• Welcome to the Checkmate Community Forums forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and access to our other FREE features.
    By joining our free community you will be able to:

    » Interact with over 10,000 Checkmate Fanatics from around the world!
    » Post topics and messages
    » Post and view photos
    » Communicate privately with other members
    » Access our extensive gallery of old Checkmate brochures located in our Media Gallery
    » Browse the various pictures in our Checkmate photo gallery

    Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact support by clicking here or by using the"contact us" link at the bottom of the page.

No power to stereo

T

tcg19

Member
Hi guys, when I bought my boat last month the stereo did not work. It wasn't getting power for some reason. We used an empty accessory rocker switch on the dash and ran a hot wire from that to the stereo and all worked well running the stereo off the switch. Now all of a sudden that rocker switch is not getting any power...ugh...talk about frustrating. We've pulled the switch and checked all the connections, but everything looks good. Anybody have any ideas? Can those rocker switches go bad? The boat is a 99 ZT280.

Thanks
Tom
 
Did you check for +12V at the hot wire, and also check the rocker switch terminal that goes to the stereo for +12V? You're gonna want a multimeter ASAP if you don't already have one.

Electrical issues are always fun. Sounds like it might be time to trace everything out, and fix any shady work the previous owner did. Good luck!
 
thanks guys, gonna dig a little deeper this weekend. I checked the fuse on the back of the stereo and it's good.
 
Was the head unit ran directly to the battery when you got the boat?

Those switches don't handle that much draw, so you may have burnt it out. Have you tried that switch on anything else.
 
I figure it had to be since the stereo didn't run off any switches. However we weren't getting any reading on the hot that was coming in to the head unit so we ran a hot from the switch. I'm thinking I burned out the rocker switch. I'm just going to run a new hot lead directly from the head unit back to the battery and see if that works.
 
tcg19 said:
I figure it had to be since the stereo didn't run off any switches. However we weren't getting any reading on the hot that was coming in to the head unit so we ran a hot from the switch. I'm thinking I burned out the rocker switch. I'm just going to run a new hot lead directly from the head unit back to the battery and see if that works.
Click to expand...

Be sure to put an in-line fuse on it!!
 
Well it's fixed...I just spliced a new hot wire from my cig lighter and ran it to the stereo. The head unit has a fuse in the back of it, and I'm sure the cig lighter runs through the fuse block. Anyone see any potential issues with this?
 
you might want to take a look at the current the radio is drawing when it's 'off'. You may be surprised- it might be enough to kill a battery if you don't start her up for a few weeks. Just something to consider.
 
The radio should have two hot leads in the harness. One will supply the main power (should be wired to the battery switch so it will be off when you turn your battery switch off). the other is an ACC or accessory wire which should be run to the baterry or a non switching circuit. This will not draw the battery down but will keep the radio's memory in tact (settings, presets, clock) and from being wiped out every time you turn your batteries off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top