Stereo works intermittently

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KOCONUT

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So I've done some searching on the forum and haven't found the exact problem I'm having with my stereo. I have a 96 ram 2500 with the factory infinity system. I replaced the head unit and the two front speakers. I got a pigtail adapter to plug into the factory harness. Randomly, the stereo will cease to function. I get no radio, no Bluetooth, nothing. Sometimes if I shut the truck off and open/close the passenger door the stereo will come back on when I restart the truck. Turning the stereo on/off will sometimes get it working also. When the stereo is not working I get a faint static out of the speakers and get a click like an amp is trying to get switched on. When I shut the stereo off the static stops. I had thought that the amp for the factory system was built into the factory speakers that I replaced so then it wouldnt matter. I can't seem to get the proplem to replicate or find a remedy for it and it's driving me nuts.

What do you guys think?



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crazzywolfie

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does the radio appear to still be working and just no sound coming out of the speakers? i had something similar happen with a stereo once. the stereo didn't like the old speakers i had installed but had no issue with the brand new ones. still don't understand it. that click may be the choke relay that powers the speaker amps.
 
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KOCONUT

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The head unit still works. It will turn on and cycle between audio inputs/sources but has a quiet static coming from the speakers. It will connect to my phone and everything, just no sound coming from the speakers. I'll drive to work with no radio, then when I get in the truck to go home, it will work again and everything is good. I'm about to just wire the speakers directly to the head unit and bypass the factory harness. I have no dash at the moment so there's easy access to the head unit.

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crazzywolfie

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you can use a multi meter to test if there is any resistance in the wires running to the speakers. according to the wiring diagrams there shouldn't be anything between the stereo and speaker on the stock wiring. are the rear speakers still stock? if so i would try disconnecting them from the stereo when you are having issues and see if it fixes your issue.
 

0rion

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How did you connect the wires when you out it in? Solder them, wire nuts, or twist and black tape. Sounds like a bad connection to me somewhere and I would start with the ground wire.
 
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KOCONUT

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I crimped all the connections from the new head unit to the harness adapter. The radio turns on with the truck every time, just the speakers sometimes won't produce any audio

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KOCONUT

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Checked the ground connection for the harness and the connector that bolts to the rear of the factory head unit was loose inside of it's crimping and slid right off. I decided to crimp on a new connector and now the radio seems to be working. Hopefully that was the permanent fix...7e8712100e44dc286a71ec903e15a1fc.jpg

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0rion

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Hopefully that wAs your issue.....drive it a few days an update to let us know. Makes sense to me if it was a ground. Those butt connectors I've used but not a fan...it's my last choice but when I do I crimp the **** out of them....but not too much because it's easy to cut that wire or even crimp. I just prefer not to use them unless I'm backed into a corner....or just being lazy haha
 
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KOCONUT

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Took the truck to work this morning and.....no radio again! Is there another amp or switched component for the radio hidden in the dash somewhere? I thought I got rid of the factory amps when I changed the front speakers.

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crazzywolfie

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it really sounds like your stereo is doing exactly like mine was. i don't even know what was causing it but some older speakers would cause it to randomly cut out and some speakers would cause the stereo to cut out immediately even tho the speakers worked just fine with the old stereo. its almost like you need to use the stereo with a amp or it will cause it to overload and shut of sound. i know the stock infinity stereo's will do that if you try sticking them in a vehicle without the amps.
 
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KOCONUT

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It's a very odd problem, not really repeatable. I had no radio on the way home but after I got home went to show my brother the problem and of course the radio was working now. Is the function anything to do with the antenna? I took it off to do some paint prep in that fender and it was pretty corroded.

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DodgeTx

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if stereo has power, bypass or remove the infinity nonsense, it was great in 96 and other years, but now your head unit can put out the same amount of power prob 52x4 or something similar, more than enough for any normal aftermarket speakers or oem. you could try to use existing wires, but I would just run new wires, speaker wire on amazon is $16 for 100 ft roll. Will come in handy on other projects as well.
 
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KOCONUT

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So thought I would update this post since its been a little while. I removed all the factory speakers and got some replacement Pioneers from crutchfield. They came with a pigtail so that I could use the stock harness in the truck to connect to the head unit. Stereo still functions intermittently. It turns on and cycles through presets/inputs/etc. It even connects to my phone, but there's nothing coming out of the speakers, and the equalizer reads nothing. If I turn the unit on and off multiple times, that will usually get it working and then all the functions work normally. I'm about to throw in the towel on the stock harness and just rewire everything from the speakers straight to the head unit. Just frustrating getting in the truck and turning the stereo on/off 20 times before it works.
 

crazzywolfie

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have you tried disconnecting some of the speakers? it really sound like a similar issue as to what i had with the stereo i installed in my elcamino. almost seemed like it would overload if i hooked up some speakers and just shut off all the speakers.
 

DodgeTx

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have you tried disconnecting some of the speakers? it really sound like a similar issue as to what i had with the stereo i installed in my elcamino. almost seemed like it would overload if i hooked up some speakers and just shut off all the speakers.

an interesting idea, but definitely worth trying!
 
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KOCONUT

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For the last 2 days the radio has worked fine...starting to think it's just a bad connection somewhere behind the dash...

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DodgeTx

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grounds are easy to add, or to clean up with a wire wheel.
 
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KOCONUT

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So decided to resurrect this thread since the last update was in the summer and this problem seems to be seasonal. It's been cold here in socal, by our standards anyway. Been about 60-70 for about a month and in that time I've not had the radio work for me. We warmed up a little bit I to the upper 70s low 80s over the weekend and, surprise! Radio fully operational. Seems the heat has something to do with the connection or something somewhere behind the dash? Very odd situation.

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crazzywolfie

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personally i would run new speaker wires to the speakers or test old with a multi meter. maybe even try disconnecting the rear speakers since you replaced the front speakers.
 
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