I've managed to kill the Clarion DB189RMP head unit in my Copen through sheer stupidity. I was wiring the connectors for a trickle charge unit to the battery posts and didn’t fully disconnect the main leads thinking I could just slot the new connectors onto the bolts. I guess the +ve terminal must have shorted and taken out the fuse. I’ve checked the 7.5A ACC fuse which is fine but before I rip the head unit out to replace the fuse at the back, does anyone know what the 10A fuse marked MGC under the bonnet does ?
That’s a shame. I don’t suppose there’s likely to be another fuse ? I swapped the ACC for another 7.5A fuse and the unit is still dead whereas the indicators stilll worked. I’ve assumed the radio is wired to ACC even though it must still draw some power to maintain the station settings etc. To be honest, it was being lazy and trying not to have to reprogramme the settings that got me in this fix in the first place.
Hi Rob, There certainly is another fuse. The radio gets constant power from the "Back up, 10A fuse" in the fusebox under the bonnet as well. This is needed in order to keep your precious programmed stations when the ignition (ACC) is switched off. I'd check that one. Let me know how that goes. Some radios (primarily aftermarket) have a fuse of their own at the back of the radio as well, but you'd have to take it out to check that one.
@ronalddoes Thanks for the helpful info. Unfortunately, it’s not that one either so I’m going to have to dig into the trim and find the fuse at the back of the unit. What surprises me is that the fuse in the unit is 10A from what I can find on the internet, so I’d have expected the 7.5A ACC fuse to blow if anything. Anyway, I now have to decide whether to take the opportunity to replace the head unit with a Bluetooth model. It should be straightforward except the for the mic placement. I’d like to put it on the drivers side windscreen pillar if I can find a way to route it.
Assumed you left the ignition off during your operation, the 7,5A fuse would not have received any current, so I wouldn't have expected that one to have blown. The radio should slide out pretty easily using either the manufacurer-supplied removal tools or, much quicker, like such. Please note that the fuse might be on the back of the radio or "inline" like the one below.
@ronalddoes I took the radio out by removing the facia (it's an original Clarion screw in unit) and checked the fuse. It’s a 15A blade next to the ISO connectors. It was fine so I then rechecked the ACC and Backup fuses which were all fine. In desperation, I then removed both battery terminals and refitted them (with the charger connectors still in place) and bugger me the radio came back to life. A quick drive to confirm no untoward rattles from the radio fixings and wires and the trim is now back on and it’s still a complete mystery what caused or fixed the problem.
Thats the reason all first-level support technicians ask "have you tried turning it off and on again?" first
LOL. I wish I’d done that in the first place. Still, I now know how easy it is to get the trim off and remove the head unit. Shame there seems to be a hard wired component alongside the ISO connectors that makes changing it a bit awkward.
Isn't that the antenna's DIN-connector? That should pop right out with a little encouragement. I've never seen anything hardwired to a car stereo. Anyway, good to hear you were succesfull and won't have to miss out on your tunes during the upcoming Copen-season!
Hi @ronalddoes No, it wasn’t the antenna, which is on the opposite side on this Clarion model. It was a black shrouded wire right next to the ISO connectors and was crimped onto the radio chassis to secure it before it disappeared into the gubbins. I couldn’t see any obvious way to disconnect it further back down the wiring either. I should have taken a picture but didn’t have my phone handy and was just pleased the damned thing worked again. Might see what google throws up.
