My friend and I made this tutorial up after we read some great information on DIY Car Audio (links embedded in tutorial) Hope this helps you out Pioneer~Saturn!!!
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Thank you VERY Much to Rudy and his link to the
DIY Mobile Audio Pioneer Head Unit Fix (<----link) I decided to try it on my own.
Following is a list of the steps I took to resolve the noise issue on my 8800 Series deck. Keeping in mind that different Models will have more/less pico fuses, or they may be located in a different place than where I found mine. It is recommended you download the wiring schematic for your stereo and understand the circuitry before even opening the cover on your own radio.
Here is a link to a copy of the
Wiring Schematic for this series.
You MUST make sure, with a simple Ohm Meter Test, if the sheild on your unit is grounded or floating. With the power completely disconnected, take your ohm meter and ground one side to the chassis of the HU, or the harness ground--- then place the other end on the rca sheild--- if it measures at or close to zero...it is a grounded sheild, if it measures low then starts climbing to infinity... it is cap coupled. If it gives you a reading of, say 100, 200, etc. Ohms, then you know it is Isolated by a 200 Ohm resistor. Most Pioneer Head Units are floating ground and hence this stupid issue with the fuses POPPING if you arent careful EVERYTIME you unhook and then re-apply the power to your unit... lesson learned I guess!
:fyi: ALLWAYS Disconnect the ground cable on your battery before making ANY Connections to ANY electrical component in your vehicle!!!! :fyi:
THE GROUND CABLE ON THE BATTERY SHOULD ALLWAYS BE THE FIRST THING DISCONNECTED AND THE LAST THING RE-CONNECTED WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED CHANGING/WIRING ETC.!!!
This tutorial IN NO WAY is authorized by Pioneer, or the DIY forum and no warranty, gaurantee, or otherwise is implied. If you attempt this task you may risk permanent damage to your head unit. DO NOT attempt if your HU is still under warranty with the manufacturer! This
WILL VOID the warranty by the manufacturer.
in other words... DON'T Do It unless you know what you are doing!
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Ok, enough of the crap.....
What you will need:
-A well Lit work area--and magnifier if your eyes are getting as bad as mine! :sad2:
-A Small, low wattage soldering iron (I used a 15W pinpoint solder iron and filed one side flat before heating)
Click This text for a Tutorial on proper Electrical Solder Techniques.
- rosin core solder (see link above!)
- A Small Magnetized Philips Screw driver.
- A small flat blade screw driver.
- a 0 (zero) or 1 Ohm, .25 (on quarter--1/4) watt resistor. It is also advised in the DIY forum that it is not necissary to use a resistor... one of the other tips was to use a single strand of copper wire from something like multi strand speaker wire, remote wire, etc. This is what I used--by the time I got into the HU tho, it was too late for me to go and buy a resistor anywhere.
-A small pair of neelde-nose pliers-- I also aquired a pair of medical forceps-- they work AWESOME because the tip is super small and once you clamp it on, you CAN'T drop the wire/resistor/part you are handling.
First..My poor abused car---Gawd it needs SO MUCH work... one step at a time.
Yank her out however it is installed..can't do any damage if its in the dash!
The Non-Do-It-yourselfer has "fixed" most noise problems on Pioneer Headunits by creating a new ground source..or, wrapping the grounds. yep, me too! Then I read this other forum and found out what is actually causing the problem.
so, here is a Picture of the Pre-Amp Out grounds wrapped--- My Style of course! I secured a strand of 14 AWG Stripped copper wire to the center screw first (if you look inside the HU you will find this is what secures these outputs to the chassis of the radio--1st ground) Then I wrapped EACH ground shield and terminated at the screw on the right that is attached directly to the chassis and is also used to secure the bottom half of the "box."
Oh, and I DID try grounding it to the chassis first (instead of the default harness ground) This was the second choice, yess...my DMM proved this (even with the bushing) was a solid ground..the bolt passes clear through and the washer gave a solid foundation.
Linear Mode
