Headunit 'memory'

DiscoKandy

DiscoKandy

DiscoKandy

Associate
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
901
Location
Surrey
Hi,
I've bought a 97 Seat Ibiza as a run around for the next couple of weeks, it didn't have a proper working stereo so I put in an old Sony Radio/Cassete head unit that I had lying around. It all works fine, but as soon as you turn the ignition off the presets and any kind of setting is lost.

Does anyone know how I can solve this ?

Also it has a switch on the back of the headunit saying power options, something like

A - If your car has a ignition power step before starting the engine or something.
B - If your car does not have etc etc .....

I've tried switching it both ways, yet the radio will not switch on till I have reached the final stage on the igintion before starting the car. The old radio powered on even when there were no keys in the ignition. Is it possible to get the Sony to do this too ?
 
ok cool, a friend of mine said that was bad for the ignition coil or something, when having the radio at this stage, a red light appears on the dash with what looks like a coil
 
well its been common on my cars, althogh I dont really listen to the radio when the engines off anyway :)
 
You've usualy have 2 live wires going to the headunit -

1st - constant live - this is always live and keeps all presets saved
2nd - ignition live - only live when ignition is on and allows for headunit to turn on

Looks like you've wired it up wrong and only have an ignition live conected. You need a constant live connected to save all the settings when the ignition is turned off.
Note this still wont allow it to be turned on when the ignition is off. To do this you need to connect the constant live to both constant live and ignition live on the headunit, so power is always going to it. 1 down side of this is the possibility of leaving the headunit on for too long when the ignition is off and running the car battery down.
 
Thanks for the reply, the only wires where the arial, then a black and a brown type socket, these are called ISO right ? I plugged them into the order they out of the old headunit, brown in the bottom socket, and black in the upper socket.

Any ideas ?
 
Some headunits use a slightly different config than the car iso plugs - mine does in my saxo. Do you have the instructions for the headunit as it should state which wire should be connected to which pin. On mine it was just the constant and ignition live where the wrong way around, and was just a matter of uising a smalll screwdriver to ease out the pins on the iso block and swap their positions.
 
Think Ive got something similar in my A4


Removed the original headunit to put my Pioneer MP3 one in. Its in there and all connected but the rear speakers dont work and the settings all reset everytime the key is pulled out of the ignition.

Popped into a local car stereo place and the guy seemed to think that the rear speakers might be amplified from somewhere else and this was interefering with my Pioneer's built in amplifier. He said the easiest way to get around this was to run another cable around this built in amplifier to bypass it. I got to thinking this might have been what was resetting my settings too? Or are they completely unrelated?
 
There are two supply wires to most head units, a permanent live and an igntion switched live. The wire colours fopr these supplies on ISO plugs are usualy red and yellow. For some odd reason you have you swap the position of these for some cars, the ISO adapters often have these two wires fitted with bullet connectors to make this easy.
 
DiscoKandy said:
Hi,

Also it has a switch on the back of the headunit saying power options, something like

A - If your car has a ignition power step before starting the engine or something.
B - If your car does not have etc etc .....
Click to expand...

did the radio keep it's pre sets when it was in one of those positions?
most modern radios do not stay on without the key at least in the ignition

Some headunits have a bullet connection on the red and yellow wires which you can swap over if you are always losing the presets.Others(JVC) have a switch or fuse like connection which you swap over to keep the settings
 
Switch the Red and Yellow wires on the ISO.

So instead of Red > Red and Yellow > Yellow, you'll have 2 Red > Yellow.

Common thing on most aftermarket HU's, you should find this will remember settings.
 
Awesome thread. I've got a 1998 Ibiza and my settings are never saved with my Sony mp3 headunit. I thought it was the alarm that was doing it but I guess this is not the case?

If I take the headunit out of the car, switch the constant live and ignition live over it will then remember the settings?

Anyone got a link to a picture that can easily display the location of these yellow and red wires?
 
You'll see the red and yellow wires as soon as you pull the head unit out. If there connected with bullet connectors is easy just swap them over as stated above. If there in the block you can use a small screwdriver to free the pins and swap there positions.
 
It must be a VAG thing as I've had to do it with all 3 of my head unit.
Lead Head, there is only one red and one yellow wire so they will be easy to spot.On my Pioneer the yellow is marked ''Battery''
 
Yeah... I've only ever seen it with VAG... Original Seats and Skodas were like all other cars then VAG bought em and stuck their own wiring looms in and this was necessary in them too!.. :rolleyes:

Never had the problem in Ford/Vauxhall or any of the Jap/German/Frog Cars!... (I've fitted quite a few HU's in the past!!)
 
IIRC certain VAG cars, have 3 lives in total. Im sure it was 2 constant and 1 switched although it may be the other way round.
 
Had to switch these wires on our old Golf mk4 as well when I fitted an aftermarket stereo. It had the bullet connectors which made it nice and easy though!
 
Wicksta said:
Had to switch these wires on our old Golf mk4 as well when I fitted an aftermarket stereo. It had the bullet connectors which made it nice and easy though!
Click to expand...

Yeah.. If it don't have bullet connectors, don't cut the wires!... Just go to an ICE supplier or if need be Halford$ and get an adaptor (ISO to ISO with the Bullet connectors inline!) only about a 5iver maby £10... :)
 
Just been out to my car, slid the Sony HU out. Saw a yellow and red wire that go from the adapter to the headunit.

Simpy unclipped the bullet connectors on each and swapped them over. Job done. Can't believe for the past 2 years I've been pressing about 20 buttons to get the settings I want every time I get in the car.

One very happy chappy :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom