only go off if commanded to do so - by an alarm control unit or sensor. You could run it off the siren output for the existing car alarm - however it'd be best to run it off a more stable, independent sensor - or even two - so that it requires two triggers to set it off. An automotive security installer would probably have some good ideas. You certainly don't want it going off when you're in there!!!

Sound is directional - it's designed to protect an area - anything from 35sqm up to 70sqm with the smaller ones. There's a monster that can do 800sqm too - good for warehouses. It gets kind of lost when used in open spaces - unless you're close to it - ie within 10m. Abroad they're used as crowd control devices, mounted both on vehicles and police shields.

It doesn't do permanent damage - the worst one can expect (from the kind of short duration exposure that one can tolerate) is slight ringing in the ears - however that's known as TTS (Temporary Threshold Shift) which goes away after a few hours. It's been tested against the ISO standard for Noise Induced Hearing Impairment and was subsequently classified as harmless. It falls just below all the legal requirements for maximum sound pressure too. If someone is game to sit in the car with it, I'm happy to press the button. I'd be willing to bet that they wouldn't last more than 5 seconds.

Have been through all my garage invoices for the Subaru and can't find any reference to having the plugs changed! I've had it since late 2005 - so would assume that they've been done, and either I've lost that invoice - or it wasn't noted. Then again, maybe they've never been done...